If you’re looking for a snapshot of Tim Tebow’s football career, look no further than his baseball showcase.
Tebow worked out for Major League Baseball teams Tuesday in Los Angeles, and his performance drew mixed reviews. The 29-year-old reportedly showed the same terrible arm that failed him as an NFL quarterback, but he demonstrated enough power, strength, passion and determination to leave many unwilling to completely write off his football-to-baseball transition.
Sound familiar?
The above scouting report — based on a 20-to-80 scale used in baseball circles — might as well be an evaluation of Tebow’s football prowess. He has some physical tools to suggest he could make it as a professional athlete, but he also has certain (rather significant) shortcomings that figure to limit his success at the highest level.
To complicate matters, Tebow had the same positive mindset that people have long been drawn to coming out of Tuesday’s workout, suggesting he’ll continue to have vocal supporters even if/when he ultimately proves he’s just not cut out for life as an MLB outfielder. It’s no different than his lackluster NFL career, which some still aren’t ready to bury despite him clearly showing he’s not good enough.
“I just want to be someone (who pursues) what I believe in, what I’m passionate about,” Tebow said, according to ESPN.com. “A lot of people are like, ‘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 (who) can live with peace and no regret than the ‘what if’ or being scared if I didn’t make it.
“When did it become a bad thing to pursue your dreams?”
Everyone loves a good underdog story, and Tebow has been the protagonist in one of sports’ most fascinating underdog stories ever since he left the University of Florida. The latest chapter was written Tuesday, and if America’s love affair with Tebow is any indication, the book still isn’t closed, for better or worse.
