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Title: Commentary: Tim Tebow's baseball success is no joke
Source:
Orlando Sentinel
URL Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/opin ... -david-whitley-0627-story.html
Published: Jun 27, 2018
Author: David Whitley
Post Date: 2018-06-28 11:36:44 by Deckard
Ping List: *Baseball* Subscribe to *Baseball*
Keywords: None
Views: 5867
Comments: 74
Remember all the snickering, guffawing and ridicule over Tim Tebow becoming a baseball player? Guess what, jokers? It seems Tebow is actually becoming a baseball player. “He looks like a different guy than last year,” Hartford manager Warren Schaeffer to the New York Post. That’s the paper that once ran the headline “Headless Body In Topless Bar.” Now critics must be losing their heads over the headline “Tim Tebow suddenly looking like pro baseball player.” Tebow plays for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, the Mets’ affiliate in the Class AA Eastern League. The Post surveyed opposing managers to get a gauge on Tebow’s progress. Tebow has not been sensational, but his progress has been impressive. “I saw him last year at (Class A) Columbia. He’s come a really long way,” Schaeffer said. “He’s a tough out right now. We had a really tough time against Tim Tebow. He hits fastballs well. He’s a strong kid. His approach has gotten a lot better.” Tebow was batting .256 with five home runs and 27 RBIs heading into this week. But his OPS (a statistic that measures on-base percentage and slugging average) was .737. That’s 81 points higher than last year, and the statistics keep trending up. Tebow had reached base in 11 of 15 games and batted .315 in that stretch. “We’ve got guys who’ve been playing five, six, seven years not having the success he’s had at Double-A,” Harrisburg manager Matt LeCroy said. “A lot of people probably thought he could not do that and now he’s starting to thrive in Double-A.” A lot of people? The precise number might be everyone on the planet except Tebow. Even his biggest admirers probably feared his baseball excursion would fizzle out in the low minors. Tebow hadn’t played baseball since 2006, his junior year at Nease High School. In between, he helped Florida with two national football championships, won the Heisman Trophy, led the Denver Broncos to the playoffs, built a hospital in the Philippines, became a hero to millions with his Good Guy persona, became an irritant to millions with his Good Guy persona…. On and on it went until he was (choose one) blackballed out the NFL or mercifully released after proving he’d never be a fulltime quality quarterback. Whatever your choice, there’s no debating what baseball experts thought when Tebow showed up at the Arizona Fall League in 2016. “His presence here is a farce, and he looks like an impostor pretending to have talent he does not possess,” ESPN’s baseball insider wrote. “There’s no hope this thing turns around,” Fox Sports wrote. “Scouts - given no choice but to evaluate this out-of-place media member - have been turning in scathing reports about Tebow’s long swing, poor fielding, and bad pitch recognition.” So what do scouts say now? “He is better,” one told the Post. “He has shown the ability to hit the fastball. Not a double-plus fastball, but an average fastball. He has progressed. He still misses a lot of pitches down. The changeup, he doesn’t see at all.’’ So he’s not Mike Trout, but apparently there is more than a little hope he is turning this thing around. “To hold your own after being out of it for however long he had been, you got to give the guy credit,” New Hampshire manager John Schneider said. “Baseball is a hard thing and hitting is a really hard thing. To show improvement and hold his own here in Double-A is pretty impressive.” Those suffering Tebow Derangement Syndrome will next declare him a failure if he doesn’t make it to the Majors. But Tebow never judged success that way. His only goal was to see how good he could be and enjoy the journey. It’s amazing what a tireless work ethic, unwavering faith and not listening to critics can do. “I’m improving, seeing pitches, leaving some bad pitches,” Tebow told the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. “I’m trying to be more direct to the baseball to do more damage with it.” If he keeps improving, the real damage will be to the egos of all those who weren’t just (understandably) skeptical of Tebow’s chances, they were laughing at the thought he’d ever amount to more than baseball joke. Who’s laughing now?
