That time Ted Turner managed the Braves
Can you imagine a modern-day owner wanting to manage?
We all know Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones secretly believes he could put a Polo shirt on coach from the sidelines. The late George Steinbrenner likely thought the same thing, especially when he first bought the New York Yankees in the 1970s.
But when Ted Turner was sick of his Atlanta Braves losing in 1976, he decided to do it. Turner put a uniform on and took over his team for one game.
It might have been a longer tenure, but MLB commissioner Bowie Kuhn said Turner had to go back to simply being an owner.
The trick did not work, as the Braves lost again. They did a lot of that back in those days, and it likely did not matter who was the manager of the team.
Turner was an involved owner. He led team meetings. He gave the okay on trades. He had his favorite players, which was sometimes an issue when those favorites needed to be traded or released.
Turner was an egomaniac who loved the limelight. He enjoyed publicity, and his publicity director back in those days was Bob Hope. No, not that Bob Hope. This one became a public relations icon in the city of Atlanta, and it all started with the Braves.
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