At a time when sports are shut down, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is taking a look (in no particular order) at some of the bizarre moments from Georgia sports history.
Imagine John Malone, the billionaire chairman of Braves owner Liberty Media, showing up for a game someday, putting on a uniform and managing the team.
Ridiculous, right? And unthinkable, as Malone hasn’t exactly frequented Braves games since his company bought the team 13 years ago.
But it was hardly out of character when another Braves owner, Ted Turner, made himself the team’s temporary manager in May 1977.
This Day in Braves History...
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Ted took over. pic.twitter.com/rqb2YfTPVI
“We were on a long losing streak, trying to figure out what to do about it, and Ted came in and said, ‘I think I’m going to go manage the team,’” recalled Bob Hope, a Braves executive at the time. “So he just put on a uniform and took over. I don’t think there was a moment of it he didn’t enjoy.”
Read more about the night Ted Turner took over as manager on AJC.com.
This article was written by Tim Tucker, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
On the list of Braves managers — 17 of them, including interims, since the team moved to Atlanta in 1966 — this entry jumps off the page: “1977, Ted Turner, 0-1.”
Posted by Atlanta Braves News Now on Tuesday, May 5, 2020
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