The New York Mets announcement that theyre signing Tim Tebow to a minor league contract elicited the predictable array of snark and sarcasm from the teams fans on social media. Typical Mets, said a few cynical Mets die-hards, who are apparently unaware that the team did reach the World Series in 2015.Amid the negativity and resistance to Tebows being handed a uniform and given an opportunity to take his shot, the natural question is: Why?Why is it such an affront to the baseball community for a team to take a flier on a 29-year-old mega-athlete who can run a 60-yard dash in 6.7 seconds and hit a baseball 450 feet (albeit in batting practice)?And whats so abhorrent about that pursuit generating interest in the game and selling some extra tickets in spring training or Tebows first minor league stop? Is Tebow fatigue so rampant and ingrained in the sporting consciousness that were not the least bit curious in seeing how this story plays out?I get it: The chances of Tebow ever making it to the majors are roughly equivalent to that of?Jose Bautista and Rougned Odor becoming Facebook friends.Tebow hasnt played organized ball since 2005, so hes 6,000 at-bats and hundreds of hours of backfield development time behind the curve. During his two-hour audition in Los Angeles last week, Tebow looked rigid and mechanical in the outfield and displayed a throwing arm that was surprisingly weak by former Heisman Trophy quarterback standards.Tebow looks imposing in a form-fitting T-shirt, but that 6-foot-3, 255-pound frame (with 7.3 percent body fat) isnt doing him any favors. Hes not busting through the line anymore in pursuit of the goal line, so he might want to pare back on the weightlifting.That said, I talked to several scouts at Dedeaux Field who found snippets of encouragement. One evaluator took note of Tebows weak arm but said the results were better when Tebow chased down balls on the run and came up throwing without obsessing over his mechanics. Former big league reliever David Aardsma, who threw live batting practice to Tebow, said after the workout that Tebow was gripping the bat too tightly and looks more natural on the back field when hes not trying to impress 40-something scouts.The Mets decision was a collaboration between chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon and general manager Sandy Alderson, who took the plunge despite minimal interaction with the teams scouting folks or baseball operations people. That helps fuel the perception of the Tebow signing as a circus, publicity stunt, dog-and-pony show and all the other derogatory terms that will be used to characterize it in the coming weeks and months.The flip side is that Sandy Alderson is an innovator with a Hall of Fame-caliber résumé. So is Atlanta Braves?vice chairman John Schuerholz, who acquired two-sport stars Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders and Brian Jordan earlier in his career and was on board with the teams pursuit of Tebow. While some clubs dispatched area scouts to Los Angeles to watch Tebow out of due diligence, the Braves sent special assistant Roy Clark and amateur scouting director Brian Bridges to the showcase and were serious from the outset. When Clark and Bridges delivered their scouting reports to the front office, there was a lot more discussion about Tebows bat speed than the potential impact on ticket sales with the Class A Carolina Mudcats.Baseball talent evaluators point out, correctly, that Michael Jordan failed in his brief fling with the game. But Jordan did hit .202 with 30 stolen bases for the Double-A Birmingham Barons, and Tebows swing is infinitely better than Jordans. After last weeks workout, USA Today quoted a scout who said Tebow looked like an actor trying to play baseball. Other than Robert Redford in The Natural, how many actors do you know who can hit a baseball farther than 400 feet?Could Tebow possibly block a young outfielder in the Mets system? Sure. But thats their problem, not ours. Could he generate a frenzy of attention in spring training at the expense of the other players? Yes. But thats a problem that ace PR man Jay Horwitz will have to address, not us.In the 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed two pitchers out of a reality TV show in India. They both washed out in the minor leagues, but the 2014 movie Million Dollar Arm grossed $39.2 million on a $25 million budget and garnered 63 percent positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. If a publicity stunt is fun because it involves two scrappy, anonymous underdogs, why cant it be fun with a former Heisman Trophy winner whos a fish out of water?If this venture ends the way most people expect it to, Tebow will get discouraged by the bus trips and the failure in the minors and go back to his TV work with ESPN. If that happens, baseball purists can nod their heads in agreement and say, See, we told you this game is a lot harder than everybody thinks.Or maybe Tebow is less of a joke and sticks around for more than a season. Either way, he gets to see his quest through to fruition with no what ifs.For me, you pursue what you love regardless of what else happens, Tebow said last week in Los Angeles. If you fail or fall flat on your face, and thats the worst thing that can happen, its OK.In a roundabout way, that same thinking applies to his new employers, the Mets. Their partnership with Tebow might end with a big, fat oh-fer. But at least theyll know they tried. 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Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball.ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Peyton Mannings health is no longer the big issue in Denver. Now, its whether his offensive teammates can stay on the field with him. Joel Dreessen, Denvers best blocking tight end, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Monday and is expected to miss the remainder of training camp, and Broncos right tackle Orlando Franklin limped off the field early during Mondays practice with an injured hip and did not return. Franklin went down on the first play of team drills. While trainers attended to him, the offence and defence changed directions so they could keep practicing while Franklin was down on the field. After several minutes, Franklin got up and walked off the field on his own, appearing to favour his right leg. Franklins injury was the latest on Denvers offensive line. After the third-year veteran went out, guard Louis Vasquez moved into his spot and recently signed Ryan Lilja moved to right guard. Manny Ramirez has been filling in at centre while Chris Clark is playing left tackle in place of Ryan Clady, whose surgically repaired right shoulder is still healing. Clark is set to protect Mannings blindside Thursday night in the Broncos preseason opener at San Francisco. "We feel good about where we are on the offensive line," coach John Fox insisted. "Well find exactly what the details are with Orlando, but I am pretty pleased with where we are. You just hope thaat works out (well) with Orlando.dddddddddddd" Lilja started 12 games at centre in Kansas City last year after playing guard his first seven seasons, five of them with Manning in Indianapolis. He got off to a slow start Friday in his first practice but Manning said he expects Lilja to quickly climb the depth chart, and apparently that wouldnt surprise Fox, either. "Oh yeah, hes very, very football smart, very high football character as far as that goes," Fox said. "Im really more concerned with him right now in getting in hitting shape more than we are whether he knows what hes doing." The Broncos are also dealing with injuries at tight end, with both of last years starters hobbled. Dreessen originally injured his left knee this spring while practicing on the teams turf field while the grass fields were being replaced. He suffered a setback late last week and didnt dress for the teams stadium scrimmage Saturday night. Tight end Jacob Tamme (thigh) also sat out the rain-soaked scrimmage, although he returned to practice on a limited basis Monday. Tamme and Dreessen combined to catch 93 passes for 911 yards and seven touchdowns last season. While Dreessens roster spot is seemingly secure because of his superb run-blocking skills, Tamme could find himself on the bubble if third-year pros Julius Thomas and Virgil Green continue to impress the coaching staff and keep gaining Mannings confidence. ' ' '