While Ted Turner has already shot down the notion of his return to sports team ownership, he did tell 11 Alive that he'd prefer to see the Atlanta Thrashers remain in town. Saying, "I'd rather see it stay here, but you have to play the cards you are dealt," Turner doesn't sound all that optimistic about the team's chances.
He was reportedly accompanied at Wheat Street Pantry by his son Beau Turner, himself a partial owner and less-prominent member of the Atlanta Spirit Group. He says he doesn't have much a role in ASG's operations or management of the franchise, but would also like to see the team stick around.
Turner was responsible for building the Atlanta Braves into "America's Team" and assembled the organization that led to the team's sudden and long-lasting run of success beginning in 1991. He once sent his manager out of town on a scouting trip so he could manage a game himself, to the MLB's displeasure. Ted Turner is pretty awesome.
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