Showalter shrugs off Tebowmania: 'Am I intrigued? No, not at all'

Buck Showalter isn't a fan of the latest Tim Tebow saga.

Having spent 25 years in professional baseball - 18 years as a major-league manager and seven as a player in the minors - the Baltimore Orioles' skipper knows making it in baseball is a grind.

So when he sees Tebow trying to make a career out of the sport because he failed at his NFL dream, it's an idea he doesn't want to entertain.

"Am I intrigued? No, not at all. Amused? No, not at all," Showalter told reporters, referencing the hard work players put in in the minors. "I think about what these guys do in our Dominican academy, Delmarva, Aberdeen, Gulf Coast League, Frederick, Bowie, and Norfolk. I take very seriously the stuff they have to do to get the opportunities and do what they're doing."

Showalter knows Tebow is going to get an opportunity with a team, based simply on the fact that he's Tim Tebow. In a separate interview with Sportsnet's Shi Davidi, former big leaguer Gary Sheffield echoed those sentiments.

"This is not a Brian Jordan or Bo Jackson or Deion Sanders, this is a Michael Jordan situation," Sheffield said. "He’s going to get a job because he’s Tim Tebow, just like Michael Jordan got a job because he was Michael Jordan."

That being said, Sheffield is on the other side of the argument when it comes to supporting Tebow's pro-baseball ambitions. He said that after watching him work out, he's going to get signed not only because of his name, but because of his raw talent.

"Based on what I saw already, they’ll sign him based on that," Sheffield added. "I guarantee you they’ll sign him based on what I saw."

Showalter, on the other hand, also knows Tebow will likely get signed, but he's not reading too much into it.

"Somebody will sell some tickets in the spring," the skipper said. "I'll bet he was a good player in high school. I was too, and I played quarterback."