won the Deutsche Bank Championship. He has won the Tour Champion

LOS ANGELES -- Tim Tebow began indulging his baseball fantasy as a do-it-yourselfer. For the better part of a year, between his TV work for ESPN and a short-lived comeback attempt with the Philadelphia Eagles, Tebow puttered around on the side with the vague notion that a former Heisman Trophy winner might be able to reinvent himself as a professional outfielder at age 29.When the thoughts in his head morphed into something closer to an obsession, it was time to seek professional help.On Memorial Day weekend, former big league catcher Chad Moeller received a call from CAA agent Brodie Van Wagenen with a proposition: Tebow was serious about playing baseball and needed help putting his dream in motion. Moeller was skeptical. But when he met Tebow at the Chad Moeller Baseball school in Scottsdale, Arizona, he saw the potential in Tebows swing and heard the passion in his voice, so he shed his reservations and joined the cause.Twice a week, Moeller would unlock the doors to his facility at 9 a.m. and secretly put Tebow through the paces several hours before school let out and all those teenagers showed up to hit at 2 or 3 p.m. The frequency of the meetings gradually increased, until Moeller spent about 80 hours working one-on-one with Tebow on hitting, fielding and talking the nuances of baseball.Over the past three months, Moeller has seen enough commitment from Tebow to know this isnt a lark or a vanity project. The former football star turned him from a skeptic into a believer, one callus at a time.Youre around him, and its infectious, Moeller said. Hes upbeat 100 percent of the time. I mean, I have to take the bat away from him because he doesnt want to stop. His hands might be bleeding and hes like, No, were not done yet. And Im like, Yes, were done. This isnt football. More isnt always better.Sometime Tuesday afternoon, Pacific time, Moeller and Tebow will discover if major league scouts share in their enthusiasm.As Tebow has been preparing to hold a two-hour tryout for 20-plus teams in Los Angeles, the pro and con camps have begun to form.Some veteran talent evaluators -- people with real baseball chops -- take Tebows quest seriously and are rooting for him to succeed. They talk about his competitive nature and the dangers of shortchanging a dedicated athlete who pours his entire being into proving something.Personally, I think its awesome that he wants to try baseball, said Boston Red Sox scout Eddie Bane, the man who chose Mike Trout with the 25th pick in the draft as Los Angeles Angels scouting director in 2009. We can use all the great athletes, leaders and super personalities we can get in this game. I say, let him take a shot and we can look at it down the road and see what kind of progress he has made.An alternate, more cynical segment of the baseball fraternity is amused, bemused or offended by the idea that a big-name personality can waltz in and get a tryout in front of 20-plus scouts when his signature achievement was hitting .494 for the 2005 Nease High School Panthers in Ponte Vedra, Florida. Baltimore outfielder Adam Jones poked fun at Tebows big baseball adventure on Twitter, and Orioles manager Buck Showalter made it clear hes not a fan of the idea.?Skeptics strain for comparisons on what a colossal waste of time this is. While conceding that Tebow is probably better than Garth Brooks (who attended the San Diego Padres 1999 spring training camp), an American League scout thinks a 63-year-old former professional wrestler is a more fitting comparison.I know we just contacted Ricky The Dragon Steamboat to see if he was interested in trying out for one of our clubs next spring after we found out he OPSd .975 in middle school gym class, the scout said. And Im working out for the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.Moeller understands that Tebows audition is widely perceived as a publicity stunt thats likely to die a quick death or end with a few token appearances to help sell tickets in the minor leagues or independent ball. Tebow has always been a polarizing figure. Its only fitting that of the numerous interview requests that Moeller has received, one came from the celebrity muckraking site TMZ. (He took a pass.)People love to throw darts at him, thats for sure, Moeller said. People complain about him more than Ray Rice. I say that jokingly, but Im like, Really? This guy is helping starving kids in the Philippines. And this is the guy were going to throw darts at?The great unknownTebow will audition for teams in a format similar to the workouts that Yoenis Cespedes, Yasiel Puig and other Cuban players have held for teams before signing professional contracts.Hell begin with a 60-yard dash then show his arm before shagging fly balls from a fungo bat and throwing to bases from the outfield. Then hell take batting practice in a cage before graduating to live BP against professional-level pitching. The fastballs will be 90 mph-plus, and Tebow will face an assortment of breaking balls and changeups with no warning of whats coming.It wont require a major financial commitment for a team to sign Tebow. Hes classified as a 2016 post-draft free agent, and because most teams already have spent most of their draft bonus pools, theyre limited to the $100,000 that MLB grants teams for selections after the 10th round. If a team has the latitude to stretch to $200,000 or $300,000, it might be the winner.If Tebow signs, the next step could be sending him to the instructional league with a bunch of kids 10 years younger. If he shows some promise there, a stint in the Arizona Fall League could come next.Theres an air of mystery surrounding Tebows tryout. The MLB Scouting Bureau has no report of Tebow on file, a spokesman told ESPN.com. Tebow enrolled at Florida in January 2006, so he didnt play baseball as a high