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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.Nike Shoes Black Friday China . Both players have lower body injuries that will keep them out of the lineup until at least January 31, which is the first game they can be activated from IR. Nike Shoes Black Friday China .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. http://www.nikeshoesblackfriday.com/ . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Cheap Nike Shoes Black Friday . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. Fake Nike Shoes Black Friday . Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille scored 20 seconds apart a few minutes after Stamkos was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a broken right leg, and the Bruins beat the Lightning 3-0 on Monday afternoon.(STATS) -- The double teams and offensive schemes against them didnt stop the three players who on Wednesday were invited to the announcement of the 2016 STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award.The trio dominated throughout the regular season.Linebacker Dylan Cole of Missouri State and defensive ends P.J. Hall of Sam Houston State and Karter Schult of Northern Iowa are up for the 22nd annual Buchanan Award, the highest individual honor for a defensive player in the FCS. The winner will be announced at the STATS FCS Awards Banquet and Presentation Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas -- on the eve of the national championship game.A national panel of over 150 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries voted on the Buchanan Award, named for the legendary defensive lineman from Grambling State. There were 25 finalists from 13 FCS conferences.Cole, a 6-foot-1, 240-pound fifth-year senior from Rogersville, Missouri, led the FCS with 142 tackles and 12.9 tackles per game during the regular season, also ranking first in the Missouri Valley Football Conference for the second consecutive season. He had at least 13 tackles in nine games, including 19 in a road win over Southern Illinois. The All-MVFC first-team selection racked up 85 solo tackles, eight tackles for loss, two interceptions, four pass breakups and three forced fumbles. A four-year starter, he finished his career with 454 tackles in 46 games.Hall, a 6-1, 280-pound redshirt junior from Seguin, Texas, was named the Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year after conference champion and top-ranked Sam Houston State finished the regular season as the only unbeaten team in the FCS. His 21 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles led the Southland and 9? sacks tied for second. Additionally, he had 45 total tackles, including 27 solos, six pass breakups and three quarterback hurries. His 64 career tackles for loss are a school record and hes second with 32? sacks.Schult, a 6-4, 269-pound fifth-year senior from Tripoli, Iowa, was named the MVFC Defensive Player off the Year, posting an FCS-high 17 sacks, including at least one in 10 of his 11 games, and a school-record 24 tackles for loss (tied for second nationally) during the regular season.dddddddddddd. He tied the school record with 5? tackles for loss against Montana. Additionally, his 69 total tackles led all defensive linemen in the conference and he had four quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, one interception, one blocked kick and one safety. He ended his career with 56 tackles for loss.The Buck Buchanan Award voting reflected the regular season and was conducted before the start of the FCS playoffs.The results for fourth through 25th place were as follows:---=4. Darius Jackson, DE, Jacksonville State: 7-11-13-13-13-1575. Tanah Kpassagnon, DE, Villanova: 9-11-10-5-7-1366. Alex Searce, LB, Coastal Carolina: 4-17-2-6-4-1107. Brett Taylor, LB, Western Illinois: 4-9-8-9-3-1018. Lorenzo Jerome, S, Saint Francis: 1-9-7-8-10-889. Keionta Davis, DE, Chattanooga: 3-7-5-7-6-7810.(T) Garrett Dolan, LB, Houston Baptist: 4-3-1-14-13-7610.(T) Darius Leonard, LB, South Carolina State: 2-4-7-10-9-7612. Christian Kuntz, LB, Duquesne: 5-3-6-5-6-7113. Pat Afriyie, DE, Colgate: 3-2-6-6-7-6014.(T) Cole Reyes, S, North Dakota: 3-3-4-6-7-5814.(T) Derek Rivers, DE, Youngstown State: 1-4-3-12-4-5816. Darien Anderson, LB, Alcorn State: 2-3-9-2-4-5717. Dee Delaney, CB, The Citadel: 2-2-6-6-8-5618. Donald Payne, S, Stetson: 1-3-6-3-8-4919. Javancy Jones, DE/LB, Jackson State: 4-3-1-2-3-4220. Winston Craig, DT, Richmond: 3-2-3-3-2-4021. Anthony Ellis, DE, Charleston Southern: 1-3-2-3-3-3222. Chad Geter, LB, Gardner-Webb: 2-1-3-2-1-2823. Folarin Orimolade, LB, Dartmouth: 1-0-3-5-3-2724. Mike Basile, S, Monmouth: 1-0-2-3-6-2325. Christopher Beaschler, LB, Dayton: 0-0-1-0-2-5A first-place vote was worth five points, a second-place vote four points, a third-place vote three points, a fourth-place vote two points and a fifth-place vote one point. ' ' '