One lefty plus another lefty equals no Tim Tebow. No Tim Tebow makes for one highly irate minor league baseball.
The lefty vs lefty matchup at Osceola County Stadium on Thursday sidelined the former Heisman Trophy winner and most famous left-handed hitter in all of the minor leagues, a sound baseball move that nonetheless provoked raucous booing from the assembled crowd.
Passionate Tebow fan Tony Barongi summed up the dejection of the crowd, saying, “Once we heard he was coming, we had to buy tickets. It’s disappointing he’s not in the starting lineup because all these people are here to see him.”
The announced crowd of 5,515 represented a season-high for the Florida Fire Frogs. While the home crowd felt robbed in not getting a chance to see Tebow, the Fire Frogs did notch a 5-4 victory over Tebow’s St. Lucie Mets.
Late in the game, the fans had some glimmer of hope that they might get a chance to see Tebow. When Jose Garcia was injured, instead of pitch-hitting Tebow, Patrick Mazeika received the call. For his crime of not being Tebow, Mazeika got booed loudly.
“He’s special. His story of being a guy who wants to succeed in sports is what it’s all about,” Barongi said of Tebow. “When I saw he was with the Jets I latched right on, and now he’s in the minors with the Mets and I follow the Mets, so it’s exciting.”
So exciting it makes news when he doesn’t play.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter: @themightygwinn
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