‘Friend’ of Clint Eastwood, Julie Andrews wants Thrashers!

This is Stephen Rollins.

This is Stephen Rollins. He is friends on Facebook with ...

Let me start by saying that as a hockey fan since the age of 9 and chronicler of the Atlanta Thrashers since the day the NHL voted in 1997 to grant the city a new franchise, it’s terrific news that the Atlanta Spirit is looking to significantly (if not completely) reduce its financial interest in the franchise. It’s a logical step, given ownership seemingly mentally checked out of running a hockey team a long time ago.

Let us just hope that whoever takes over the Thrashers comes with less warning bells than Stephen Rollins.

Now, I don’t know Rollins. Maybe he’s a nice guy. Apparently, he is an Atlanta native and a long-time Thrashers fan. Those are nice bonuses for a potential owner. But I wonder about a guy who has a Facebook page and lists among his “friends”: Anne Hathaway, Brendan Fraser, Brooke Burke, Cindy Margolis, Clint Eastwood, Jennifer Garner, Julie Andrews and –  I must say — several

Clint Eastwood.

Clint Eastwood.

Brooke Burke.

Brooke Burke.

dozen women who look to aspire to be the next Victoria’s Secret model, or possibly the next Joslyn James.

If you check out Chris Vivlamore’s Thrashers blog, you’ll read that Rollins has not yet made an offer to buy the team, according to owner Bruce Levenson and team president Don Waddell. He certainly wasn’t short

Anne Hathaway.

Anne Hathaway.

Mary Poppins.

Mary Poppins.

of things to tell the Associated Press, however.

If you check out Rollins’ mostly obscure credits as an actor, director, producer and writer on his IMDB (Internet Movie Database) bio page, you’re left to wonder, “Does this guy really have the money to own a pro sports franchise?”

I’m not saying that I’m privy to Rollins’ financial portfolio. But there’s a significant gap between being wealthy enough to own really nice season tickets for a sports team and wealthy enough to owning what’s on stage.

There’s also this. According to Rollins, via Vivlamore, he would be part of a multi-city, majority ownership group with members in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta and London.

Great. West Coast. East Coast. South. Great Britain.

Dude. We have enough trouble keeping up with the Spirit. Now we’re going international?

Selling the team? Great news.

Let’s just hope this isn’t Option No. 1.

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71 comments Add your comment

JTH

May 27th, 2010
8:32 pm

Jeff, I gotta admit you lost me after that Brooke Burke photo. Carry on.

Delbert D.

May 27th, 2010
8:41 pm

Is Brooke Burke in the French Open?

Your Mammy

May 27th, 2010
9:09 pm

@Pi$$onaDAWG You nailed it!!!!!! Perfect comment!!!

Willy

May 27th, 2010
10:05 pm

Maybe with this guy we can start a “special” NHL and actually compete. I can’t believe nobody else noticed that the guy had downs.

Wayne stuck in AL

May 27th, 2010
10:31 pm

Going by his resume, Stephen Rollins should rename his company Miracle Pictures, because (say it with me, gang), “If it’s a good picture, it’s a MIRACLE!”

Brendan

May 28th, 2010
12:56 am

Oh well. It was a nice little glimmer of hope. For a while. Nice of the Spirit, LLC to quickly jump in to say, “this isn’t who we’re negotiating with.”

Jeff, for once it was nice to read a quote from Bruce Levenson that didn’t push the bile to the tip of my throat. Maybe Levenson can go “2-for 2″ one day? Whenever I see a quote attributed to Bruce Levenson, I get a Pavlovian craving for Pepto Bismol. Can I confess I keep a bottle on hand, instinctively, for just such occasions?

“Hey Brendan, did you hear the latest from Levenson?” “Hold on, let me grab the Pepto first. Chug, chug. Ahhh. Okay, lay it on me. I’m ready!” But ya know what? No matter how WELL I prepare for a Levenson quote. Mouth guard inserted, to prevent teeth grinding. Pepto and TUMS to coat the stomach. Tylenol for the head. Dramamine, for motion sickness. L-Lysine to help reduce acid refleux and cancre sores. Prozac, just in case Levenson ever developed coaching aspirations. Nothing ever really works. The bile still manages to surface. And to think, when I heard the Thrashers were being sold to the Spirit, I got excited that one of the prospective owners had PRIOR NHL experience with the Capitals. Segue to Rollins. I’m very pleased that Rollins is a Thrasher fan. We can’t ever have enough of them. But that’s about where it ends. For all I know, the ever-controversial filmmaker Michael Moore is a Thrasher fan. I still wouldn’t want him to buy the Thrashers. The scary part is, Michael Moore could probably afford it. And he’d be ‘thrilled’ that Philips Arena is LEED certified.

Sigh. Have we dodged that bullet yet? Michael Moore, if you do happen to be reading this, DON’T BUY THE THRASHERS!! AJAX and Clorox, combined, couldn’t get that kinda stench out of an owner’s box.

j

May 28th, 2010
1:09 am

@Delbert – no brooke b is not in the french open. But maybe you’re thinking of Sorana Cirstea, a player from Romania. She was on tv in the first round losing to the kuznetsova something that resembles that. http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/players/overview/wta312469.html

Big B CH 99

May 28th, 2010
1:17 am

I never have got why the Spirit bought the Thrashers, b/c it’s quite obvious that they don’t give a crap about Hockey. I don’t want to hear that a hockey team can’t succeed in Atl, a winning team could draw fans, but no one is gonna pay top dollar to see one of the 5-10 worst teams in the league every year. If they would hire a real GM and spend some money to put an annual playoff team on the ice, then I believe the fans would come. Right now, I don’t consider the Thrashers to be a real pro hockey team, I tell people I’m from Atlanta and like Hockey, I just wish we had a team (b/c the Thrashers don’t count).

10 yr plan

May 28th, 2010
8:15 am

I’d say sell the team to the Ga DOT or someone capable of maintaining all these “Bridges” that Waddell has built over the years according to Levenson. Worst job in America might be Thrasher Season Ticket rep.

TommyJack

May 28th, 2010
8:36 am

Jeff: A weak one.

107 days and counting

May 28th, 2010
8:47 am

Marky Mark

May 28th, 2010
8:47 am

JSS is a poser and everyone knows it. No bona fides whatsoever. Pfft.

107 days and counting

May 28th, 2010
8:49 am

what’s not family friendly about this one……………….

http://www.adrants.com/images/e79_kelly_monaco_maxim.jpg

107 days and counting

May 28th, 2010
8:56 am

Thank you JS, never heard of the JAP Brooke Burke, holy cow, is stalking illegal in Connecticut….!!

107 days and counting

May 28th, 2010
8:57 am

oh yeah, what were you writing about?

[...] ♦ ‘Friend’ of Clint Eastwood, Julie Andrews wants Thrashers! [...]

Jeff Schultz

May 28th, 2010
10:15 am

JSS — interesting insight, thanks.

ChippersLoveChild

May 28th, 2010
10:20 am

Anne Hathaway is hot… even as a Thrasher fan that is about all I have to add to this blog.

[...] ‘Friend’ of Clint Eastwood, Julie Andrews wants Thrashers! [...]

[...] ♦ ‘Friend’ of Clint Eastwood, Julie Andrews wants Thrashers! [...]

[...] other day we told you about Stephen Rollins, who says he wants to purchase the Thrashers and is “friends” on Facebook with Clint [...]