Phillies bench coach Larry Bowa has never been shy to share his opinion—especially when it has to do with right and wrong in the game of baseball.
So when broached about the idea of Tim Tebow working out for major league teams—including the one Bowa currently works for—the former manager didn’t mince words, per The Boston Globe:
“Whoever’s idea it is, they don’t respect the game of baseball,” Bowa said. “It’s a hard game. You don’t come in at age 28 or 29. I’m not saying he’s not a good athlete, but this is a hard game and there are a lot of good athletes in pro ball that never get to the big leagues. I don’t think it can happen. There are guys 28 or 29 that are getting released every day. How can you take 10 years off and all of the sudden be facing guys throwing 95, guys throwing sliders?”
Tebow’s workout is scheduled for Monday in Los Angeles. As of last week, 20 of the 30 big league clubs were expected to send someone to watch. In Philadelphia, there’s at least cursory interest in a player that once tried to become the quarterback in town.
Barring a dominant workout and surprise by Tebow in live baseball drills, Bowa’s probably going to end up looking prescient here. The idea of Tebow becoming a productive player in the majors seems farfetched. In Bowa’s eyes, the idea itself is simply not respectful to the game of baseball.
Joe Giglio may be reached at jgiglio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