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#1. To: Deckard (#0)
Good story... LOVE Tim Tebow. I'm hardly alone. My all time favorite afflete. And Top Ten people. The man defines love of fellow man, integrity, willing oneself to be the best you can be. What kind of person wishes him ill-will and failure?
He looks great playing baseball but he really looks like a very athletic NFL player, not your usual baseball player. Baseball players don't have those big vascular arms and heavily muscled upper chest. Tebow really does have his own fan following that is very loyal.
True dat on all your observations. Baseball players need quick muscle-twitch capability (ana side -- steroids help this quite a bit, which is why is was and still IS rife.) ue to his muscularity, I'm not sure if Tebow's muscle-twitch reflex is quick enough. But no matter what, his fans will remain loyal and legend. Too bad the NFL/SJW powers-that-be blackballed him.
Tebow is filling those smaller stadiums in his league. He might still surprise. Some baseball experts say that he still isn't quite professional material. Certain things just go past him, don't even register. And you can't be a pro player without mastering those skills. Even so, a pro quarterback has very fast reflexes and perception so I would not bet that Tebow could not develop those skills and play in the major leagues.
I also don't think he's "pro material" at *this* juncture. BUT Tebow's rate of improvement has been sorta...miraculous. I'd played baseball in HS and college and know the intricacies of the game and how long it takes to adapt. Hitting .256 at AA ball is very good. He's hit .315 in his last 15 games. A small sampling size, granted. BUT it indicates a rapid learning curve. His mastery of baseball skill at this rapid pace may surprise. Tebow just has an intangibility that can't be measured. (some might call it "divine" help.) Pro quarterback has very fast reflexes and perception so I would not bet that Tebow could not develop those skills and play in the major leagues. Agree. This is one guy whose will and skills would never bet against.
Tebow just looks like an NFL player. The baseball guys just aren't as big.
Do you really think this guy looks like your average baseball player? Tebow isn't built like a swimmer or a tennis player either.
Wait, he not only looks like a well above average baseball player, there is proof that he definitely is: Please:
Tebow is a physical beast and athlete. I wish him well.
I guess I could post images of Jose Canseco, although that would be pretty gay. Barry Bonds, post steroids, looked like some kind of offensive lineman.
Canseco is another baseballer who breaks the mold. 6'4", 240 lbs? That's really big for baseball.
Keith OverBite! Yup. Prime Candidate. Even IF an Exorcism is performed, it must be epic. Our only chance is IF one is performed by an imported fleet of Popes, Cardinals and Priests from the Vatican working in shifts. The crucifixes must be super-sized gold models. A holy water-cannon must be shot directed at Olbermann's heart. MIGHT work. Might not. ;^P
Not anymore. You probably haven't checked out the updated rosters and sizes of typical MLBers. I've read Bill James MLB Baseball stats and analyses for many years. Great statistical and metric fodder. These days, MLB execs are finding great favor with pitchers who now average NFL-sized baseball players who stand at 6-3 to 6-5, 220-250 lbs is becoming much more the norm. The perception is that even IF they stink, they'll *look* like they'll be good. Even if they are mediocre, they'll stay with them. It's CYA masking incompetent player scouting and skill assessment. On the other hand, MLB Execs will not extend nearly the same patience and respect for guys who are 5-10, 5-11 but whose skills and stats are actually better. This is basically style over substance which also helps quell the complaints of fussy fans AND especially Sports writers' complaints. (BUT...BUT...LOOK AT HIM?? He LOOKS dangerous!!) Fear of baseball writer opinion that targets MLB execs is as insidious as fear of the political ops of liberal MSM. Think of this Size = Excellence presumption as the political equivalent of candidates WITH "good hair" vs. bald candidates/politicians. Examples are rife.
