I was going to post on this yesterday, then I decided against it. This morning, I saw that general manager Sandy Alderson weighed in on it and I knew I wanted to add my two cents. I’m referring to the over-the-top hazing and trolling of Tim Tebow by the Charleston River Dogs this weekend.
The Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees taunted Tebow during every plate appearance by playing the Hallelujah Chorus, their mascot wore eye black with the Bible verse John 3:16, and on the scoreboard whenever a Columbia Fireflies player came to the plate it said “Not Tim Tebow” under the player’s image rather than the player’s name.
There were also a few more antics throughout the series that were in very poor taste including the ballpark announcer encouraging fans to boo Tebow whenever he came to bat and cheering every strike call. The whole thing was completely appalling.
On Monday, the River Dogs issued an apology.
“While we believe that our promotions were poking fun at Mr. Tebow’s celebrity status rather than his religion or baseball career, our intent was not to offend anyone, and for the fact that we did offend, we are sorry.”
On Tuesday, Sandy Alderson reacted to what happened as reported by Marc Carig of Newsday, “I guess my comment would be that it was all very minor league.”
“We had some of that even before he arrived in the Sally League in spring training,” Alderson said. “I was a little surprised that halfway through the season that somebody decided to be cute and pursue that. But he’s bigger than that.”
I really don’t get why any team would resort to this kind of personal attack and think that it was okay. I was very critical of the Mets when they first signed Tebow but in the time since, I’ve become a huge Tim Tebow fan. The way he carries himself despite all the antagonism that is constantly aimed at him has galvanized my support of him.
The one thing that stood out for me recently about Tim Tebow, was how much his teammates love and support him. He brings his team together and inspires them with his work ethic, positive attitude and his willingness to help his teammates.
During spring training, I was heartened when I learned that Tim would frequently treat his teammates to dinners, movie nights, bowling and other constructive things to boost morale. It was amazing how players faces would light up when asked what it was like to play with him. They absolutely love having him in the clubhouse and they even turn to him for advice on a number of different things.
Look, the bottom line is whether Tebow makes it or not as a ballplayer is inconsequential at this point. The important thing to remember is that like every single player in the Mets minor league system, Tebow is just another young man chasing his dream to become a big-league player… and he shouldn’t be treated any differently.
I applaud Tebow for turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to all those who take joy in mocking him and trying to get a rise out of him. So far, all their attempts to distract him have proved futile, and that’s because he’s a bigger man than all of them. From the moment Tim Tebow first donned a Mets uniform, he has been nothing short of a class act.
