Tag Archives: Tim Lincecum

“Those Classy Cardinals” Not the fans ……Not this year…..

Ishikawa Game Ending HR

Ishikawa Game Ending HR

Wow!  After reveling in happiness of the Giants really, really long-shot of making it,once again to the World Series, I was very quickly yanked back to reality this morning when a respected website brought my attention to “way too many” tweets posted by some very misguided Cardinal fans last night.   Maybe it’s the sign of the times, the state of our country, the desperate need to find something good in our lives.  Whatever the reason, it doesn’t reflect well on the St Louis Cardinal fans.

Those Classy Cards

Those Classy Cards

Back in 2011 I posted a blog about “Those Classy Cardinals” and I meant it.  It was one of my favorite postings.  They’d been voted the best fans in Major League Baseball and there was a reason for it.  They were knowledgeable and they were polite and they were one of my favorite teams. Busch Stadium has been on my bucket list of places to visit ever since.   My least favorite team was the Phillies and it was also because of the fans.  They were nasty and hateful not only in their tweets and blogs but also when you visited their stadium as evidenced by the Giants entry into the playoffs and their treatment of Tim Lincecum and others.

This is worse.  I’ve always tried to make this a kid-friendly blog because, after all, isn’t that what baseball’s all about?  But I’m sure not above linking to it and here it is in case you want a dose of early morning reality, Baseball’s Best Fans.  Yeah, right.

This World Series is historic in that it’s the first World Series that will be played by two Wild Card teams each with under 90 wins in the regular season.  I’m a baseball fan first, and a SF Giants fan second.  And,to tell you the truth, I know squat about the Kansas City Royals.  But no matter how the series goes, the best team, for this year, in this series, is going to win.  And not because the umpires made a bad call or the pitcher(s) weren’t spot on, or someone’s out on the DL.  It’s because the best team always wins.  And if you’re such a sorry individual you can’t take it and it’s too much for you because it wasn’t your team who prevailed, well suck it up.  This is baseball and it’s not for the faint of heart.  It’s for the love of the game ……whether you like it or not.

GO GIANTS AND GO ROYALS!  May the best team win ….. and they will.

Note:  To clarify that last paragraph.  The tweets that were posted on that site, and there were hundreds of them, were so vile, so full of hatred and bigotry, and spewed such filth it made them almost unintelligible.  You would almost have to have read it to understand my response.  However, the powers-that-be took the blog down within minutes of my posting so that it’s no longer available, and that’s a good thing.   I’m even a little embarrassed that I tried to share it with you in the first place, it was that bad.

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SF Giants Fan Fest 2013 ~ AT&T Park

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Thousands of San Francisco Giants fans decked out in orange and black showed up for the 2013 Fan Fest this year at AT&T Park.   I’m posting my own photo’s along with a smathering of those from the San Jose Mercury News.  Maybe you’ll spot yourself in one.  A special thank you for those who so kindly allowed me to get a quick snapshot – usually because of something that really struck my fancy, like the “Kings Wear Rings” guy with the big smile  or the guy with the great “Giants Know October” shirt.  Giants fans are great and so much fun to be around, especially when it’s beautiful weather, not a cloud in the sky, and smiles everywhere!  I can’t honestly think of a  better place to be on a beautiful sunny day  than at AT&T Park.  And the Giants players gave so much of themselves with the interviews, autographs and just taking the time to stop and chat with their fans.  Whatta great bunch of guys we have here!   And that’s exactly what you’d expect from the reigning World Champions and the best fans in all of baseball.

GFBB Update:  The Giants have estimated nearly 40,000 in attendance at this year’s Fan Fest.  See more Photo’s on the MLB Blog Website.

 

What the hell happened to the Freak?

Well this is interesting.  I try not to swear in my posts, but it seems appropriate that The Sports Geek does in this post ~ if hell’s a swear-word, that is.  Timmy’s dilemma would make most anyone want to swear about now, three months into the season and only one month away from the All-Star Break.  Good post T. J.

tjthesportsgeek.com

I never thought I’d see the day Tim Lincecum would take over the role as the weak link in the Giants starting rotation. 

