Tebow A Smash Hit During, After Arizona Debut
(The Sports Xchange) - Tim Tebow had an eventful debut in the Arizona Fall League on Tuesday.
The former Florida football star and NFL first-round quarterback didn't do much at the plate, but his effort on and off the field got a lot of notice.
Playing left field, he smashed into the fence chasing a fly ball in the fifth inning.
"I was going pretty hard and thought I had another step or two and ran into the wall," he said. "But I've been hit harder, so I'm OK."
While he didn't make that play, he did come up big after the game, helping a fan who experienced a seizure as Tebow signed autographs. Observers said Tebow lay his hand on the seemingly unconscious man and said a prayer, and the man woke up. Tebow then kept him company until paramedics arrived.
While that move was a home run with the fans in attendance at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz., Tebow didn't have as much luck at the plate.
Unlike his instructional league debut on Sept. 28, when he homered in Port St. Lucie, Fla., he grounded out in all three at-bats Tuesday as his Scottsdale Scorpions beat the Glendale Desert Dogs 9-6.
"Obviously, I wish I could have done a little bit more at the plate and got a couple of hits," Tebow said, per ESPN.com. "But it was fun. You've got to knock a little rust off. ... Each day is not just about the result. It's about: What are you learning? How are you improving? How are you going to be able to take that over into spring training?"
The 29-year-old Tebow, who signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets last month, is expected to play again Wednesday and Thursday before returning to his college football broadcasting duties with ESPN for the Alabama-Tennessee game Saturday.