school senior. And unlike John Elway, Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, Archie Manning and so many others, he did not attempt the challenging double of playing quarterback in the fall and baseball during the spring in college.Scouts who watched Tebow at Nease High in 2005 share their recollections through a time-induced haze. Tampa Bay Rays special assistant Bobby Heck was working as an East Coast supervisor for the Milwaukee Brewers when he scouted Tebow in suburban Jacksonville.I saw enough to know he was a follow of some sort for the next year just due to his size, strength and athleticism, Heck said in a text message. He looked like a football player trying to play baseball, but he would have been scouted like a real prospect as a senior if he had played and not enrolled early at Florida.Cincinnati Reds scouting director Chris Buckley caught a similar glimpse of Tebow 11 years ago while working for the Toronto Blue Jays. Buckley continued to follow Tebow on the football field, and he saw enough to suggest that some of Tebows skills were readily transferrable to baseball.A lot of people didnt think he would be a quarterback in the NFL, but hes worked really hard on his arm, Buckley said. Im sure hes thrown a ton over the last 10 years. And hes a good athlete. He was running away from guys in the Southeastern Conference, so I would imagine he could play left field.The most glowing endorsement of Tebow comes from a man with a close personal connection. Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer watched Tebow play two sports at Nease High during recruiting trips before Tebow went to Gainesville and helped Meyer win two national titles for the Gators.Incredible baseball player, Meyer told ESPN.coms Austin Ward. I drank the Kool-Aid when I watched, because I kept hearing Tebow, Tebow, Tebow. You got a little tired of it. I went and watched him play in spring baseball. Hes playing the outfield. Ive never seen a guy change a game, motivate, lead and do everything. I walked away and said, That guy is one of the most unique players Ive ever seen.Im very biased, and everybody knows that, but dont count him out.One major challenge for Tebow: Football players are trained to play once a week, and Tebow will have to deal with the daily, routine achiness thats unique to baseball. He stands 6-foot-3 and weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 260 pounds, according to Moeller. Its all muscle, but scouts fret that Tebows thick, tightly wound frame could leave him vulnerable to a wide range of pulls and strains if hes not careful.The solitary, back-field drudgery of baseball is another potential obstacle. Baseball is a repetition sport, and scores of aspiring big leaguers whove washed out after eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and sniffing bus fumes in the minors can attest that talent isnt the only factor in the games attrition rate.Handling the failure rate in baseball will probably be the hardest thing for Tim, Bane said. If he completed 30 percent of his passes, they would boot him out of the league. If he shot 30 percent from the field in the NBA, hes released. If he does good with the bat in baseball 30 percent of the time, hes in Cooperstown. I remember Michael Jordan getting a bunt base hit in the Arizona Fall League. The smile on his face looked like he won the NBA Finals.The stage awaitsA video of Tebow taking swings in a batting cage is available on YouTube, and last week Moeller posted a Facebook video of Tebow crushing a fastball at the end of a workout.An AL scout offered his take for ESPN.com.Its a strong, one-plane swing, the scout said. Theres some tension in the body, and it looked like theres more strength than bat speed. But I thought his upper body rotated freely -- better than I would have expected. That being said, its easy to find guys that can take batting practice and throw bullpens. The game is what really matters.Moeller, keenly aware of that perception, has subjected Tebow to a self-esteem-busting array of challenges. He has enlisted the help of six to eight former professional pitchers and tried to simulate actual game conditions. Teacher and pupil will pretend theres a runner on third base with no one out, and Tebow will try to elevate the ball. Or the scenario could be man on second, nobody out, and Tebow will try to pull the ball to the right side to advance the runner.Moeller isnt the only one gushing over Tebows progress. Former big league closer David Aardsma, who is pitching in Tuesdays showcase,?raved about Tebow in an interview with the New York Daily News, and 500-homer man Gary Sheffield gave Tebow a major endorsement on Twitter.The personnel people wholl watch Tebow on Tuesday have to make their own determinations. A veteran National League scout ticked through the potential pluses and minuses and was surprisingly optimistic.Hes a very good, strong athlete, the scout said. He runs and throws well. He has a big heart and work ethic, and he has God on his side. So he may have a chance to figure things out.Playing devils advocate, he hasnt seen a good fastball, curveball, slider or changeup in his lifetime, and hitting a baseball may be the hardest athletic thing to do. Michael Jordan failed at baseball. So Im going to say analytically, never having seen him, its 65-35 he will never play in the major leagues.That 35 percent estimate is about 34 percent higher than a lot of evaluators have in mind. As one American League scout observed, Ive heard good things about the person. But theres no chance he can play.Still, the curiosity factor alone is enough for most teams to attend Tebows audition. MLB clubs all have area scouts in Southern California who wont need to buy a plane ticket or make a hotel reservation. When the only thing at stake is gas money, whats the downside?Moeller, who hit .226 over 11 seasons