Blank says he's had conversations about buying Braves

<p>Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank said he has had conversations with officials about buying the Atlanta Braves.</p><p>But Blank, who also owns the Georgia Force of the Arena Football League, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday that he is not sure if he wants to make the commitment of owning a third sports franchise.</p><p>"What I've said is that I have an interest in looking at it, but how far that interest goes, I just haven't an idea _ I really don't," Blank said in his office at Falcons headquarters.</p><p>Speculation about Blank buying the Braves began after it was made public last week that Time Warner wanted to sell the Braves along with cable television network Turner South.</p><p>Blank said he has had several conversations with Braves or Time Warner officials. When pressed, he defined the number as "more than two and less than five."</p><p>"We've spoken to all the right people _ the people who've been directed to speak to us," Blank said without elaborating.</p><p>He said he expects Time Warner to "put together their paperwork after the first of the year. That's when we'll know more about the sale price and other specifics."</p><p>Time Warner, unhappy with the financial performance of its regional cable network, Turner South, said last week it had retained Allen & Co. to explore a possible sale of the network and the Braves. Without Turner South, Turner Broadcasting and Time Warner would have little reason to own the Braves. Historically, the team has been part of Turner as a source for television programming.</p><p>Estimates vary on the value of the Braves-Turner South package. Expert John Mansell of Kagan Research said he would put the combined package at about $600 million. Of that, $400 million would come from the Braves.</p><p>But for Blank, it's not just about money but also a matter of whether he wants to make the emotional commitment of owning another team.</p><p>"You have the emotional component in sports _ you win games and you lose games," Blank said. "The only difference is, here we have 16 games. For every one in football, there are 10 in baseball."</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x1cdc128)</p>

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