- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Kingery makes MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
Tebow knows baseball: Ex-QB shows skills
- Updated: August 31, 2016
LOS ANGELES — Eternal Tim Tebow optimists who are bullish on the former NFL quarterback’s prospects in professional baseball had to like what they saw on Tuesday afternoon.
During a live batting practice session against former Major League closer David Aardsma, who looks like he still pumps the gas in there in the low 90-mph range, Tebow mixed in a few hard-hit balls but struck out twice on off-speed pitches. Aardsma’s “inning” was supposed to be over. Tebow’s agent, Brodie Van Wagenen, had told Aardsma as much.
But Tebow insisted it was not over. He wanted one more pitch, Aardsma agreed, and the fastball was sent on a line drive into the base of the wall at the University of Southern California’s Dedeaux Field, right under the 365-foot sign.
“That was all Tim,” Aardsma said. “He wanted to finish on the right note.”
That followed a regular batting practice session in which Tebow displayed impressive power. He hit three home runs in his first round, including one to right-center field that soared way above the scoreboard, landing at least 400 feet from home plate on the top level of a nearby parking garage. Tebow hit two more in his second round, with one of them hitting the treetops above the scoreboard.
Tebow’s notorious competitive fire and physical strength weren’t the only qualities displayed at the workout, which was attended by 28 of the 30 Major League teams and watched by 46 scouts, according to Van Wagenen, who added that five or six big league clubs wanted to speak with Tebow afterward.
In addition to the baseball people, a large media contingent was on hand to watch Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, two-time national champion at the University of Florida and former quarterback for the Denver Broncos and New York Jets, take the first step toward what he desires.
And that is one lofty goal for a guy who hasn’t played baseball since his days as an all-state outfielder at Nease High School in Ponte Vedra, Fla., in 2005.
“The goal would be to have a career in the big leagues,” Tebow said. “That’s the goal, right? And then the pursuit of it is to give everything you have and be the best you can and give everything. I want to be someone that pursues what I believe in and what I’m passionate about, and a lot of people will say, ‘Well, what if you fail? What if you don’t make it?’
“Guess what? I don’t have to live with regret. I did everything I could. I pushed it. So I would rather be someone that could live with peace and no regrets than the what-if or being scared of if I didn’t make it.”
Tebow said quitting baseball in high school to pursue football …
continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com
