Show before The Show: Tebow is a minor talent but he’s a major attraction
COLUMBIA, S.C.— Tim Tebow is a bigleague hit in the minor leagues.
The Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback has minorleague fans around the Class-A South Atlantic League flocking to stadiums and jamming ticket lines to see the Columbia Fireflies outfielder and designated hitter.
The Hickory Crawdads sold out four games with the Fireflies, its total of 17,500 for the series surpassing the 15,900 they drew their first eight games.
“We had 4,500 people in the stands,” Crawdads season-ticket holder Christopher Pack said, “and 4,300 were there to see Tim Tebow.”
People showed up in Tebow’s NFL jerseys and Florida Gator outfits, lining up around the rails in this intimate ballpark to get an autograph or a selfie with Tebow.
It may be unclear if he will ever get to the majors but one thing is clear: Tim Tebow is the biggest show in Class-A ball. That was apparent last Saturday in the eighth inning against Hickory when Tebow, on his off day with the New York Mets affiliate, heard the Crawdads crowd chant his name, hoping that Columbia manager Jose Leger would get him in the game.
“It’s not something you see all the time,” Hickory general manager Mark Seaman said.
The welcomed chaos has been evident during Tebow’s three road trips in April.
In Augusta, Georgia, the GreenJackets front-office staff had to scramble and find enough workers for concessions: 5,830 fans turned out, well above their season’s average of 3,190. A few days later in Rome, Ga. — smack in the heart of Southeastern Conference football territory where the former Florida Gator was a polarizing figure — Tebow and the Fireflies drew 5,105 fans.
“That was two-and-half times what they might bring in for a game in mid-April,” said Lakewood (New Jersey) BlueClaws communications director Greg Giombarrese said. “That’s when I knew this was something different.”
The Fireflies will play at Lakewood in a four-game set starting May 13. They have sold out of their 6,588 reserve sets for two of the games with very limited seating available for the other two. Lakewood, located near the Jersey Shore, is about 90 minutes away from the Mets’ home, Citi Field. It will be an opportunity for curious New York fans to get a glimpse of the high-profile prospect.
“There should be a lot of Mets caps in the stands,” Giombarrese said.
Teams on the small minor league circuit are looking to capitalize on Tebow’s presence while it lasts. The Lexington Legends in Kentucky announced a “Ten Tebow” ticket package for the three series with the Fireflies. The Greenville Drive made Tebow the focus of a promotion where fans receive hamburgers should he strikeout three times.
Tebow, who takes it all in stride, is steadily finding his swing. He homered twice in the season’s first weekend, but has not had another since. His average is under .250, yet he’s cut down on his strikeouts as he finds a comfort zone at the plate.
The 29-year-old signed with the Mets last summer. His baseball shelf life is shorter than his teammates, some more than a decade younger. Tebow and Katz both say there’s no timetable for him to leave the Fireflies and put an end to the boom South Atlantic League teams are enjoying when he shows up.
“We don’t know how long this is going to last,” said Eric Krupa, the league president. “But we’re going to enjoy it while it does.”