So now Tim Tebow, a left-handed power hitting outfielder, wants to be an MLB player after the NFL thing didn’t quite work out.
If he throws a baseball anything like he throws a football, he will short hop the cutoff man and sail throws from the outfield over the catcher’s head. And if he ever hits a home run and then “Tebows” at home plate, he can count on catching one in the ribs his next time up.
It’s a long shot he makes it, of course. He’s 29 years old and hasn’t played baseball since his junior year in high school when he hit .494. The Angels were planning to draft him but he didn’t send back an information card. Tebow will hold a workout at the end of the month with the hopes of getting signed.
“I spent time w @TimTebow in the cages recently, he’s a NATURAL. I absolutely believe in his ability to play in the bigs. Tim has IT #focused,” former major leaguer Gary Sheffield tweeted.
Sheffield was a very good player, but as of yet has not been confused with Branch Rickey as a talent evaluator.
Tim Tebow
(Mike Windle/Getty Images for ESPN)
There have been some excellent two-sport stars in pro ball but Tebow may not be any good in either football or baseball.
Bo Jackson made the Pro Bowl and All-Star Game — the only player to accomplish both — as a powerful runner and power hitter. Deion Sanders is the best cover corner of all time and won the Super Bowl with the 49ers and Cowboys. He hit .533 for the Braves in their six-game World Series loss in 1992. He was a much better football player than outfielder. Only Prime Time has played in the Super Bowl and World Series.
Michael Jordan, the all-time greatest basketball player, was a bust as a baseball player when he took his nearly two-year break from the NBA. LeBron James, who played high school football, could have been an All-Pro tight end if he pursued football, but he apparently made the right choice.
Here is my starting lineup if current NFL players decided to follow Tebow into baseball:
C: Tom Brady, QB, Patriots: Picked in the 18th round of the 1995 MLB draft by the Expos. Lefty hitting catcher with power.
1B: Rob Gronkowski, TE, Patriots. Great target at first base. He can go high to catch a football. Imagine how he would do with a glove on his hand.
2B: Russell Wilson, QB, Seahawks. Played second base for two seasons in the minors for the Rockies. Wouldn’t have to worry about last-second interceptions if he returned to baseball.
3B: Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers: Who else but A-Rod at third? Can make the long throw with great arm.
SS: Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Giants. Could play all nine positions — maybe at the same time — but great speed and quickness make him a natural shortstop.
LF: Eric Decker, WR, Jets. College baseball outfielder, he was drafted by the Brewers and Twins.
CF: Julio Jones, WR, Falcons. Long strides and wingspan — he will cover a lot of ground and catch everything.
RF: Tim Tebow, former QB, Broncos, Jets. He inspired this list, so feel obligated to let him play.
DH: J.J. Watt, DE, Texans. It’s scary to think how far he can hit a baseball.
RHP: Colin Kaepernick, QB, 49ers. Pitcher in high school, not college, but still drafted by the Cubs while in college. If he gets beat out by Blaine Gabbert, he might want to consider working on his slider.
LHP: Michael Vick, FA. Hasn’t played baseball since middle school but we need a lefty starter and Vick always had overpowering football fastball.
Closer: Jameis Winston, QB, Bucs. Nine saves at Florida State. He was also a switch-hitting outfielder. Drafted by the Rangers in 2012.
Manager: Todd Bowles, Jets. Really good left-handed pitcher at Elizabeth High School in New Jersey. Bill Belichick can’t manage this team. Imagine what he would look like in a baseball uniform. I guess he could always go with his hoodie look like Joe Maddon.
