Phillies' Bowa: Tebow experiment disrespecting baseball

Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow will put on a baseball showcase in front of MLB clubs in Los Angeles on Tuesday, hoping for an opportunity to prove himself in a sport he hasn't played competitively for more than a decade.

Former manager and current Phillies bench coach Larry Bowa isn't a fan of Tebow's baseball experiment, however, and let his opinions be known in a recent interview.

"Whoever's idea it is, they don't respect the game of baseball," Bowa recently told the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo. "It's a hard game. You don't come in at age 28 or 29. I'm not saying he's not a good athlete, but this is a hard game and there are a lot of good athletes in pro ball that never get to the big leagues. I don't think it can happen. There are guys 28 or 29 that are getting released every day. How can you take 10 years off and all of the sudden be facing guys throwing 95, guys throwing sliders?"

Since Tebow's agent announced his intention, the ex-NFLer has drawn praise from former big leaguers Gary Sheffield and David Aardsma, and has spent the past year working with catcher Chad Moeller, who last played in 2010.

"I am beyond impressed with Tim’s athleticism and swing, and it goes without saying that he has shown a high level of discipline and strong work ethic," Moeller said of his student in August. "I see bat speed and power and real baseball talent. I truly believe Tim has the skill set and potential to achieve his goal of playing in the Major Leagues, and based on what I have seen over the past two months, it could happen relatively quickly."

As for Monday, a reported 15-20 teams were expected to take part in Tebow's showcase, including the Boston Red Sox, Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Los Angeles Angels, Detroit Tigers, and Philadelphia Phillies.