I've heard of Tim Tebow-obsessed fans during crazy things like "Tebowing" during a high school graduation ceremony or taking a cardboard cutout of him to prom, but perhaps the wackiest story of them all was eBay seller "Carlspackler76" receiving $99.99 for a piece of toast that featured the remarkable likeness of the Jets' quarterback on it.
The sandwich, which was posted on eBay as "The Grilled Tebow...An iconic grilled cheese sandwich, received 46 bids before finally finishing at $85 plus $14.99 for shipping from Roanoke, VA.
After the shipping, packaging, eBay and Paypal fees, the seller netted a cool profit of approximately $80 for what amounted to a slice of bread that initially cost him less than 50 cents in a supermarket.
The auction description made it seem like the "Tebowing" image that appeared on the toast was a sign of supernatural forces at play.
"While hastily making lunch today, I slapped together two slices of bread and some cheese for the old standby of the grilled cheese sandwich," the auction description says. "I'll freely admit I was a bit sloppy with my butter application and this sandwich was not going to be my best work. I'll also admit my frying pan is crappy and distributes heat very poorly, so I was not exactly expecting a work of art for a sandwich."
He added "However, upon flipping the sandwich, I was thoroughly amazed by the image staring back at me ... the now iconic 'Tebowing' pose of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow!"
In my view, this sale alarmed me because the image of Tebow on this toast was clearly faked and in no way a sign of spirituality at play.
Anyone can create an image on a slice of toast and call it a "miracle," as all you have to do is use liquid butter to draw your image on the piece and then use an oven as a toaster. For instance, this video from Wired.com illustrates how one can make a piece of "Jesus-Miracle" toast.
The area with the butter typically will burn darker than the space without the sticky stuff on it.
Sales like this one may create a dangerous precedent for scammers to create images on toast or pancakes by using liquid butter, and then turn the items around for hefty profits on eBay by calling them "miracles" or "signs from God."
On the other hand, this particular eBay seller has been posting items for over a decade, and doesn't appear to have ever sold another piece of toast with an image on it. Most of the items sold from this account were of rare DVDs, which would hint that this seller isn't a regular scammer who tries to pass off toast images as miracles.
Was the Tim Tebow grilled cheese sandwich a "fake" created with liquid butter, or a true miracle that may be a sign from God?
Eric Holden is a lifelong New York Jets fan. Follow him on Twitter @ericholden.
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