Curt Schilling: Religion isn’t the reason Tim Tebow has no chance in baseball

Tim Tebow wants to play professional baseball. His agent and coach think he can, obviously. Gary Sheffield called him a “natural.” Yet, not too many other people think Tebow has a serious chance to be a successful baseball player.

Curt Schilling, appearing on this week’s StewPod on Yahoo Sports, took things a step further:

“There is absolutely no chance that he would ever set foot on a big-league diamond to play in a big-league baseball game in the regular season,” Schilling said.

Absolutely no chance, that’s pretty absolute. But lest you think Schilling is slamming Tebow, he’s not: “It has nothing to do with him and everything to do with the game,” Schilling told Yahoo Sports. “It is a faster, harder game than anything you could ever imagine.”

“The comment I heard,” Schilling said, “was that he was a really good hitter in high school. Well, I was too. I was really good hitter in high school and I .100-something in the big leagues. I saw him swing the other day. He looks like he’s got a nice swing. I think he’d kick the crap out of people in the 30-and-over league.”

But Tebow is sure to at least get a chance, Schilling says, because his name carries enough marketability that some team wants to cash in those Tim Tebow jerseys and bobbleheads.

“Somebody’s going to sign him to a minor-league contract, absolutely, and some minor-league kid is going to lose a job because of it,” Schilling said. “He’ll put people in the seats and that’s what the minor leagues are all about for the ownership.”

A common refrain from Tebow’s legions of dedicated fans anytime he lost an opportunity in football was: It’s because of his beliefs. It’s because he’s a devout Christian.

In baseball, though, that excuse doesn’t fly. And Schilling — a devout Christian himself — agrees. Baseball is full of people who believe the same things Tebow believes. They’re in every clubhouse in the league.

“I can tell you, Christian faith has never kept a good big-league player from playing in the big leagues,” Schilling said.

“Here’s the thing you have to understand beyond all else,” Schilling said. “Baseball and professional sports is a business. A multi-billion dollar business. So if you can play, I don’t care if you’re a pagan, you’re gonna play.”

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz