Tim Tebow in 2018 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium when he was inducted into Florida's Ring of Honor. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Carter's Corner: Back In Time To Catch Tebow's Exit
Wednesday, February 17, 2021 | General, Football, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- When you have spent the past 17 days like I have, any sense of normalcy is like winning the lottery.
Along those lines, when I woke up Wednesday morning, I craved something that I missed a lot. In fact, one of my favorite things about living in this university town: a cup of cafe con leche from Mi Apa. So, I did something I hadn't done since Feb. 1: I drove my car. You can probably guess where I went and what I ordered.
It was so good and exactly what the doctor ordered (not really, but maybe more on that at another time).
To make a long story short, I disappeared unexpectedly at the start of the month with some health issues. Thankfully, I'm back and ready to shake out the cobwebs and crank back up like the Gators did last fall when they suffered a COVID-19 outbreak. It suddenly got very busy.
I'll have something on the start of spring football on Thursday and the 2021 baseball opener on Friday. Until then, I thought I would ease back into action on our official website by touching on a hot topic of interest, most notably the baseball retirement of Gators icon Tim Tebow on Wednesday night. If there is one thing I have learned at FloridaGators.com, you can never write too much about No. 15.
Following his NFL career, Tebow spent four seasons in the New York Mets' minor-league system and made it as far as Triple-A. He was recently invited to spring training camp for the fifth consecutive season, but the 33-year-old Tebow (yes, that number jumps out) announced that he has decided to retire from professional baseball.
Tebow played 77 games at baseball's highest minor-league level in 2019, batting .163 with four home runs. He finishes his career with a .223 average and 18 home runs over 287 games.
"I want to thank the Mets, [Sandy] Alderson, the fans and all my teammates for the chance to be a part of such a great organization," Tebow said in a statement released by the Mets. "I loved every minute of the journey, but at this time I feel called in other directions. I never want to be partially in on anything. I always want to be 100 percent in on whatever I choose. Thank you again for everyone's support of this awesome journey in baseball, I'll always cherish my time."
It was interesting to watch Tebow put in the time to improve at baseball while at the same time working as a football analyst for the SEC Network and participating in countless other endeavors the past several years. He was always a long shot to make the majors, but he made it closer than many expected when he signed with the Mets.
And as you can see, fans turned out to watch him play in the minors:
Fifteen years after Tebow arrived on UF's campus as a fresh-faced kid from Jacksonville and altered the history of the program, perhaps his days as a competitive athlete are finally over. If so, Tebow made the most of his talent in ways that few others can.
Along those lines, when I woke up Wednesday morning, I craved something that I missed a lot. In fact, one of my favorite things about living in this university town: a cup of cafe con leche from Mi Apa. So, I did something I hadn't done since Feb. 1: I drove my car. You can probably guess where I went and what I ordered.
It was so good and exactly what the doctor ordered (not really, but maybe more on that at another time).
To make a long story short, I disappeared unexpectedly at the start of the month with some health issues. Thankfully, I'm back and ready to shake out the cobwebs and crank back up like the Gators did last fall when they suffered a COVID-19 outbreak. It suddenly got very busy.
I'll have something on the start of spring football on Thursday and the 2021 baseball opener on Friday. Until then, I thought I would ease back into action on our official website by touching on a hot topic of interest, most notably the baseball retirement of Gators icon Tim Tebow on Wednesday night. If there is one thing I have learned at FloridaGators.com, you can never write too much about No. 15.
Following his NFL career, Tebow spent four seasons in the New York Mets' minor-league system and made it as far as Triple-A. He was recently invited to spring training camp for the fifth consecutive season, but the 33-year-old Tebow (yes, that number jumps out) announced that he has decided to retire from professional baseball.
Tebow played 77 games at baseball's highest minor-league level in 2019, batting .163 with four home runs. He finishes his career with a .223 average and 18 home runs over 287 games.
"I want to thank the Mets, [Sandy] Alderson, the fans and all my teammates for the chance to be a part of such a great organization," Tebow said in a statement released by the Mets. "I loved every minute of the journey, but at this time I feel called in other directions. I never want to be partially in on anything. I always want to be 100 percent in on whatever I choose. Thank you again for everyone's support of this awesome journey in baseball, I'll always cherish my time."
It was interesting to watch Tebow put in the time to improve at baseball while at the same time working as a football analyst for the SEC Network and participating in countless other endeavors the past several years. He was always a long shot to make the majors, but he made it closer than many expected when he signed with the Mets.
And as you can see, fans turned out to watch him play in the minors:
The Tim Tebow effect across the minors was significant.
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) February 18, 2021
In 2017, he brought in an extra 2,500 fans on average for Sally League teams on the road.
That's an estimated additional $1.6 million in revenue 😳
Tebow year 1: https://t.co/GVnXjpjaLq
Year 2: https://t.co/3ClcqT7cPa pic.twitter.com/6yv1y6R0Rd
Fifteen years after Tebow arrived on UF's campus as a fresh-faced kid from Jacksonville and altered the history of the program, perhaps his days as a competitive athlete are finally over. If so, Tebow made the most of his talent in ways that few others can.
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