Make no mistake about it, Lincecum is not the same guy he once was when he won his two National League Cy Young awards or when the Giants won the 2010 World Series. I used to get excited when it was a game he was scheduled to pitch and now I am starting to dread a start from him the way I would dread one from Barry Zito from 2007-2011.

Lincecum currently shoulders a 2-7 record on the season and an ERA of 6.00 in 13 starts so far in 2012. His latest loss came yesterday in a 5-0 shutout by the Rangers in front of another sellout crowd at AT&T Park.

I wish I could say I knew what has happened to him. I don’ t…

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Fast Ball, Curve Ball, Slider ……What’s the Difference and Who Cares?

This video shows  a Tim Lincecum fastball and curveball delivery correlated at the release point and superimposed to provide an overlay comparison of the two motions.   The two pitches look nearly identical to my untrained eye. This YouTube video uploaded by  on June 18, 2009.

So I’m  listening to play-by-play of  a game the other day and the announcer says instantly “that was a fastball (curveball, sinker, slider, doesn’t matter … you get the point) and I’m thinking how the hell does he know that?  I mean the ball’s traveling at 90-95 mph and he’s up in the announcer booth 200 feet away.   I know this announcer used to be a pitcher  so I’m pretty sure he knows what he’s talking about, but how is that possible ~ to call the pitch instantly in split-second timing, almost before the ball’s even thrown?

I set out to research this so I might understand the difference between the  pitches and how a pitcher  might determine which pitch to throw and when to throw it. Continue reading

Pitching 101 – Tim Lincecum Video

I’m currently on vacation so hope you like this video I downloaded a few months ago.  This might  be of interest to those of you who are pitchers, want to know about pitching or just curious as to how those guys can do all the stuff they do.  It’s educational and I hope you’ll find it as interesting as I did.

One of the more astounding statistics is that of Juan Marichal comingled in with the others.  You’ll understand what it means once you view the video.

Spring Training Odds & Ends ……

David Letterman’s Top 10 List of  Things you Don’t want to hear During Spring Training!

Pablo Sandoval "Before"

I’m not a huge fan of David Letterman, but still ……. this was kinda sorta funny.   I’ve been following Spring Training this year,  more than in the past and I’m seriously thinking about running down to Arizona next year to see what all the fuss is about!    One of the things that struck my funnybone this year was all the

Pablo Sandoval "After"

hubbub that’s going around about Tim Lincecum‘s In ‘n Out Burger runs.  When one of the  analysts asked him today if he took the Panda with him,  Tim assured him he always went solo, at least during spring training.  Panda, if  you’re not from the Bay Area, refers to Pablo Sandoval who, at the end of last season, weighed in around 289 pounds much to the dismay of management.   At the threat of being sent back to the Minors this year if he didn’t get back into serious shape, Panda Pablo managed to drop 38 pounds, while adding some muscle,  and looks and acts fit as a fiddle.  Good news for Giants fans, that’s for sure!   But the conversation about Timmy’s lunch relates to his daily routine of three double-decker burgers, two orders of fries and a vanilla/chocolate combo milkshake.   That’s about 3,400 calories just for lunch each day and Tim only weighs 165 pounds!    Sure would be great to have a metabolism that could burn that off!

Luis Salazar

One thing that always bothers me about spring training is how many players get injured.   I’m pretty sure the reason for spring training is to get back in shape after the three months “vacation” from regular and postseason.   One of the injured this year is Chase Utley, who’s always been a powerhouse for Philadelphia.   But a real casualty this year happened not to a player, but to a spectator.  Actually, he’s  Luis Salazar,  a Minor League Manager for the Atlanta Braves and he was hit in the face by a line drive during a Spring Training game on March 9.  Salazar, 54, was leaning up against the railing on the top step of the dugout when Brian McCann slammed a foul ball directly towards Salazar, who didn’t see it coming.  He ended up losing his left eye, a real tragedy in any ballpark.    I know, I know, accidents happen, and this was indeed a tragic accident, but it’s still really sad when we hear about them.    We still have a few more weeks of Spring Training left and let’s cross our fingers we can get through without any more casualties.  A big hug and a “get well soon” to  Luis!

