PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- After the New York Mets signed Tim Tebow to a minor league contract two weeks ago, general manager Sandy Alderson maintained the transaction was about scratching a baseball itch rather than cashing in on a phenomenon. Amid considerable eye-rolling, Alderson said the Mets saw baseball potential in Tebow, and their investment in him had nothing to do with marketing, publicity or any ancillary benefits the club might derive from the transaction.If that was indeed the case, you can file the events of Monday under unintended consequences.Tebow -- a University of Florida icon, Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback -- arrived at Tradition Field on Monday morning for his first day in the Mets instructional program. From an action standpoint, it was about as close as you can get to a trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles. For the better part of two hours, he stretched, took part in baserunning drills, shagged fly balls and banged out line drives in batting practice under a scorching sun.But the interest level was something else entirely. About 70 media members dutifully took notes as Tebow nodded his head to an instructor here and stopped for a refreshing guzzle of water there. At the same time, more than 400 fans ringed the back fences and clamored for his autograph.Hey Tebow, do you know Peyton Manning? yelled one elementary school-age boy as Tebow stopped briefly to sign.Several fans made forays to an outdoor stand where Tebow No. 15 replica jerseys were selling for $120 each and Tebow T-shirts could be had for $28. And when the fans grew parched on the back fields, Mets employees were standing at the ready with bottles of water for $3 a pop.The Tebow shouts, cheers and buzz of activity were a stark contrast to the typical quiet of the Florida Instructional League scene.Its usually crickets, said Paul Taglieri, the Mets senior director of Florida operations. Its mom and dad or a couple of scouts watching. A lot of people dont even know what instructional league is. Obviously, this is going to add a lot of notoriety to the definition of instructional league.Tebow detractors who think his celebrity has outlived its shelf life probably cant relate to his popularity in SEC country, where his followers revere him for his faith, off-field charity work and the values he represents. Nine years after Tebow won a Heisman Trophy under Urban Meyer at Florida, he has a hold on the collective sports psyche in the region where he attained his fame. Gators fans will love him forever, and even Florida State fans, who are conditioned to dislike him, cant help but respect his achievements.Jo-Ann Walker, a New Jersey native, grew up as a Mets fan in the 1980s. She drove about 150 miles from Mount Dora, Florida, to Port St. Lucie and arranged several Tebow T-shirts in a minitribute along one of the cyclone fences. Shes a two-time cancer survivor who finds Tebow to be an inspirational figure, and she was overjoyed when he signed a copy of his 2011 book, Through My Eyes.I moved down here from Jersey, and I kept hearing about this football player with the scriptures, and I said, Let me take a look, Walker said. Hes very humble. Hes very real. I pray that he can be part of the public eye for his foundations and Gods kingdom.The Tebow love spans generations. Andy Favata, a Long Island native, is a Florida alumnus whos married to a Florida alumna and has a daughter currently going to school in Gainesville. Hes a lifelong Mets fan with vivid memories of the 1986 World Series, so it was a no-brainer to make the short drive to Tradition Field with his 13-year-old daughter, Bella, and check out Tebows debut.I grew up at Shea Stadium watching the Mets, Favata said. Two hours after the ball went through Bill Buckners legs, I was there screaming and hugging people I didnt know. Tim Tebow is one of our favorite Gators. So when you see him with a Mets jersey on, youve gotta come.Although it was hard to tell from the first day, it appeared the Tebow-related momentum increased as reporters spread the word of his appearance at Tradition Field on social media. So what happens Tuesday and the day after that? Will the interest wane, or will sports fans in the area continue to stop by for an autograph or picture or because of the curiosity factor?Its a mutually beneficial relationship for player and team. Tebows publishers were no doubt ecstatic Monday when a reporter at his news conference asked him to talk about his new book, Shaken: Discovering Your True Identity in the Midst of Lifes Storms, which is scheduled for release in October. Tebow spoke with passion about the book and the message of encouragement hes trying to convey.Tebows book sales and Mets minor league ticket sales are likely to receive a boost next spring when he joins the low-A Columbia Fireflies, high-A St. Lucie Mets or wherever else the parent club chooses to assign him. Tebow is a natural magnet for attention, and hes going to sell tickets, hot dogs and bottled water regardless of how much those economic considerations factored into the Mets decision to sign him.In the grand scheme of things, the experiment will only pay dividends in New York if Tebow can shake off 11 years of baseball rust and prove he can hit a curveball. But charisma and name recognition alone should be enough to make turnstiles click in the minors. To no ones surprise, the Mets appear to have a cash cow on their hands. Cheap Custom Hockey Jerseys . