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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow faces a major step up in competition on Tuesday in his pursuit of a baseball career.Tebow, after playing three games in the fall instructional league in Florida, is set to bat seventh and start in left field for the Scottsdale Scorpions at 3:35 p.m. ET at Camelback Ranch in his Arizona Fall League debut.The league is for top prospects on the brink of a major league career and a handful of players who already have debuted in the big leagues, including teammates Greg Bird of the Yankees and Gavin Cecchini of the Mets.Tebow signed a minor league deal with the Mets for $100,000 last month.Youre talking about a guy who has won a Heisman Trophy but also been cut four times. I think he knows what the challenge is, said Scottsdale manager Tom Goodwin, who also is the first-base coach for the Mets. I think hes up for the challenge. Im definitely looking forward to putting him out there. Its a huge jump for him, but I dont think its anything he cant handle. I know hes looking forward to it. And I think a lot of people out there are looking forward to seeing what he has and what he can do.As Tebow said, I think it will give me a good idea where Im at.Tebow homered on his first pitch in the instructional league. It was the first pitch he had faced in a game since his junior year of high school. He ultimately hit .286 (4-for-14) with two RBIs and two walks in three games.In his Arizona Fall League debut, Tebow is due to face Washington Nationals right-handed prospect Austin Voth. Voth, a University of Washington product, went 7-9 with a 3.15 ERA in 27 appearances (25 starts) at Triple-A Syracuse this past season.So much of the pressure is taken away because I get to go out here and pursue something that I love, that Im passionate about, Tebow said. Ive always been a believer that perfect love casts out all fear. So when youre scared about something, remember why youre doing something, why you love it. And have that mindset and approach.Why is failure the worst thing? I know sometimes it gets talked about that it is. But, in my opinion, regret is the worst thing, followed by not trying. And a lot of times, those go hand in hand. So, for me, when I do something, I want to go all-out for it. I can look back in 20 years and if I wasnt good enough, I wasnt good enough.Tebow will continue with his SEC Network and ESPN football broadcasting responsibilities, so he will miss Friday and Saturday games. The Arizona Fall League is dark on Sundays. So Goodwin will have Tebow play as many games as the ex-quarterbacks body allows midweek.Tebow has the Alabama-Tennessee game this weekend in Knoxville, and he suggested there is no awkwardness with leaving new teammates.They totally understand it, Tebow said. And its also an obligation for me. For me, when I give my word about something, I want to fulfill it.There is considerable buzz for Tebows participation in the Arizona Fall League. The Scorpions averaged 504 spectators per home game last season at Scottsdale Stadium. The stadium can accommodate 9,700 fans, including lawn seating. The team expects a serious attendance bump, like when NBA star Michael Jordan played for the club in 1994 and league attendance for the season nearly tripled, to more than 100,000.Jordan hit .252 (31-for-123) with 34 strikeouts in the Arizona Fall League. Of course, Jordan already had played a full season at Double-A Birmingham. Tebow, on the other hand, essentially has not played baseball since high school, except for a few weeks of training at the Mets complex in Port St. Lucie, Florida. That Arizona Fall League tune-up was cut short a few days by Hurricane Matthew.Jordans someone that was extremely talented -- everything he did, Tebow said. I think what you hear most about him on the baseball field was his effort and what a good teammate he was. Thats something I obviously want to bring, as well.Tebow readily acknowledged competing in the Arizona Fall League will be a great challenge.I think it will be awesome, he said. I think it will not only will be a challenge as far as competing, but also, I think it will be blessing as far as learning from a lot of guys that are doing it at a high level -- a lot of them getting ready to be at the highest level. So thats great.Its a great opportunity for me. Im thankful and also looking forward to it. Benoit Pouliot Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Connor McDavid Oilers Jersey . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. http://www.hockeyoilersshop.com/darnell-nurse-jersey/ .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. Jujhar Khaira Oilers Jersey . The phone hearing is scheduled for 4:30pm et/1:30pm pt. Winchester, who was not penalized for the hit, appeared to make contact with Kellys head early in the first period of Thursdays game in Boston. Leon Draisaitl Oilers Jersey . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Jim Caldwell could see the Detroit Lions latest win coming last week, well before they beat the New Orleans Saints.In practice, they were embracing productive paranoia, a concept Caldwell has read about in Jim Collins books and apparently passed along to his players.It was just one of those weeks where things were clicking along pretty well for us, Caldwell said Monday. The key is now weve got to do it again.The Lions beat New Orleans 28-13, their seventh win in an eight-game stretch that has dramatically changed the possibilities for this season.Detroit (8-4) has a two-game lead in the NFC North with four games to go, putting the traditionally floundering franchise in a favorable position to win a division title for the first time since 1993. Detroit has a potential tiebreaker over the second-place Minnesota Vikings and hosts the second-place Green Bay Packers in the last game of the regular season.Were not worrying about first place or second place, safety Glover Quin said. Were just focusing in on the next challenge. We came in all week and our focus was clearly on the New Orleans Saints.The Lions seem set up to at least maintain their cushion in the NFC North with a matchup against the last-place Chicago Bears (3-9) on Sunday at Ford Field. Chicago, though, did beat the Lions 17-14 to drop them to 1/3 back when Matthew Stafford was averaging one interception per game.Stafford isnt making many mistakes these days, throwing only one interception over eight games. He set a team record by connecting on 13 straight passes against the Saints.Detroits stingy defense has held four straight teams to 19 or fewer points, including keeping New Orleans more than 17 points below its scoring average. The Lions also became the first team to hold Drew Brees without a touchdown pass on his home turf in 60 games with the Saints. Special teams have been solid, too.Detroit hasnt had a run like this since 1995 when it closed the regular season 7-1 to make the playoffs for the third straight year and the fourth time in a five-year stretch.dddddddddddd From 1996 to 2015, the Lions have earned a spot in the postseason just four times.Caldwells steady leadership has helped the Lions bounce back from adversity from within games and season. And now that times are good, he is certainly not going to get caught up in the excitement among a fan base desperate for a winning NFL team to root for in the Motor City. He noted hearing and seeing a lot of Lions fans in New Orleans at his weekly news conference, but insisted he doesnt run into them in or around Detroit simply because of the hours he keeps.When I come in in the morning, there are very few fans that are up, he said. When I go home late at night, there are very few people that are around and most often its only one gas station open in my area. I dont encounter very many people at that time.For the first time, Detroit didnt have to rally from a fourth-quarter deficit to win a game this season, leading the Saints from start to finish. The Lions ended up with their most lopsided road win in four years.Normally, were in different situations in the fourth quarter so we kind of went out there with the same mentality like, `Hey, weve got to stop them, said Quin, who picked off one of three passes against Brees.Caldwell cuts up the regular season into quarters, and acknowledged the final four games present a unique opportunity and challenge.During that time of the year, youve got to be playing your best football, he said.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Larry Lage at http://www.twitter.com/larrylage and follow his work at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/larry-lage ' ' '