Braves GM John Coppolella on Sunday confirmed the team's interest in former NFLer Tim Tebow and said that it is "rooted in Tebow's promise on the field rather than his ability to sell tickets," according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. Coppolella said that the Braves have had "'multiple' conversations with Tebow's representatives as a step toward signing him." Coppolella: "We are interested in Tim because of his potential as a baseball player, not as a gate attraction. ... All parties involved want this to be a pure baseball thing on every level" (ESPN.com, 9/5). USA TODAY's Gabe Lacques noted the Braves are "located in the heart" of SEC country, "less than a five-hour drive from where Tebow played his college football" at the Univ. of Florida. Meanwhile, the Braves' minor league affiliates are "sprinkled throughout SEC country," as one of the Braves' rookie league clubs "plays on the Disney-owned Wide World of Sports complex near Orlando, from which Tebow could begin a journey to the major leagues that would keep him exclusively in the South." The Single-A South Atlantic League Rome Braves are 70 miles from Atlanta, while the Double-A Southern League Mississippi Braves play in Pearl, Miss. The Triple-A Int'l League Gwinnett Braves' ballpark is a "mere 35 miles from Atlanta" (USA TODAY, 9/5). In Atlanta, David O'Brien noted the Braves own their previously listed affiliates, and if Tebow "spent time with any of those teams he would surely boost the bottom line financially" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 9/5).