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach. Custom Anaheim Ducks Jerseys . The FA rejected Wilsheres appeal that the length of his punishment was "clearly excessive" and said Thursday his suspension begins with immediate effect. He will miss league matches against Chelsea on Monday and West Ham on Dec. http://www.customjerseyshockey.com/ . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. Cheap Custom Hockey Jerseys Free Shipping .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. Discount Custom Hockey Jerseys . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. INCHEON, South Korea -- Carlota Ciganda beat Alison Lee with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff Sunday in the rainy LPGA KEB HanaBank Championship after each player lost big leads.The 26-year-old Spaniard won her first LPGA Tour title with a 6-foot putt after Lees birdie chip from the rough off the back edge of the green missed a half-inch to the right.Ciganda overcame a five-stroke deficit to Lee, then blew a five-stroke advantage on the final five holes -- getting into the playoff when Lee bogeyed the par-5 18th after hitting into the water.Ciganda played the final five holes in 4 over -- making a double bogey on 14 and bogeys on 16 and 18 -- for a 2-over 70 at Sky 72. Three strokes ahead of U.S. Womens Open champion Brittany Lang entering the day, Lee had a 75 to match Ciganda at 10-under 278 on the Ocean Course.Needing a par on 18 for her first victory, Lee hit a wedge that smacked into the front bank and bounced into the water. The 21-year-old was able to drop a few feet off the right edge of the green, chipped past and made a 5-footer to force the playoff.Lee had four bogeys in a five-hole stretch in the middle of the round to seemingly fall out of contention. But while Ciganda faltered in the group ahead, Lee made a 5-foot birdie putt on the par-4 15th and a 12-footer on the par-3 17th.Chinas Shanshan Feng (70) and South Koreas Min-Sun Kim (71) tied for third at 8 under.SAS CHAMPIONSHIPCARY, N.C. -- Doug Garwood ran away with the SAS Championship for his first PGA Tour Champions title, closing with an 8-under 64 for a four-stroke victory.The 53-year-old Garwood won in his 44th start on the 50-and-over tour. He finished at 16-under 200 in the regular-season finale at Prestonwood Country Club.Garwood birdied the last three holes on the front nine for a 6-under 30, made it four in a row on the par-4 10th, added birdies on the par-5 13th and 16th and closed with a bogey.Bernhard Langer, two strokes ahead of Garwood and Larry Mize entering the day, had a 70 to finish second. Mize shot a 69 to tie for third with Tom Byrum (65) and Jeff Sluman (68) at 11 under.The top 72 players on the money list earned spots in the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs opener, the PowerShares QQQ Championship at Sherwood in California on Oct. 28-30.Corey Pavin finished 72nd with $183,192, but is sidelined by a right elbow injury and wont play at Sherwood. Michael Bradley was 73rd, $2,388 behind Pavin. Bradley closed with a 69 to tie for 13th at 6 under. A spot also was available for the top finisher in the top 10 in the tournament who ended up outside the top 72 for the season, but all the top-10 finishers were in the top 72.ddddddddddddBRITISH MASTERSWATFORD, England -- Swedens Alex Noren held on to win the British Masters for his third European Tour victory in his last eight tournaments.Noren shot a 2-under 69 at The Grove to finish at 18-under 266. He also won the Scottish Open and European Masters in Switzerland.Austrias Bernd Wiesberger was second after a 67.Englands Lee Westwood (67) was 15 under, and Northern Irelands Graeme McDowell (68) was 13 under along with Frances Alexander Levy (67), Swedens Peter Hanson (70) and Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood (70) and Richard Bland (71).MACAU OPENMACAU -- Thailands Davit Tangkamolprasert won the Macau Open in a playoff after Indias Anirban Lahiri birdied the final seven holes to force extra holes.The 27-year-old Pavit birdied the par-5 18th in regulation for a 7-under 64 to match Lahiri (65) at 16-under 268 in the Asian Tour event at Macau Golf and Country Club.On the 18th on the first playoff hole, Pavit made another birdie for his first tour title after Lahiri found the water hazard with his second shot and finished with a bogey.Englands Ian Poulter, tied for the first-round lead at 64 in is return from a four-month break, shot a 73 to tie for 28th at 3 under. He was sidelined by an arthritic joint in his right foot.SYMETRA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPLONGWOOD, Fla. -- Denmarks Nicole Broch Larsen won the season-ending Symetra Tour Championship in a playoff and 10 players earned LPGA Tour cards.Larsen beat Ally McDonald with a 14-foot birdie putt on the par-3 18th on the first extra hole at Alaqua Country Club. Both players shot 4-under 67 to finish at 18-under 266.The event was moved from LPGA International in Daytona Beach to Alaqua on Saturday because of Hurricane Matthew. The tour was scheduled to play the IOA Golf Classic last week at Alaqua, but that event was canceled because of the hurricane.Larsen earned $30,000 to jump from 69th to 20th on the money list with a four-event total of $41,677, enough to get a spot in the final stage of LPGA Tour Q-school.McDonald made $19,234 to finish second on the money list with $110,359. Belgiums Laura Gonzalez Escallon was third at 13 under after a 67. She was fifth on the money list with $77,997.Swedens Madelene Sagstrom, the runaway money champion with a tour-record $167,064, had a 64 to finish fourth at 7 under. She led the tour with three victories. ' ' '