Those Phooey Phillies ….. Just Won’t Go Away!

Well, to be honest with you, I’ve always liked Roy Halladay, even if he is a Phillie!   I saw this video for the first time today and wondered if all Major League pitchers feel the same way about their catchers as Roy feels about his.   I can see Lincecum and Cain showing Buster a little love, but all bets are off when it comes to Wilson.  Can you just see Brian Wilson in the kitchen, making pancakes while  discussing the morning with a balloon replica of Buster Posey? 

I saw an interview  with Buster Posey after the season was over, and as I recall, Buster said at one point he started to go out on the mound to talk with Wilson, took one look at those dark green eyes glaring off into space, promptly turned around and went back behind the plate.  Later he explained, he just thought it was something he should do, not that Wilson wanted it or needed it.  Posey didn’t say he was intimidated, but that was the implication.

One can only hope  Roy Halladay spends a lot of time in the kitchen talking to blow-up dummies for the next  six months.   Is it post season yet?

The 4-Strike Out Inning? …… Who Knew?

March 6th, 2011 at 10:34 pm   In response to my question about how Tim Lincecum would have been able to get 4 strike-outs in one inning today, D to the P  on Andrew Baggarly’s Blog , writes the following:

“On a swing-and-miss for strike three, if the ball hits the ground and skips by the catcher, the batter can either concede the strike out (walk shamefully back to his dugout) or can try to reach 1st base and be safe — in which case, the catcher will either have to tag him out or throw to 1st to complete the out. However, the pitcher still gets credit for the strikeout regardless of the final outcome (batter makes

Illustration Right Protected

it to first base safe, or the catcher tags/throws him out).  During today’s game, the ball got by the Catcher, Buster Posey, on a swinging strike 3 yet the batter made it safely to 1st base after a high throw from Posey.  Pitcher Tim Lincecum got credit for the strikeout (it shows up in the box score as a strike out) but the out does not get recorded. Therefore, there is still zero outs (provided there wasn’t any outs to begin with). Had Timmy been able to then strike out the side (for the necessary 3 outs), he would have had the rare 4 strikeout inning.   One can assume, that theoretically a pitcher can have 5, 6, or more strikeouts in an inning if the above explanation were to occur multiple times an inning,  although, this is HIGHLY improbable. I wonder what the record is for most K’s in an inning? Forgive me, as I am too lazy to search myself …..Hope this helps! ” 

Thanks buddy, it really does help.  This was a new one to me.  And I’m a little lazy tonight too, but had to look it up.   Just in case you’re interested, the most strike-outs in an inning?  Four!  And it’s happened more often than you’d think!   Here, Baseball Almanac  lists the pitchers for both the American League and National league.  Amazingly, Pitcher Chuck Finley has managed this feat on three separate occasions!    Just wondering how the scorekeeper would score the strikeout without recording the out in the inning.   Well, that’s a search engine chore for another time.   G’nite all!

SF GIANTS! 2010 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS! YEE HAW!

THE SF GIANTS ARE FOR REAL ……. THE TORTURE’S OVER!

SF Giants 2010 World Series Champions!

I had to play this great song one more time!  It’s much more appropriate to hear it as the World Series Champions!   The SF Giants won the 2010 World Series in 5 games, in grand fashion tonight,  beating the Texas Rangers 3-1, behind the outstanding pitching of  Tim Lincecum .   Here’s some possible headlines I considered:

  • Thank you Giants
  • Thanks for the ride!
  • Believe!
  • Torture to Rapture!
  • Diamonds in the Rough!
  • Beginning of a Dynasty?
  • Say Hey!
  • I left my heart in San Francisco!
  • The Texas who?
  • The eyes of  Texas are upon us!
  • Oh it’s good to be back home again!

