Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban could join forces with Houston investor Jim Crane to place a bid for the Rangers. "We're exploring working with Crane," Cuban's staff attorney, Dan Jauchen, said Monday. Crane, who made his fortune in the freight industry, was an unsuccessful bidder for the ballclub last winter although the team's major lenders claim that his offer was actually larger than that of president Nolan Ryan and Pittsburgh sports attorney Chuck Greenberg.