Even IF an Exorcism is performed, it must be epic. Our only chance is IF one is performed by an imported fleet of Popes, Cardinals and Priests from the Vatican working in shifts. The crucifixes must be super-sized gold models. A holy water-cannon must be shot directed at Olbermann's heart. MIGHT work. Might not. ;^P
6-4 and 250? You should at least get a 95mph fast ball out of the dude. Problem is does he have control and can he develop other pitches especially strike out pitches (slider, curve, cutter)
Hear ya... I have never understood how any guy/pitcher who 6-2+ with a good arm can't throw 94+ MPH. Never mind 6-4, 250. At that size they shuld easily throw 95+ (and many do.) But yes, IF you're serious about your craft, with command, gotta develop a mastery of at least two OTHER pitches. (all 3 of your above pitches would make a pitcher dominant. FWIW, when I pitched, I'd also come at a batter from all different angles like "El Duque".) Red, Unc, have you guys noticed the LOW BAs of MLB this year? Many team averages are from .225-.240. And for the first time there may be more Ks than hits! It's HR or a Whiff. Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra typically would K less than 25 times PER YEAR! The game has become either an XBH/HR or bust. Last night: TIE GAME. Yankees get the lead off guy on, inning 9. Fast guy at first, fast guy at bat (Brett Gardner, who can bunt, and bunt well). You need just ONE run to win; What did Gardner do? Promptly swings away and raps into a DP. EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE A HERO. Baseball's olde school fundamental/situational tactics are dead. Bombers gave away a game an inning later last night when an opposite field 340' HR was dinked into the seats. (but also NOT before loading the bases wit one out and all that was needed was CONTACT. The next two batters K'd on 6 pitches.) Hate to say it -- MLB is dying. NFL is dead. NBA is unwatchable. The NHL is a great game but on Tee-bee the puck is difficult to see. BEST live game to see is an NHL game. Red, IF you get the chance....:-)
;-) Imagine the President marching in this "Exorcist Detail" as his guests at SOTU Address before Congress? "Welcome. First of all I'd like to welcome my several guests flown in from the Vatican. As a professional courtesy, they've volunteered to anoint willing members of the Democrats and Media with Holy Water to perform Exorcism rites before I begin addressing you and the American people. Three holy water trucks are parked just outside for your convenience -- one solely for Pope Francis, who I'm told is still mellow from chain-smoking some really excellent Moroccan weed". HA! (we can dream, can't we?)
Jim Costa of CNN would start hurling green vomit and spinning his head around.
I remember Denny Mclain. I don't think he was that tall and drank about 20 sodas (not diet) per day. The guy was in his 20s and looked to be about 50. He already had a beer gut. However, he still won 30 games. He didn't do much after that except go to prison.
CNN's Acosta -- the male Linda Blair. THAT is one lunatic whose Exoticism Operation would really be a challenge. I'd pay good money to see Sarah Huckabee drill him through his nose with a straight-arm, heel-of-hand martial Arts blow... To be honest....it wouldn't matter who delivered it.
He should be expelled from the WH pool for yelling at the prez rudely and repeatedly, both overseas and in the States. He is also rude to Sanders regularly and seems to think he has special privileges. They should shut him down and decredential him. If CNN wanted to send another reporter, they could but Costa but not be allowed in the WH pool again.
Denny McLain. Yeah, I recall him pretty well. Playing ht/wt: 6-1, 185. Junk food AND gambling addict (and "dabbled" in narcotics *I believe*). Hmmm...you made be also remember how McLain was a yuge, famous soda addict, wasn't he?? One after the other. Right -- he aged prematurely, but that was before the 1980s when most everyone did, didn't they? What was called the "Breakfast of Champions"??: Yup -- BEER. (McLain sporting a tractor-tire around his mid-section who-knows-when): However, he still won 30 games. He didn't do much after that except go to prison. For a couple of years, Denny McLain was one of the best pitcher in baseball: 31-4 in '68, 24-7 in '69 (and then it all fell apart. I liked him for feeding Mickey Mantle a gift meatball in 1968, helping Mickey hit HR #533(?) (or another special HR late in his career.)
They should shut him down and decredential him. If CNN wanted to send another reporter, they could but Costa but not be allowed in the WH pool again. Hear ya on ALL counts. Why is this attn-whoring, yammering POS drama-queen even still a member of the WH pool? He's a clinical mental case. The President and Sanders are under no obligation to give courtesy to the dis-courteous, the dis-respectful, the inciter, Acosta -- are they? I agree. He and others who try to make it about THEM ought to be warned THEN banned if necessary. It IS a privilege to be counted in the court of pool reporters; Acosta isn't a "reporter", he's nothing but a Dem/Resistance shill, feathering his own toxic nest for a book deal or show. This Instigating Punk needs to be buried. DEEP.
I think he could do a great Michael Moore impersonation, if he was so inclined.
Thinking about this -- IS it possible that by allowing the antics of the Jim Acostas, Auntie Maxies, and the Peter Fondas to keep on mushrooming that it is part of Trump's 100-D Chess Plan? Sure, Sarah Sanders is taking the bullet for this MSM-Dem jihad, but couldn't it be said that it is in fact helping to convince moderate Dems to jettison them in lieu of Trump and Pubbies?
Heh...I see the resemblance. But here's Michael Moore's true Doppelganger:
I thought that was "Wheaties" but maybe that's what turned Bruce Jenner into a freak.
Not bad either.
"Beer" was the "Breakfast of Champions" joke. The other joke IS Bruce Jenner's Wheaties Box. Ugh. Anyone know what DID turn Bruce Jenner into a "girl" in his mind at age 60+? The guy had been a closet tranny for quite some time. Daddy/Mommy problems? Was he molested?
very close
Heh...Change out those glasses to round specs and it's...Michael Moore, 'Family Guy' dad.
What do you expect he's wearing a Barney necktie.
Vegetarians eat vegetables. Beware of humanitarians!
Perhaps his appearance in this gay fest of a movie should have given us some insight.
That's been going on for a few years now since "a few" players are better now that they changed their swing a little to hit more fly balls. Needless to say 90% of them need to change back to hitting line drives cause they haven't got enough ass to hit it out without a tailwind.
Vegetarians eat vegetables. Beware of humanitarians!
Mechanics. Some guys start throwing harder after a few years because they've fixed their mechanics, in essence smoothed out their delivery and their arms are now freer to travel further/faster.
Vegetarians eat vegetables. Beware of humanitarians!
Needless to say 90% of them need to change back to hitting line drives cause they haven't got enough ass to hit it out without a tailwind. Right. We rarely see line drives any more. Guys with warning-track power. Upper-cuts are what's taught. Bunch of guys are whiffing 180-200x per year. For what? 20-30 HRs? BORING. But that's because of these newer band-box stadiums. LIKE THE "NEW" FAKE YANKEE STADIUM (which I despise). Never seen so many cheap HRs. We're seeing all these pop ups and fly outs, some dribblers, and half the time -- K's. Fundamentals are pretty much extinct. (And not that I watch NBA anymore, but the same there. 80s basketball was far more fun to watch.)
Good call. Now that the players have these computerized analyses of mechanics, it's much easier to adjust and fix. Same really of hitting. They can also better isolate the muscles used in pitching via computerized graphics. Was reading the Bill James Stat handball (2017). In it was chapter on the vast number of pitchers who've had Tommy James surgery. You would NOT believe it. Amazing. They now throw at the same or better velocity. Even 10 years ago most of them would have been out of baseball. Speaking of mechanics, back when I was hurling I came 3/4. It produced more velocity and a moving fastball. Curve broke a lot better. THEN..."Traditional" Coach insisted I come straight over the top. Not conducive for my shoulder shape. Lost my previous velocity and movement AND control. Curve hung instead of having a slider-action. Obviously lost effectiveness, then confidence. :-( Buh-bye NY Yankee staff. lol
Tommy Lasorda taught players to swing down at the ball (especially if they have speed). He said that you are more likely to get on base that way, and if you contact it right, the spin will more likely carry it out of the ball park.
