Braves chairman and CEO Terry McGuirk and team president John Schuerholz took seats in the front row of the press conference introducing Derek Lowe.
Both of them were simply taking in the proceedings until Lowe mentioned having avidly watched the Braves on TBS as he was growing up. That's when Schuerholz shot McGuirk a look. It may sound like a non-event that the Braves are no longer on the Superstation that Ted Turner started, and that long-time broadcaster Pete Van Wieren retired after the season. This following the death of the iconic Skip Caray last August. (Van Wieren had intended to retire after 2008 all along.)
But the waning national interest in the Braves has hurt the team this offseason -- this is no longer the team to join for free agents -- and the dwindling exposure, along with losing, hurts the Braves at the gate.
That situation -- and the payroll -- are casualties of the sale of the Braves to Liberty Media; that's what caused the breakup of the Turner television empire.
So the Braves have lost the publicity. They've lost the winning aura. They lost the loyalty of some fans by losing free agent John Smoltz, who didn't feel like waiting around for the Braves to offer a contract.
Free agent Tom Glavine, not as far along with his left elbow rehab as Smoltz was with his right shoulder rehab, is not as anxious about that. Yet.
