Tim Tebow was 18 years old, in green shorts and a gray T-shirt, walking from left field toward home plate for an offseason chat. He'd come to meet with his high school baseball coach, Greg Mullins, after school. Something's wrong, Mullins thought as Tebow approached. "Can we talk?" Tebow asked, and they moved to the dugout bench.
It was 2005, and Tebow, not yet a celebrity, had plotted out his future. His voice wavered. A few minutes into the conversation, Tebow shed a tear. He wouldn't play his senior season of baseball. He had decided to enroll early at Florida to pursue a football career.
"One of the hardest decisions I ever made was choosing to go football over baseball," Tebow said this month of that day at Nease High School in Florida, just south of Jacksonville. "It's an itch I've always had and a passion I've always had, and it didn't go away after years."
It's been 13 and a half years since the day Tebow's baseball career ended. Well, could have ended. Now, just weeks into year three of a rise through the minors, Tebow is one step from the major leagues. One step from his ultimate dream, which he set out for after his professional football career ended. While his foundation was growing and he was working as an ESPN college football analyst, he considered how the rest of his life would go. Maybe he'd give his "first love" another try. Maybe he'd try to play in the majors.
As his baseball odyssey extends into this spring, the question is how he'll handle the pitching for the Class AAA Syracuse Mets. The task at hand: cut down on strikeouts, hit for power, track down fly balls in the outfield. In Class AA, he struck out in more than 30 percent of his at-bats, but he hit a respectable .273. Through nine games this season, he's 5 for 31 with 13 strikeouts.
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4 comments:
I wish Tim the best,but the pattern has been set.He will never be more than average at anything he does.His popularity will draw crowds and people will continue to insist that his failures are due to certain people being against him because he's a Christian.When he hits 40 or so he'll go on the speaking circuit.He may even become a great televangelist.What he won't be is a great football or baseball player.
Depends on the measurement of average. He's had a great ride and it may not be over.
Two national championships and the heisman in college. First round pick in the NFL draft. Even the NFL thugs liked him. I wish him nothing but the best in "the bigs" if he makes it. Remember, it's all about the butts in the seats. The Mets could do worse.
Dude can't hit farm system pitching. He'll bat well under the Mendoza line in the bigs.
One final step away from the majors? You did read the part where he hit only .273 at AA and struck out 30% of the time right? Obviously it is for team publicity that he was promoted from AA to AAA with these numbers. Since you didn't want to put it in the article 5 for 31 is a .161 avereage and he is now striking out 40% of the time. I admire his effort, but for the headline to be "Tebow is one step away from the majors" is about as misleading as it gets.
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