The Original Game » e he was probably 50-50 to play Thursday against C

PORT ST. Sale Dolphins Jerseys Store . LUCIE, Fla. -- Tim Tebow has an answer ready for the?New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns?and any other NFL team with a void at quarterback: Hes a baseball player now.After taking part in his first day of the?New York Mets instructional league, Tebow said he is committed to his new sport and has no interest in fielding calls from NFL teams that have a need at quarterback because of an injury.I have to play baseball now -- thats what I would tell them, Tebow said. Im part of the Mets family now.Tebow signed a minor league contract with the Mets for a $100,000 bonus 11 days ago after an open tryout in Los Angeles in late August. He last wore a football uniform during the 2015 NFL preseason with the?Philadelphia Eagles; his previous stops include the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and Patriots.Tebow joined 57 other minor leaguers and 24 coaches Monday at the Instructional League, which runs for three weeks at the Mets spring training complex at Tradition Field. More than 400 fans and about 70 media members watched him take part in a variety of drills and routine baseball activities for about two hours.Before donning a Mets uniform, Tebow last played organized baseball as a high school outfielder in suburban Jacksonville in 2005. He gave up baseball at the University of Florida and went on to win a Heisman Trophy and lead the Gators to two national titles.During a 30-minute news conference Monday, Tebow said he is unconcerned with the negative fallout from critics who have called his foray into baseball a publicity stunt and have written off his chances for success.The good thing is, I dont have to say anything, Tebow said. I get to go in the locker room, get a workout, take a shower, hang out with my teammates and show up tomorrow and go train again.A lot of people might say, You have a chip on your shoulder. Well, I guess I have a little chip. But its not really the naysayers. I want to prove the Mets organization and the coaches here right, and try to be the best baseball player and person that I can. Im doing it to pursue whats in my heart and live out a dream and live life to the fullest.Tebows first day was relatively uneventful. At 10 a.m. ET, he took the field for 15 minutes of stretching. Then he participated in baserunning drills and shagged balls in the outfield before taking soft tosses from coaches and stepping in the batting cage.Although Tebow didnt hit any home runs in batting practice, he made solid contact throughout his four sessions in the cage and drove two balls off the right-field fence. The crowd cheered him after every round.Mets manager Terry Collins checked in with his counterparts in Florida, including rehab coordinator Jon Debus, after Mondays workout to see how Tebow performed.They said it was pretty interesting, Collins said. ... Jon said, Ive seen a lot of guys work hard. He said, This guys a monster. He said he was sweating pretty profusely at the end of the day, but he said he was in good shape.He said everything he did, he got a round of applause. So Im sure it was fun.Timmy Truong, a 2015 University of Florida graduate, was among many Gators fans who showed up for the workout. The fans mobbed Tebow for autographs, and he signed for about five minutes on a back field before heading to the main complex in a golf cart to meet the media.If you went to UF, you know Tim Tebow, Truong said. You have to come out and show him some respect for what he brought to the school. Im pretty sure 90 percent of the people here are for Tim Tebow -- not for the Mets.At age 29, Tebow is significantly older than the other players in Port St. Lucie. Pitcher Cameron Griffin is the second-oldest player at 25, and pitchers Keaton Aldridge and Ronald Sanchez are the only other Instructional Leaguers older than 23.Standing 6-foot-3, 255 pounds -- with roughly 7 percent body fat -- Tebow is also significantly bigger and more muscular than the other campers. His size made him easier to spot for fans who leaned on chain-link fences as he shagged fly balls or ran sprints in the distance.In addition to widespread skepticism about his playing ability, Tebow has received some criticism for his plan to leave the Instructional League each week to continue his TV work with ESPNs SEC Nation. He said he will typically leave Port St. Lucie on Friday morning and return on Saturday after his analyst duties are complete.When I give my word to somebody, Im going to keep it no matter what, Tebow said. This is something I had to do because I gave my word to my SEC