Posted on 08/10/2016 11:38:21 AM PDT by TBP
The grander point was missed then. The most popular athlete in the world wanted to play baseball. If he defied all odds and succeeded, great, then the most popular athlete in the world was playing baseball. And if he failed, he a) brought attention to the game; b) used his very loud megaphone to profess his love for the sport to his millions of fans around the world; and c) accentuated just how tough it is to play major league baseball, because the greatest athlete in the world would have failed at it.
But even if it was a publicity stunt, so what? It was a valuable one.
If he moves a bunch of kids to want to play or attend a game who otherwise wouldn’t, great. If he makes it, great, another terrific/popular athlete in the sport. If he fails, great, a reminder of just how skilled you have to be to make the majors.
I felt this way about Jordan. I felt this way in the spring of 2014, when I spoke to Tracy McGrady about his post-basketball attempts to make the majors. I felt this way when Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson have indulged their baseball passions. Heck, I felt this way in spring 2015 when Will Ferrell was allowed to play 10 positions for 10 teams in one day of Arizona spring training.
This is a moment when lots of parents are questioning whether they want to let their children participate in football because of potential damage to the body and to the brain. Here is a popular ex-quarterback shifting to baseball. It is a moment for the institution of the game to embrace.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
See up-thread.
KG has always been a gentleman to me and my family.
I can’t relate any other info.
Deion Sanders scored a touchdown in the NFL and hit a homerun in MLB in the same day. That is amazing.
No he didn't, if not for the 1984 pitching staff of Morris, Petry, Wilcox, Hernandez, Rozema, and Lopez that won them not only the league championship but the world series, Gibson would be known for just a lifetime .263 BA and a mediocre outfielder.
You don't deserve to be elected into the HOF based on singular career moments, it's your lifetime achievement in the sport. In that respect, Gibson is not recognized for anything.........
Or could it be from lack of talent?
Tebow has had trials with four NFL teams. None of them thought he was worth keeping on their roster. Now he expects to break in to a sport he hasn't played in over 11 years and beat out players who have devoted their professional lives to baseball? If he gets offered a contract at all it's going to be with some A-level ball club unaffiliated with any pro team who sign him for the same reason reason why they have pig races and milking contests - cheap entertainment that generates some ticket sales.
In Chicago, Jordan’s ‘super secret gambling suspension’ is mostly regarded as conspiracy stuff.
As a hardcore Rays fan
In other words, you are going to be the only person outside New York watching the game on Friday night, but then you would be watching any way.
Thread hijack.
And yet the gambling problem is pretty well known, and had started blowing up over the summer. Then he suddenly “retires” right as the season is starting. Keep in mind this was just a couple of years after Rose was banned too, gambling had become a very scary word to most of the sports. Nobody wanted their biggest star to have that word tied to them, so then Jordan goes away for year in the relative obscurity of minor league baseball (which of course didn’t even start until 6 months later, or about 9 months after the gambling story started rumbling around). It all turned out very conveniently for everybody.
The Rays since the All-Star break have been a .500 team, and (with a few slipups) have actually been fun to watch. Last night they beat the Jays 9-2, and got robbed of two more runs by the ump; tonight with Happ on the mound for the Jays we have a snowball's chance in Port Charlotte of getting on the board, but there's no use watching the political news anyway so I'll enjoy the pitching duel. And we'll be watching Friday Lord willing, but not because of A-Rod.
Except that Dale Murphy could actually play at the MLB level.
There were plenty of white multi-sport professional athletes. Danny Ainge comes to mind, as does Dave DeBusschere. Why bring race into it?
“If he’s hated it’s due to some demonic element that hates the Lord.”
That is it in a nutshell.
We are in not just a cultural war, but a spiritual war: The dark hates the light.
I’m down with that opinion. No futher comment.
:: Or could it be from lack of talent? ::
Or could it be an unacceptable consideration of personal Faith?
Back in the day, you could buy a tryout.
The fee was waived if they invited you.
I meant no offense......sorry
The jump from HS to college is huge, from there to the minors is another huge jump. Making it to the majors is something else. I have one friend who likes to tell his buddies that he hit .375 in the majors (which he did, he got three hits in 8 AB before they sent him back down). Just getting there however briefly is a big deal. Michael Jordan couldn’t have even made a college team, he only got a try because he was a draw because of his name.
Actually almost none make it to the majors at 20, unless you are a Pujols, etc, trust me, there ain’t many of those. The odds are huge on anyone making it. I was just glad to get two years of school partially paid for!
He drew a crowd, for sure. Other than that, he was awful
I agree. Those years are when mind/body coordination congeal.
According to the reports, he’s an outfielder. But I suspect that if he can’t hit, he’ll try pitching.
Of the outfield positions, I think I’d play him in right field to take advantage of that arm.
He might be a good base runner too, if he gets on base enough to use those skills. For example, sliding and scrambling might be transferrable skills.
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