HALL OF SHAME GAME
The season got off to a rotten start last Sunday night when the NFL had to cancel the Hall of Fame Game because the wrong paint was used on the field for the HOF logo that made the surface unsafe. How can a $13 billion a year industry screw up like that? The HOF in Canton, and its stadium, which is used for high school games in the fall, is undergoing massive renovation. The field used in the past was ripped up. Saints owner Tom Benson donated $11 million to the project and had the stadium named after him. He also sent the HOF the artificial turf from the Superdome that was used for the Sugar Bowl this year to put down for the Packers-Colts game. It was to be the only game it was used with the high school games moved during the renovation. The company that installed the field in Canton consulted with the company that provided the field in New Orleans to ask what kind of paint to use. The NFL is investigating what went wrong. Suggestion: Ted Wells is available for $5 million. So, if you’re keeping score, the Super Bowl in Jerry Jones Stadium in Dallas after the 2010 season was an embarrassment when tickets were sold for seats that were not installed. The Super Bowl in New Orleans after the 2012 season was delayed for 34 minutes in the third quarter when half the lights in the Superdome went dark as the result of a power outage. And the HOF game gets cancelled because of a bad paint job… Making it worse, there was a clock in the stadium counting down the minutes to the kickoff that kept ticking even though the decision to cancel the game was made about an hour before kickoff. Problem: The fans were not told until kickoff. Fans are getting their ticket money refunded but there are no refunds for money spent on concessions in the hour they weren’t told the game was already called off. A class action suit by fans seeking $5 million in damages was filed against the NFL and Hall of Fame.
GREEN PLAYHOUSE
For a no-nonsense coach, there sure is a lot of nonsense that goes on with Bowles’ Jets. Last year, IK Enemkpali punched out starting quarterback Geno Smith in the locker room and broke his jaw. That has altered the course of Smith’s career. Then last week, Darrelle Revis and Brandon Marshall, the Jets’ two best players, got into a verbal and physical confrontation on the field. This is a violent game and it’s unavoidable when guys this big and strong are running into each other at full speed. But self-inflicted wounds are inexcusable. Bowles liked the feistiness but not the fighting. It wouldn’t have been good if one of them broke their hand trying to be Muhammad Ali. … Rex Ryan took over a dominant defense in Buffalo last year and it regressed. Buffalo drafted DE Shaq Lawson in the first round and LB Reggie Ragland in the second (they considered taking him in the first). Lawson needed offseason shoulder surgery with no date set for his return. Ragland suffered a season-ending torn ACL in practice. Lawson and Ragland were projected as opening day starters. Even though Ryan is in just the second of a five-year $27.5 million contract, the feeling is he must make the playoffs this year to stick around.
JET REUNION
It was former Jets GM week at MetLife. On Thursday night, Dolphins senior scout Terry Bradway (Jets GM 2001-05) and Jags special assistant to the GM John Idzik (Jets GM 2013-14) were at the Jets-Jaguars game. On Friday night the Jets played the Dolphins, whose executive VP is Mike Tannenbaum (Jets GM 2006-12). They did not sit around telling stories about how the Jets demoted (Bradway) or fired (Tannenbaum, Idzik) them… The CBA was supposed to take care of all rookie holdouts with salary slots pre-determining the total value of the contracts. So, how is it that Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa, the third overall pick in this year’s draft, is the only unsigned player? San Diego wants to split his $17 million signing bonus in two installments — half now and half next year. The Chargers also want offset language in the deal, meaning if Bosa is cut during the four years of the contract and signs elsewhere, the Chargers’ obligation is reduced by the amount for which Bosa signs with his new team and he can’t double dip. This is a crucial year for the Chargers. The vote for a new downtown stadium is in November and if the team stinks this season, it’s not going to help secure the $350 million in public money. If the vote fails, the Chargers could move to Los Angeles and become the Rams’ tenant in their new stadium. Why would the Chargers bother fighting over relatively meaningless clauses and potentially turn this into a wasted season for their No. 1 pick, assuming he eventually signs? Bosa is willing to accept either the split bonus or the offset language but not both, a common compromise for high draft picks. Bosa’s mother Cheryl wrote on Facebook: “I wish we pulled an Eli Manning on draft day.” This has gotten nasty… The Chargers had a history of long rookie holdouts under the old CBA and now Bosa’s holdout is the longest since the new CBA was put in place in 2011. If he doesn’t sign or get traded, he will be in the 2017 draft and likely not be drafted nearly as high as he was this year.
