CINCINNATI — Pirates fans are mad.

Their team teased entering the All-Star break, closing to within 2½ games of first place in the National League’s Central Division, before enduring a collapse for the ages, one that has the pitchforks out and repeated calls for jobs and a change in ownership.

One of the names that’s commonly brought up as a potential buyer for the Pirates is Mt. Lebanon native Mark Cuban, who currently owns the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. Cuban is worth $4.1 billion, the argument goes, so surely he’d spend enough to make the team competitive.

Back in 2005, Cuban even looked into buying the Pirates, although he was told they weren’t for sale.

It’s admittedly a bit of a straw-man argument now nearly 14 years later, but is Cuban still interested in perhaps purchasing his hometown baseball team?

The simple answer is no, but Cuban explained his rationale in an email exchange with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Monday afternoon.

“No. For a few reasons,” Cuban wrote. “First is my kids are too much fun. I inquired when I was still single.

“Second, baseball is in a heap of hurt. It’s not just that attendance is falling, but rather they seem to fight any new idea that does not have a clock assigned to it. It’s a shame. Maybe gambling will bring in new fans. But right now, young kids are not interested in baseball unless their parents force them in that direction.”

As far as the Pirates go, Cuban actually had some measured praise for principle owner Bob Nutting and the team’s current management group

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