ESPN commentator Jeff Van Gundy said Friday on a telecast that retired Houston Rocket and Orlando Magic star Tracy McGrady could try his hand at baseball. No, for real.
“I think he's going to play independent league baseball as a pitcher this year,” Van Gundy said. “I'm being serious. I've heard from sources in Houston — seriously — that he's throwing over 90 miles per hour.”
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-...y-try-baseball
-Not sure if a ploy or not, but would be cool to see T-Mac on the mound tbh. If he's really hitting 91 on the gun, at 6'8", he could easily make a roster somewhere, so long as he has command. Jordan would be proud.
Hope he didn't kill his dad
Wow, 91mph. This guy will do way better than jordan.
I swear if he wins a worldseries le
i doubt he needs t he money anyway, didnt he make money from china rockets?
So just throwing a ball for a couple months makes you qualified to play pro baseball. Got it.
I guess playing chess would be too physically demanding of a sport for him.
It worked for jordan.
No one is going to buy tickets to see a washed up TMac pitch.
His agent needs to take his talents to the glue factory
Well the astros are just downright awful. Tmac is still popular in houston. At least if tmac can pitch for the astros he can at least sell some seats. He doesn't have to be good or anything.
Bet you'd have a tougher time hitting a ball than making a shot in a hoop
seems those yellow physiotherapists have really healed his once-fragile back by acupuncture. No one could throw a ball as fast as 91mph with a bad back imho.
So did Jordan
No one will buy tickets to see TMac pitch. He's not that popular.
Just because he can throw a ball at 91 MPH doesn't mean he can pitch. GTFO.
who else is in the astros that people wanna see? Last time i check they were like the third lowest in attendance. I'm not saying tmac will fill up the place or even sell 1/4rd of the place, but , might as well try to get an extra 20 fans with the terrible ass season and attendance the astros are having.
It's not even spring training yet. How can they be having a terrible season?
"I love baseball. That was my first love," McGrady said last fall after the deal for the Biloxi team was official according to ExNBA.com."Even to this day I love baseball more than I love basketball."
Former NBA Star McGrady Eyeing Baseball Career
By Aaron Steen [February 1, 2014 at 9:31pm CST]
Seven-time NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady is aiming to pitch in professional baseball, FOX 26reports. Still a relatively young 34, McGrady has been training with Diamondbacks pro scout Scipio Spinks and will look to catch on with the independent league Sugar Land Skeeters for the 2014 season.
Spinks says McGrady is currently throwing in the 85-86 MPH range, disputing earlier reports that the former NBA scoring champion had surpassed 90 MPH. However, he adds that McGrady's slider, which took him "five minutes" to learn, is a "true slider" with "good break on it." McGrady can also command the baseball to both sides of the plate with ease, he comments, and may reach the 90s with practice. "If the season starts tomorrow Tracy McGrady will be able to pitch on that Skeeters team," Spinks says. McGrady is training at Constellation Field, the Skeeters' home park.
Roger Clemens has also given instruction to McGrady, the Houston Chronicle's Jose de Jesus Ortiz reports. Clemens, currently a special assistant with the Astros, says McGrady "[isn't] there yet" and needs the opportunity to throw to live hitters.
HIGH SCHOOL
At Auburndale High, he quickly became a two-sport star. He loved baseball and had aspirations of playing in the Major Leagues. Some Auburndale coaches were certain that McGrady would be playing in a Major League ballpark instead of on a NBA court.
T-Mac may actually have the athletic ability to pull it off. Everyone says he's washed up but I watched video's of him last year. He's got his legs back, his knee isn't hurting and his back is fine. Pitching could extend his career several years.
HOUSTON -- Tracy McGrady wants to follow Michael Jordan's path to the national pastime.
The retired seven-time NBA All-Star is aiming to become a baseball player, and plans to try pitching for the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League. That's the same team that Roger Clemens pitched for a couple of years ago.
Jordan famously played in the Chicago White Sox organization in 1994 during his first retirement from basketball, reaching the Double-A level.
"Just having a tryout for a minor league team is more fulfilling than anything I can imagine as far as baseball," McGrady told ESPN.com by phone Tuesday. "I'm just going to train as hard as I can and pursue my dream. Where this takes me, I don't know."
"I'm doing this for the love of the game. I've made money. The Atlantic League doesn't have salaries like the major leagues. So this is a kid who's trying to fulfill his dream. This isn't a gimmick. I've played baseball. I know the game of baseball. And I'm going after what I've always wanted to do."
A statement from the Skeeters says that it is a "lifelong dream" of McGrady's to play baseball.
"McGrady has demonstrated skill, determination and diligence during his training program," the statement said. "We look forward to monitoring his progress."
The 34-year-old McGrady played for several teams, including the Houston Rockets and Orlando Magic. He last played in the NBA in the 2012-13 season.
The Skeeters last made national headlines when Clemens pitched two games for them in 2012 at age 50.
McGrady made seven consecutive All-Star Games from 2001-07. The 6-foot-8 McGrady, natural right-hander, was drafted out of high school with the ninth overall pick in 1997 by the Toronto Raptors. He spent his first three seasons with the Raptors before becoming a star with the Magic. He spent four years with the Magic and led the NBA scoring in both the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons.
He then joined the Rockets where he teamed with Yao Ming to help Houston to three playoff appearances.
McGrady played for the Knicks, Detroit and Atlanta after a six-year stint with the Rockets and was on the Spurs' postseason roster last season. He retired with more than 18,000 points and more than 5,000 rebounds in his career.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10...y-try-baseball
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