NBC Piles on Struggling Tebow, Says He'd Be Cut if He Were Anyone Else
To be painfully blunt, Tim Tebow is struggling at the Triple-A level.
In 28 at-bats through eight games, Tebow is hitting a paltry .143 with four RBIs and 11 strikeouts.
So, yes, despite the occasional flash of brilliance, Tebow is not doing well in the minor leagues.
TEBOW NATION LETS GO!! pic.twitter.com/nwOk7WrAPj
— Mason (@mason_cratch) April 6, 2019
Tim Tebow just hit an RBI double.
He’s now 2-2 with 2 RBI’s in this one. pic.twitter.com/Ykt2FjXcR2
— Will Scott (@WillScott44) April 6, 2019
Unfortunately for his fans, the fact remains that Tebow’s transition to Triple-A has not gone nearly as well as his transition to Double-A.
And, yes, part of me understands that a big part of sports are endless debates and criticisms about various players, especially when they struggle. Look no further than the coverage that the Baltimore Orioles’ Chris Davis received as he went on a record 0-54 hitless streak in the majors.
That all being said, there is a big difference between pettiness and actual criticism. NBC Sports clearly fell into the former with an article titled “Tim Tebow struggling at Triple-A.”
First and foremost, it’s not abundantly clear why NBC Sports’ ProFootballTalk felt compelled to write about a minor league baseball player. Perhaps it was a slow day in the news cycle. It seems petty at best, and mean-spirited at worst.
Second, and to be fair, PFT’s Michael David Smith starts the article in a somewhat fair and straightforward manner. But that quickly dissolves with this uncalled-for shot on a 31-year-old Tebow pursuing his dreams.
“A 31-year-old minor leaguer who’s ‘still learning’ wouldn’t last if he weren’t Tim Tebow, so there’s no doubt that the Mets organization is giving him a longer leash than it would most players,” Smith wrote. “But he’s going to have to learn soon, or else his hopes of making it to the majors will go from slim to none.”
Seriously? His name and celebrity are all that matters to the New York Mets?
What about his positive locker room influence? What about his work ethic that’s winning over some scouts? What about his incredible charity and character?
And even if the Mets are solely keeping Tebow around for his name value, why should that be a knock against him?
For what it’s worth, Tebow’s Triple-A manager doesn’t seem particularly worried about the slugger’s slow start.
“He’s still learning how to hit some of this pitching,” Syracuse Mets manager Tony DeFrancesco told ESPN. “I mean, these guys are throwing 97, 98 miles per hour. They’re spinning the baseball. He’s making some adjustments.”
Tebow doesn’t seem concerned, either. He’d rather focus on putting in the hard work.
“I really try to stay so focused,” Tebow said. “I don’t let myself go to many places like that. You can say that I’m close, but there’s also a piece that’s really far. It’s having the mentality of, it’s not just one call. It’s a lot of days of work. It’s a lot of days of grind. It’s a lot of days of improvement. It’s a lot of being able to lay off the 0-2 slider. It’s easy to say you’re close, but I think — not that I’m not optimistic at all — but my mindset is I have work that I need to get done.”
Good for Tebow. Drown out the petty cheap-shot artists and focus on pursuing the dream. That’s far more important than what a football website has to say about a baseball player.
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