family. Im a big believer in that. Its how I was raised. Thats what I want my integrity to stand for. When I give my word on something, I want it to mean something.Tebow said he plans to develop one-on-one relationships with his younger teammates in camp and address any issues that might arise. At the moment, his specialized schedule doesnt appear to be a problem.In the course of talking with guys, a couple of them have already brought it up, Tebow said. Theyre like, So youre flying to Auburn this weekend? Some of them are already trying to get college football advice.ESPNs Adam Rubin contributed to this report. Discount Dolphins Jerseys Online . PETERSBURG, Fla. Wholesale Dolphins Jerseys Authentic . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. http://www.dolphinscheapjerseys.com/ . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle. MINNEAPOLIS -- Kawhi Leonard is getting used to his role as the San Antonio Spurs go-to guy.The Minnesota Timberwolves found out on Tuesday night just how unstoppable Leonard can be when he puts his foot on the gas.Leonard scored 31 points and the Spurs improved to 13-0 on the road this season with a 105-91 victory.Leonard hit 11 of 15 shots after not scoring at all in the first quarter and Patty Mills scored 15 points off the bench for the Spurs (18-4), who played without Tony Parker after he bruised his left knee against Milwaukee on Wednesday night. San Antonio overcame a slow start to shoot 52.7 percent.Now I have game experience under my belt, Leonard said. Thats what you need to get better, get comfortable -- see the ball go through the net in the game.The Spurs moved past the 1969-70 New York Knicks to take sole possession of the second-best road start to begin a season in NBA history. The Golden State Warriors started 14-0 last year.Maybe theres just a little extra focus when we go into someone elses arena, Mills said. Its hard to put your finger on it.Zach LaVine scored 25 points for the Timberwolves. Karl-Anthony Towns had 11 points and 14 rebounds, but shot just 3 of 16.You have to eliminate all the ways in which you beat yourself first, Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau said. So we have to understand that, we have to improve in that area.With seven new faces on the roster and Tim Duncan no longer there, its been an adjustment for the Spurs this season. They havent been their usual precise selves, but here they are with the second-best record in the league, tied in the win column with the Warriors (18-3).The Timberwolves erased a seven-point deficit with less than a minute to play to beat Charlotte on Saturday night, but Leonard buried a pair of 3-pointers to end the threat Tuesday.TIP-INSSpurs: Manu Ginobili got the night off. ... LaMarcus Aldridge had just six points on 3-for-8 shooting and did not scoree until early in the third quarter. Dolphins Jerseys Outlet. ... San Antonio shot just 29 percent and scored a season-low 19 points in the first quarter.Timberwolves: Andrew Wiggins was quiet for the Wolves as well. He scored 11 points on 5-for-12 shooting. ... Thibodeau received a technical foul for arguing with officials in the second quarter. ... PG Kris Dunn played well with 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting.LINE CHANGEThe Spurs starters got off to a terrible start after a narrow victory over the Bucks the previous night, so coach Gregg Popovich pulled all five starters with 7:30 to play in the first quarter and a 12-3 deficit. The bench unit of Mills, Kyle Anderson, Dewayne Dedmon, David Lee and Jonathon Simmons energized the team with a 14-3 run to get them back in the game.Theyre all together, Wiggins said. If one person moves, the other person moves with them. Its like theyre all tied together.PARKERS ABSENCEParker was injured when he knocked knees with a Bucks defender in the third quarter. The Spurs said he was listed as day to day, but Popovich said after the game he was probably 50-50 to play Thursday against Chicago. Rather than the elevate veteran Mills to the starting lineup, Popovich wanted to keep the second unit intact and so he gave Nico Laprovittola, a rookie from Argentina, his third career start. Laprovittola scored 10 points in 22 minutes.We knew Tony was going to miss some games, Popovich said of the teams mindset going into the season. To have another person that has the courage and the experience to play that position is important.UP NEXTSpurs: San Antonio heads to Chicago for a game against the Bulls on Thursday in Gasols first game there since he left for the Spurs in free agency.Timberwolves: Minnesota faces former coach Dwane Casey and the Raptors in Toronto on Thursday. ' ' '