with Arizona, Milwaukee and five other clubs, admits to having doubts about Tebows mental staying power. He constantly reminds Tebow that baseball is tough on the brain. But one day they were chatting at the cage, and Tebows answer to the question made him see the challenge in a new light. Tim told me, Think about this: I won the Heisman Trophy. I was Athlete of the Year. Sports Illustrated, etc. Two years later I didnt have a job, and everybody was consistently telling me what I cant do, Moeller said. And I thought, You know what? You actually have had to deal with that mental side a lot. The fact that he still has this outlook gives me confidence he can handle it.A big stage isnt going to be an issue. If you followed his career, he performs better on the big stage. The first quarter might not be so pretty. But if you put him in the fourth quarter, at the end of the game, its gonna be pretty darned good.Tim Tebows latest stage -- a private workout with an audience of maybe 60 scouts and reporters -- is big only in the context of where it might lead. Moeller, his teacher and baseball mentor, has made the pitch. Now its up to Tebow to close the sale. Custom Penny Hardaway Jersey . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Custom Suns Jersey China . Supported by three-run homers from Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the young right-hander went seven strong innings in the Washington Nationals 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. http://www.customsunsjersey.com/ . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. Penny Hardaway Jersey Large . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. Cheap Custom Suns Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. NORTON, Mass. -- Phil Mickelson rarely feels this much urgency when the majors are over.Not because of the Ryder Cup.Not even because of the $10 million bonus for winning the FedEx Cup.We can all throw out stats that are self-promoting, Mickelson said Thursday at the Deutsche Bank Championship. But this is the first time Ive ever led the tour in scoring. Thats a really good sign for me because the only statistic that matters is what you shoot. The fact Ive led the tour in scoring but dont have a win would really validate ... all the things Ive had going this year.Mickelson still hasnt won in three years dating to the British Open at Muirfield.It just doesnt feel like it to him.He qualified for his 11th consecutive Ryder Cup team, perhaps the greatest testament to his high level of play over two decades. Mickelson played in his first Ryder Cup when Tiger Woods was in college and Jordan Spieth was in diapers.Lefty is No. 10 in the FedEx Cup going into the second playoff event, making him virtually a lock to be in the Tour Championship.But what really gets his attention is that scoring average of 69.21, a slight lead over world No. 1 Jason Day, with U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson not too far behind. Three tournaments are left before the Vardon Trophy is awarded for the lowest adjusted average.Thats an award Mickelson has never won.I would have remembered that, he said with a grin.Maybe because Mickelson, already in the Hall of Fame, has never won any award. Its one of the most peculiar footnotes in what otherwise is a sterling list of accomplishments.He was poised to win the PGA Tour money title and PGA Tour player of the year in 1996 until Tom Lehman won the season-ending Tour Championship at Southern Hills and beat Mickelson out in both. Woods turned pro the next year and won every award just about every year. And whenever Woods was going through a swing change, someone else was having a career season -- David Duval in 1998, Vijay Singh in 2004.Luke Donald and Lee Westwood have reached No. 1 in the world.Phil Mickelson holds the Official World Golf Ranking record for being No. 2 the most weekks (the equivalent of more than five years).ddddddddddddHe was on the front of the 18th green in two at Pebble Beach, needing to get up-and-down to force a playoff with Vaughn Taylor, the No. 447 player in the world. Mickelson, a five-time winner at Pebble Beach, missed a 5-foot putt and lost by one.He was runner-up in at the St. Jude Classic, and the most cruel runner-up finish was a month later at Royal Troon, where Mickelson had a putt for 62 spin out of the cup in the opening round, and he wound up on the short end of a magnificent duel with Henrik Stenson.Ive had a really good year for me, without a win, he said.No doubt, its more difficult now. Mickelson believes if he had played this way a generation ago, he probably would have had at least two wins. The fields are stronger than ever, and deeper. He doesnt have to be perfect, but he has to be better. Someone is always waiting to pounce on the slightest mistake.Theres a lot of players out here that work on their weaknesses and make them strengths, Mickelson said. But when Tiger would play at his best, it was almost impossible to beat him. Here, we have a number of players who when they play their best, its tough. But theyre beatable.Mickelson credits his switch to Andrew Getson, the Phoenix-area golf instructor, for helping with his improvements. He is driving the ball better, keeping it in play more often. His irons are better and hes had what he considers a great year with the putter.Ive had more bogey-free rounds that Ive had in a long time, Mickelson said. I had two of them at the British Open, and thats unheard for me. I think I had one ever, and now two in a four-day stretch.But still no trophy, and that still drives him.He has won the Deutsche Bank Championship. He has won the Tour Championship. He would take either one. He has never won the FedEx Cup, which would require the kind of timing that never seems to go his way.As for the Vardon Trophy? That would be a great consolation prize if he doesnt win. ' ' '