Too bad Donald Trump was kidding about buying the Cleveland Indians

Cleveland Indians’ fans have grumbled for years about the cheapness of Paul Dolan. They have longed for an owner who would spend money as willingly as other Cleveland owners Jimmy Haslam (Browns) and Dan Gilbert (Cavaliers).

And, for a brief moment on Tuesday, Tribe fans were teased by the possibility of a billionaire owner whose knack for spending would put even the late George Steinbrenner to shame.

Republican presidential candidate and former host of Celebrity Apprentice Donald Trump facetiously told the Hugh Hewitt Show, a nationally syndicated political talk show, he would purchase the “fabled and great franchise” in a heartbeat.

Valued around $600 million in 2013, the purchase of Cleveland’s MLB franchise would be nothing more than a drop in the bucket for Trump, who Daniel B. Kline of The Motley Fool claims is worth roughly $1.4 billion — or significantly less than Trump’s claim of $10 billion.

Hewitt, who is a native of Northeast Ohio and seems to be an Indians fan, joked: “If you want to win Ohio in general, you definitely want to own the Indians.” Trump, who apparently has no shame in buying votes, responded: “Good then I’ll buy them. We’ll work out a deal.”

Trump last owned a sports team in 1986 when his Houston Gamblers folded alongside the U.S. Football League, much to the fault of Trump himself. Before the league folded, though, Trump helped assemble a projected high-powered offense led by star quarterback Jim Kelly and coach Jack Pardee. 

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While his comments were almost certainly made tongue-in-cheek, his free-spending ways would be a welcomed relief for Tribe fans.

Hey, if he isn’t the next President of the United States, perhaps Dolan will give a sale of the team some serious consideration. Perhaps the Indians will get that power-hitting right-hander they’ve need since the late 1990s.

What do you think Tribe fans?

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