Six months ago I booked a 2 week vacation that begins tomorrow!  Can you believe this?  I mean who in their right mind would have thought the Giants could possibly be playing in the World Series in November?   I’ve been on pins and needles all week thinking the Series would go to 7 games, putting it into Wednesday and Thursday of this week, at which time I’d be on the road and in the air enroute to Panama!  But the Giants had other plans, (to accommodate me I’m sure), and decided to call an end to this ordeal in Arlington, TX, and come home tomorrow as World Series Champions!   The only problem is that the parade is going to be Wednesday 11AM in San Francisco, for those of you who’ll be lucky enough to attend.  Unfortunately I won’t be one of them.    So hats off to the SF Giants who’ve played their hearts out all season, and have been rewarded mightily with the Championship Trophy!   The details of this final game are outlined in related articles below so I won’t get into the nitty gritty but I do want to mention that Edgar Renteria who was mentioned in an earlier blog, and is considering retiring after this season, (say it isn’t so Edgar!) was named MVP of the Series. 

A note to the Giants:  Whew what a ride and I enjoyed every minute of it.  But would you mind next year  maybe averaging more than 3 runs per game?  I’m getting too old for this stuff! 🙂

 

TEXAS CAIN-SAW MASSACRE ~ GAME 2.

Geez, I know, it’s a really bad title, but it is almost Halloween.  I thought about “Giants Smoke Rangers“, but with all the San Francisco pot stories and ballot measures promoting the stuff right now, I didn’t like that one either, so here it is ~ SF Giants 9, Texas Rangers -0-.    First, let me say, this was a really close game.  Close until the 8th inning and then the bottom fell out of the saddle for the  Texas Rangers.  Up until that time it was a knuckle-grinder and anything could have happened with just one pitch and one hit.  As Aubrey Huff said after the game, the score was really  technically 2-0, and I agree.   It was a wild and crazy 8th inning.  Every game in the post season the

Matt Cain

Giants have managed to come up with a different hero, so there’s not one really spectacular player that stands out about this team.  It’s been like that all year.  This time it was  Matt Cain, record breaking, torture-ending, masterful Matt Cain.  And it was also Edgar Renteria.   Edgar Renteria?  Who’s Edgar Reneria.   See what I mean?  No one’s ever heard of the guy, just like you’ve never heard of   Cody Ross or Juan Uribe or Tim Lincecum.   (Well, maybe Lincecum since he’s a two time Cy Young Award Winner!)   I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this game because, to tell you the truth, in spite of my euphoria for the Giants, I felt bad for the Texas Rangers.  I felt especially bad for Derek Holland,  the young pitcher they brought  in in the 8th Inning, who allowed 3 runs and 3 walks before they finally took him out.  I ‘m still

Edgar Renteria

pondering why Manager Ron Washington left him in so long.  Bochy would have had him out after the first run.  The fact is they’re a much better team than what they showed last night and everyone knows it.  We’ve all been there with really bad games you just want to forget and get past and move on to the next.   But as the Rangers’ Josh Hamilton explained after the game, “Obviously they (Giants)  have the momentum right now, but it sort of felt that way even before the first game started”.   Next game will be at the Texas Rangers table with fan support behind them and I’m thinking it’s gonna be one of those low scoring, close games again.  That’s what the SF Giants are used to.   And besides, Halloween’will be here and gone soon and things can get back to normal.

(Note about Matt Cain.   After last night’s game, Andrew Baggarly, who’s a beat writer with the SJ Mercury News, said he asked Matt why he hadn’t tipped his cap to the crowd and their wild standing ovation for him, and Matt said “Can’t do it with a runner on base.  Just didn’t seem right.”   He had just issued a one out walk and there was still work to be done.  And that’s why he’s so admired and respected by his teammates and the  Giants fans.    Matt Cain, a real team player with a lot of integrity.  Does your heart good doesn’t it?  Just another example of a real class act!  GFBB)