Comments (41 - 74) not displayed.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#2. To: Liberator (#1)
LOVE Tim Tebow. I'm hardly alone.
#3. To: Tooconservative (#2)
#4. To: Liberator (#3)
#5. To: Tooconservative, redleghunter, CZ82 (#4)
Some baseball experts say that he still isn't quite professional material.
#6. To: Tooconservative (#2)
Baseball players don't have those big vascular arms and heavily muscled upper chest.
#7. To: Gatlin (#6)
#8. To: Gatlin, Liberator (#6)
(Edited)
RightScoop: Tim Tebow just made ALL-STAR team and he might be playing for the Mets soon!
#9. To: Tooconservative (#8)
Do you really think this guy looks like your average baseball player?
Nah, I really think this guy looks like a well above average baseball player. Tim Tebow makes Eastern League All-Star team for Mets' Double-A affiliate .
#10. To: Deckard (#0)
#11. To: Liberator (#1)
What kind of person wishes him ill-will and failure?
#12. To: Tooconservative (#2)
Baseball players don't have those big vascular arms and heavily muscled upper chest.
#13. To: no gnu taxes (#12)
#14. To: redleghunter (#11)
#15. To: Tooconservative, redleghunter, CZ82 (#13)
Canseco is another baseballer who breaks the mold. 6'4", 240 lbs? That's really big for baseball.
#16. To: Liberator (#14)
Keith OverBite! Yup. Prime Candidate.
#17. To: Liberator (#15)
#18. To: redleghunter, CZ82 (#17)
6-4 and 250? You should at least get a 95mph fast ball out of the dude. Problem is does he have control and can he develop other pitches especially strike out pitches (slider, curve, cutter)
#19. To: redleghunter, CZ82, Stoner, Justifies, no gnu taxes, TooConservative (#16)
(Edited)
Trump at the outset:
#20. To: Liberator (#19)
As a professional courtesy, they've volunteered to anoint willing members of the Democrats and Media with Holy Water and perform Exorcism rites before I begin addressing you and the American people.
#21. To: Liberator (#18)
#22. To: Tooconservative (#20)
Jim Costa of CNN would start hurling green vomit and spinning his head around.
#23. To: Liberator (#22)
CNN's Acosta -- the male Linda Blair. THAT is one lunatic whose Exoticism Operation would really be a challenge.
#24. To: no gnu taxes (#21)
#25. To: Tooconservative (#23)
He should be expelled from the WH pool for yelling at the prez rudely and repeatedly, both overseas and in the States. He is also rude to Sanders regularly and seems to think he has special privileges.
#26. To: Liberator (#24)
#27. To: Tooconservative (#23)
#28. To: no gnu taxes (#26)
#29. To: Liberator (#24)
Breakfast of Champions
#30. To: no gnu taxes (#26)
#31. To: no gnu taxes (#29)
#32. To: Liberator (#30)
#33. To: no gnu taxes (#32)
#34. To: redleghunter (#11)
#35. To: Liberator (#31)
Anyone know what DID turn Bruce Jenner into a "girl" in his mind at age 60+? The guy had been a closet tranny for quite some time. Daddy/Mommy problems? Was he molested?
#36. To: Liberator (#18)
Red, Unc, have you guys noticed the LOW BAs of MLB this year? Many team averages are from .225-.240. And for the first time there may be more Ks than hits! It's HR or a Whiff.
#37. To: Liberator (#18)
I have never understood how any guy/pitcher who 6-2+ with a good arm can't throw 94+ MPH. Never mind 6-4, 250. At that size they shuld easily throw 95+ (and many do.)
#38. To: CZ82 (#36)
That's been going on for a few years now since "a few" players are better now that they changed their swing a little to hit more fly balls.
#39. To: CZ82, redleghunter (#37)
(Edited)
Mechanics. Some guys start throwing harder after a few years because they've fixed their mechanics, in essence smoothed out their delivery and their arms are now freer to travel further/faster.
#40. To: Liberator (#38)
.
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