AMERICAN CENTURY CELEBRITY GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

July 15, 2004

Mark Cuban

Mark Graunke

Chuck Peterson

MODERATOR: Questions for Chuck Peter son, Mark Cuban.

MARK CUBAN: This is ChuckyP and MarkyC, will be appearing tonight at Nero's.

MODERATOR: Why don't you just tell us how things got started last night, and then, Chuck, you can fill in.

MARK CUBAN: Obviously, the word got around last year of what a sensational caddie that I am, and how Carlos cut his score by about ten strokes. No one cheats better than me. And once word got out, it was easy to see that when we auctioned off my services as caddie, I was going to be in demand. There's no better guy to pick up and I understand that he was getting a bargain than my co rapper, ChuckyP. Chuck is an amazing guy, and although he knows I'm not going to be much of a caddie, we're going to have a blast.

CHUCK PETERSON: What he really didn't tell you is that I'm the biggest Sacramento fan there is. I'm so big at the Palm Hotel there's only two rooms with names on it, one is Chuck Peterson. In spite of that, I still like Dallas and to have this guy caddie for me today, I'm going to play good. It's about bragging rights in Sacramento, is really what it is. So every time he goes back to King City, he'll be telling them bloopers, and when I go to the games up there. I have to bow my head in reverence to ChuckyP and I will because it's for such a great cause, the Fallen Patriot Fund. I really thank you, Chuck.

CHUCK PETERSON: That's what motivated me, you can't help but feel for him and his family, and there's so many of them out there. So I'm glad the money is going to a very good cause.

Q. How much money did you bid?

CHUCK PETERSON: $25,000. It's over $1,000 a hole so he'd better be good.

Q. What is your handicap and how do you think Mark can help you today?

CHUCK PETERSON: I'm a 13, and if he can get me a cocktail every once in a while, I think I'll do better.

MARK CUBAN: His handicap is if he stays out too late I can bring him coffee. That's what it is. (Laughter.)

Q. Are you surprised that Donald Trump did not outbid him?

MARK CUBAN: No. Donald is a great guy. I love to have fun going back and forth with him. But, you know, apparently he brought his own caddie and he brought Annika Sorenstam; you couldn't ask for a better caddie. I think she knows a little bit more about golf than I do, and I know Donald is a great golfer and a serious golfer, so it wasn't a surprise.

Q. Are you going to record any of this or get any photos of this stuff for future Kings use?

CHUCK PETERSON: And we will be calling the bloops during the round, so I can tell him what my bitch is doing for me over here. (Laughter.)

MARK CUBAN: That's Ms. Bitch to you.

CHUCK PETERSON: So I can tell, you know we're going to have fun out there, that's for sure.

Q. Did you anticipate having such a Kings fan behind you?

MARK CUBAN: No, I did not. But my wardrobe was adjusted for the occasion, so I would have some semblance of respect in the group. But I'm glad I did. I love them. I'm one of their greatest fans, going to the Palm in Vegas you know, the Kings, Kings and Mavs are obviously archrivals on the court, but off the court our organizations get along great, our fans get along great. When we go to Sacramento, we get treated like kings and queens, we get treated really well and vice versa when the Kings come to Dallas. They take care of their fans and it's a great relationship. And it's probably the best in the NBA. It's not antagonistic at all. It's really supportive and that's what I like about it.

Q. Did you guys know each other prior to this?

MARK CUBAN: Yeah, we did. I see him in Vegas stumbling, falling.

CHUCK PETERSON: Any time he's losing on the table, I come sit down and he starts to win again.

Q. Maybe now we can talk about it; how close did you get to that Shaq trade?

MARK CUBAN: Not very. There was a lot more imagination going on in the media than in reality. For whatever reason, people failed to realize that good or bad, with Miami trade there was no way they were trading Shaq to the West, there's just no way. The Mavs would like to get them, we would like to get him, we put in our calls and made our effort, we ran out the groundball but we were never close.

Q. Was Dirk a part, in the middle?

MARK CUBAN: Dirk's name never even came up. There wasn't a single player that came up. When I talked to Mitch and don't get me wrong, Mitch is a great GM. He knows exactly what he was doing. He was smart enough. He played it exactly like I would play it. He said, "Look, there's nobody on your roster." That's in the NBA, when you discuss a trade in the NBA, the catch phrase to say, don't even waste your time: You know what, I looked on your roster and there's nobody really of interest to me.

So it never got to anything. I mean, there was never any in depth discussion; well, if you include Steve in a sign and trade, if you include Dirk, nothing like that at all. Further conversations with other people, he made it clear to them he was trying to get a young star, and that's what he got in Lamar Odom and more power to him.

Q. As a Kings fan could you have handled the reality of Shaq playing for the Kings?

CHUCK PETERSON: As much as we hate the Lakers, I think we would have adapted very well. It's funny, the sheriff of our town, Lou Blantz (ph) who is a very good friend of his, and as you know Shaq wants to be a sheriff some day. So he's probably feeling pretty good.

Q. The fact that, like you say, you look at a roster and say "you don't have anybody that interests me," good young players, not one of them that the Lakers got was an All Star; are you surprised by that?

MARK CUBAN: I think Mitch did the best that he could. I think his hands were really tied. Once you're in a scenario where a player is demanding a trade and the organization is kind of confirmed that they have to trade, the other teams know that you've kind of got the upper hand. You add to that that Mitch is smart enough not to want to trade him to a Western Conference team the Lakers are a smart organization, Jerry Buss, they are smart guys. As much as everybody has kind of reamed them and everything, there are not going to be a whole lot of deals out there. If you go up and down the Eastern Conference, there's not a lot of really available superstars who were a fit, assuming that Kobe is going back there, which I'm sure we'll find out in a few minutes.

