and Harris had better be on tip-top form stopping this one. Aqib Tal

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Tim Tebow threw a wrinkle into the baseball season when he enticed dozens of reporters and scouts to trek to Los Angeles in late August to watch him run a 60-yard dash, shag fly balls and crank batting practice fastballs over the fence.For his next trick, Tebow will ascend to the ranks of the Spruce Bluff Preserve, the Botanical Gardens and the Treasure Coast Model Railroad Club as a Port St. Lucie tourist attraction.Tebows professional journey begins for real Monday when he joins 57 other aspiring New York Mets for the teams three-week instructional league at Tradition Field. The event is open to the public, and the Mets have fielded enough inquiries to expect more than the usual trickle of back field stragglers.Ive never seen more than seven people at our instructional league before, Ian Levin, the Mets director of minor league operations, said with a laugh. Im making that up, obviously, but its typically just family and friends. This will definitely be a different instructional league.Tebow, a former Heisman Trophy winner, two-time national champion at Florida and NFL quarterback with the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles, is taking a high-profile plunge into a new sport. After signing with the Mets for a $100,000 bonus, hell try to buck convention and carve out a career in baseball despite an 11-year absence from the game.Ever since Tebow revealed his plans to pursue baseball, he has been the focus of a debate over the worthiness of the experiment. Supporters are intrigued by the entertainment value of a natural athlete chasing his dream. Skeptics dismiss the Tebow story as a publicity stunt and think hes receiving an inordinate amount of attention for someone with a minuscule chance of reaching the big leagues. Tebow also has received criticism for his plan to leave the instructional league for a day or two each week to continue his TV work with ESPNs SEC Nation.Amid the dissenting views, Tebow approaches his quest with his typical brand of can-do optimism.Im excited about it. I really am, Tebow told Newsday last week during a national media tour. Ive loved the game of baseball. Hitting a baseball is one of my favorite things to do in sports. Im excited about the journey, the challenge, the difficulties, all of it. Its going to be a lot of fun and its something thats definitely exciting for me.The Mets signed Tebow knowing that hes raw and has a big learning curve ahead of him, so instructional league is a natural place to start. Its a compressed learning lab that allows young players to polish their skills in a structured environment with an emphasis on individual instruction. Tebows progress in Florida will help determine whether hes ready for the Arizona Fall League or winter ball, or if hes better served working one-on-one with coaches during the offseason heading into spring training.The Mets are sending 24 coaches to Port St. Lucie to oversee 29 pitchers, eight catchers, 12 infielders and nine outfielders (a group that includes Tebow). Tebow and his fellow instructional leaguers will arrive at the park at 7:30 or 8 a.m. each day. After breakfast and morning meetings, theyll hit the field from 10 a.m. to 1 or 2 p.m.The Mets minor leaguers are scheduled to play five games against other organizations and several more intrasquad games in Port St. Lucie. Factor in weight training before or after games, and Tebow will be logging some days of eight hours or more in the 90-degree heat. Former Boston College pitcher Justin Dunn, New Yorks top pick in Junes first-year player draft, has the highest profile among the other 57 players in camp. The oldest instructional leaguer after the 29-year-old Tebow is pitcher Cameron Griffin, who turned 25 in June.The youngest attendee, Venezuelan outfielder Raul Beracierta, turned 17 in May. Dominican shortstop Gregory Guerrero, who signed for a $1.2 million bonus in 2015, is also 17. Hes the nephew of former big league All-Star Vladimir Guerrero.Mets general manager Sandy Alderson has expressed the hope that Tebow will have an impact on New Yorks prospects with his energy and wide range of life experiences. Tebows give-and-take with players of high school and college age is likely to be one of the more intriguing facets of his instructional league experience.Development comes from all different areas, Levin said. Theres on-field development that comes from the coaches and playing games, and theres off-field development from your peers and the environment. I havent spoken to Tim yet, but from everything Ive seen about him, hes a very positive person and obviously a hard worker whos become successful in his own right.Im looking forward to seeing him interact with the players. It brings another perspective and another viewpoint that could rub off on our guys in a positive way.Judging from the media attention and the number of Mets fans wholl be dropping by Tradition Field this week, Levin and his colleagues in New Yorks front office arent the only ones who are curious how Tebow will fare in his strange new world. Brian Propp Flyers Jersey . The next step is a better finish. Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend. Eric Lindros Flyers Jersey . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week. http://www.hockeyflyersauthentic.com/brian-elliott-jersey/ . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. Jaromir Jagr Jersey . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. James Van Riemsdyk Jersey . -- The Missouri Tigers might not have a roster full of superstars.We know that the Super Bowl 50 headlines are going to be made by quarterbacks Cam Newton and Peyton Manning. But who are the under-the-radar players to watch out for? Super Bowls to remember 49 down, we look at 10 of the most memorable There will be words like Superman, Gunslinger and Hall of Fame thrown around like confetti on Sunday, but both players are going to need a great supporting cast if they are going to lift the Super Bowl 50 crown in San Francisco.Theres no shortage of contenders for both Carolina and Denver, so we asked Alex Ferguson to come up with a Top 5 for both teams…. DENVER BRONCOS Mannings memorable milestones A look back at Peytons highlights Von Miller - Miller owned Tom Brady at the AFC Championship Game, sacking him 2.5 times, grabbing an interception, and making five tackles. He was everywhere. The Broncos are going to need him everywhere if they are going to stop Cam Newton either dropping back or on the ground.Aqib Talib - The talented cornerback will have his work cut out trying to stop either Greg Olsen or Tedd Ginn, but hes one of the best cover corners in the business, and we expect him to do good things against Newtons arm.Demaryius Thomas - Thomas has not had a great season. But then again, no Denver wide receiver really has... because Mannings play at times has been simply dreadful. He only had two catches against New England, but we anticipate more against Carolina. Or hell get used like a Larry Fitzgerald-type character to battle Josh Norman to draw coverage away for…. Greg Olsen has had an outstanding season for the Panthers Emmanuel Sanders - Sanders five receptions for 62 yards included a straight-up screamer of a catch that had me on my sofa screaming. Hes going to have to do that against Norman, Kuechly & Co to give Denver a good chance.Ronnie Hillman/CJ Anderson - You probably think Im mad putting a running back in here….so Ive put two. Why? Simple. Denver are going to have to control the clock to beat Carolina. The best way to do that is to have a good day at running back. Anderson and Hilllman are very capable of having a few good runs - and easing the pressure on Manning.dddddddddddd. CAROLINA PANTHERS Newtons physics We take a look at the Panthers superstar QB Jonathan Stewart - This offence isnt a pass-first offence. Its a run-first. Witness the fact that Stewart, Mike Tolbert and some guy called Newton ran for 2,282 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. Stewart led the team with 989 yards and six touchdowns on the floor. It gives the Panthers an edge that gives Denver something else to think about.Greg Olsen - Outstanding pass catching tight end who had 77 receptions, 1,104 yards and seven touchdowns in the regular season. When Kelvin Benjamin was injured before the season started, the onus was put on Olsen to perform. And my word, he did. Will be as happy to catch the short passes to move the chains as well as the bullets in the end-zone. Talib and Harris had better be on tip-top form stopping this one. Aqib Talib has a key role to play in San Francisco Luke Kuechly - One of the bets of this years Super Bowl should be for the ball-snaffling Kuechly to catch his third interception in three games. One of the best linebackers in the game (he had 118 tackles and four interceptions in regular season), hes a nightmare for any offence.Josh Norman - Made the headlines this year for his battle with Odell Beckham Jr (and was still making them at Media Day talking about it), but really, Normans a terrific corner who can snuff out the best. We think hell match up against Thomas.Michael Oher - Hes the star of The Blind Side and hes gone from being an awful offensive lineman to a Super Bowl left tackle - thanks to Newtons encouragement. If Denver can destroy his confidence early, then Newton is in more trouble than people expect. Super Bowl 50: Ways to watch How to follow the San Francisco showpiece with Sky Sports Also See: Super Bowl 50: Ways to watch Newtons physics Mannings milestones Super Bowls to remember ' ' '