Pic of the Week

Tim Tebow makes a diving catch during Monday's
Marlins-Mets exhibition game.

Tim Tebow, famous college quarterback, famous failed NFL quarterback, is trying to play baseball.

The Mets signed him, sent him to the Arizona Fall League, where he hit .194 with 20 strikeouts in 62 at-bats in between trips to do college football broadcasts for ESPN. This month the Mets have given him a few games in spring training. He will, apparently, be assigned to a minor league affiliate, but which one is unknown,

Whichever team he plays on, he's expected to be an attendance magnet. Whether that justifies giving playing time and at-bats to a 29-year-old nonprospect is ... well, I'm glad it's not the Twins doing this.

That's not a sneer at Tebow's persona or beliefs. It's a statement of practicality. If the minor league system is intended to develop future major league players, Tebow doesn't belong. The years when he could have been grown into a baseball player were spent playing football. Now he's merely a marketing gimmick.