Q. I was going to ask you that. Can you imagine that he would go to the Clippers?

MARK CUBAN: All I know is right now, somebody is sitting in L.A. going: One potato, two potato, three potato, four; five potato, six potato, Lakers are more. I think that's the way he's deciding right now. I don't know that he knows.

Q. Being from Vegas we have to ask you the traditional question. Are you going to try to make mention to get Vegas a team?

MARK CUBAN: It can't happen soon enough. I think it's just archaic. I think it's hypocritical. I think it's backwards that there isn't a team in Vegas right now.

I mean, six, seven years ago before the Internet was prevalent, then I think could you make a good argument that what happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas, gambling wise. But gambling is internationally prevalent, and since the past seven years, there's not a town anywhere near water that doesn't have a casino of some sort.

The NBA is so advanced in terms of how it investigates and follows up on its players that it would be have very difficult for it not to; I think it has to happen.

Q. Do you feel any need as an owner in the League or is it none of your business to try to encourage David Stern to change his opinion on Las Vegas, along with Jerry Colangelo who has the same opinion that you do?

MARK CUBAN: I think it's very much in the League's best interests. That's the beauty of the NBA. David is very open for discussion, and so you can go back, you can have a back and forth type conversation. And he'll disagree with you and disagree with you until it's his idea, and then he'll agree with you . I'm kidding when I say that. (Laughter.)

David's very open minded and that's the way change happens. He encourages conversation. And once, as the variables evolve and change, I have no doubt in my mind there's going to be a franchise in Vegas. It's just too stupid not to do it.

Q. There was a report this week talking about the possibility that Michael Jordan would get involved in the ownership of the Heat.

MARK CUBAN: Is it Sam Smith who wrote it?

Q. Yes?

MARK CUBAN: Then I can assure you myself that the exact opposite is true. (Laughter.)

Q. Is there a history there?

MARK CUBAN: Yeah, he's never written a word of truth his entire life and I don't expect it to start now.

It's interesting. That's one column when he writes about me, you know, I know he has not spoken to me. And I read about things that I'm doing that he says all the time. So, you know, he's never spoken to me; so that tells you all you need to know.

MODERATOR: Let me make one more introduction here. Let me bring up Marine Staff Sergeant Mark Graunke, beneficiary of the Fallen Patriot Fund. (Applause).

Q. Just for starters, I don't know if you've been to Lake Tahoe before, the south shore, have you been here before and if so, what are your first impressions?

SERGEANT GRAUNKE: No, I've never been here before. It's a beautiful place. I'm glad I had the opportunity to come here and see the tournament and try to help raise some money.

Q. Tell us about last night, being in the audience and seeing all of these famous faces focused on you. Tell us about that experience.

MARK CUBAN: Well, the dinner part of it, I couldn't really see the audience with all of the blinding lights shining in my eyes. But at the players meeting I was able to talk to them, and it humbled me that they stood up for me. And I think that really leads somewhere because I kind of represent anybody who is over there, whether they are Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, anybody who was injured, and I just hope that that I can help matters out.

Q. Is that a heavy burden to represent all of those people?

SERGEANT GRAUNKE: Well, obviously it is, I mean, how can one man represent everybody. I just do my best.

Q. We have a tournament coming up in on the Celebrity Players Tour, Marine Corps Celebrity Invitational, and I've talked to Mark and the Fallen Patriot Fund is going to be the beneficiary there and hopes to raise a lot of dollars there, you'll see a lot of buddies, we hope that you can come there and join us in September for that event.

SERGEANT GRAUNKE: Obviously I have to check on things and see where my recovery process is and other things of that nature.

Preliminary answer to that, I'd be honored to go there and try to do the same thing I'm doing here.

Q. Talk about how it feels to have a guy like Mark Cuban stepping up when he didn't have to do any of this. This is the second year in a row doing this. What's it like for to you have a guy like this involved?

SERGEANT GRAUNKE: He's an outstanding guy, he's a real stand up guy. Obviously he doesn't have to do what he does, which makes this that much better. There's so many people out there that they get their money and they just hoard it, and for him to be selfless the way he is being, it really means a lot to everybody.

Q. Obviously you're a man of great strength, but how did self pity not creep into your psyche during your recovery?

SERGEANT GRAUNKE: Well, first of all, I am a Marine, we improvise, adapt and overcome; that's a Marine motto. In addition to that, I've always been self confident. I don't know the word I'm looking for, but I never quit. To have a bad attitude, it's just going to alienate everybody who is trying to help you. It's going to have a counter effect to what you want. It's going to make your recovery process longer, and it's just not going to help.

Q. Thank you for your service and your sacrifice for our country. What is your status in terms of recovery, where are you at and how much further do you have to go; do you know?

SERGEANT GRAUNKE: Well, first, I was proud to serve my country. We live in such a great nation, anything I can do to give back, I was willing to do.

As far as my recovery process, I have actually been released from all my therapy. However, it will be a lifelong recovery. There will always be something that I have to encounter that I'll have to learn how to get over. It's just something that you'll deal with at that moment in time.

Q. How much was raised last night?

MARK CUBAN: Just over $130,000 which beats last year's first night.

End of FastScripts.