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TebowMania Returns to Gainesville as former Gators star signs copies of his new book
Friday, June 10, 2011 | Men's Basketball, Football, Scott Carter
The only other time I can recall covering a book signing was in 2006 when Jose Canseco visited a Sam's Club store in Tampa to promote his book “Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big.”
I expected a circus-like atmosphere at the event with Canseco's book rocking the baseball establishment and his status as one of the true characters of the game.
The circus never arrived in what turned out to be a tame event highlighted by Canseco telling a small group of reporters a couple of jokes near the end.
However, if ever a book signing seemed on steroids, it was Thursday night at the Wal-Mart on Archer Road in Gainesville.
I showed up about 7:30 – an hour and half after it started – expecting the crowd to be dying down and former Gators quarterback Tim Tebow about out of ink signing copies of his recently released book “Through My Eyes.”
What a TebowMania rookie I must be.
After finding a parking spot somewhere near Micanopy, the first sight that caught my eye beyond all the No. 15 orange-and-blue jerseys was a Domino's Pizza tent set up outside selling hot pizzas – and there was a short line.
Once I walked through the front door, a line hundreds deep curled all the way through the store, finally coming to an end toward the back in the electronics section where Tebow sat at a table guarded by security. He signed away, smiling for pictures and telling fans thanks for coming.
As I watched from a distance, Ocala resident Stan Ingram waited on his daughter Nancy to get the two books she bought signed – one for her and one for her brother.
“He's like a god around here,'' Ingram said.
Tina Lopez and two of her friends giggled as they took photos with their smart phones shortly after getting Tebow to sign the cover of four books.
“This is so cool,'' Lopez said. “He will always be my favorite player, so I had to come and see him.''
I watched for a while as the line continued to move but seemingly never getting shorter. Finally, a woman over the intercom said the book signing was over at 8 p.m.
A few in the line booed. Others broke out a “We Want Tebow'' chant. Tebow's handlers looked ready to go. Tebow looked at them and they exchanged a few comments. He then continued to sign away.
At 10 minutes after 8, I finally decided it was time to go. I looked back one last time to see if Tebow was still signing. He was. As I turned back around to leave, I bumped into a woman headed toward the back of the store.
She had two books in her hand and wore a Tebow No. 15 Gators jersey.
Of course she did.
TebowMania is alive and well I thought as I left the store and began the long walk back to my car.
