It was a pleasant spring night in Columbia, S.C., and all around the ballpark the familiar pattern of minor league baseball had set in. Groups of twentysomethings were drinking at the beer garden in centerfield, children were playing in the bouncy house in left, devoted parents were waiting in the long line for Dippin’ Dots. The Columbia Fireflies were playing the Hickory Crawdads in a Class-A South Atlantic League game, and the Fireflies were losing to the Crawdads late, 4-1.
Just then, down in the Fireflies dugout, Tim Tebow sidled next to Joel Fuentes, the Fireflies’ hitting coach, and informed him that this was the first time they had trailed in a game all season.