Post by Rog on Mar 5, 2015 11:00:11 GMT -5
In San Francisco, the word “Freak” is used to display admiration for its most beloved sports figure since Joe Montana. San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum has not only thrilled fans and his teammates alike with dazzling performances every fifth day, but he also captured the attitude of the City by the Bay.
His long hair fluttering in the wind with each pitch, his carefree demeanor off the mound, and his unique delivery made him an athlete like no other. In a city always striving for new ideas and a sense of uniqueness, it is little wonder that San Francisco adopted Lincecum as its poster boy.
San Francisco Giants
GOLDEN GATE SPORTS 20hTim Lincecum Looks to Rekindle Magic for San Francisco
MORE HEADLINES AROUND FANSIDED:
1d - Falling in Love with the Giants
1d - World Champion ball club, world clas
1d - Tim Lincecum Impressing Teammates, S
2d - Cactus League Opener Preview: Giants
2d - Angel Pagan: San Francisco Giants An
More News at Around the Foghorn
After bursting onto the scene in 2008 and establishing himself as one of baseball’s most feared pitchers, in 2009 and 2010 showed us all a new side of Tim Lincecum — playoff hero. For it was the 5″11 young man who was the ace of a formidable Giants staff, who helped them win their first World Series Championship since moving to San Francisco all those years ago.
Lincecum took every new challenge presented to him in October with force and threw with such conviction that the greatest hitters on the planet could not touch him.
He followed up his mammoth playoff run with a stellar 2011 season that saw the reigning World Champion strike out another 220 batters. He also posted a dazzling 2.74 ERA and won an impressive 13 games while being provided with the lowest run support in the majors.
During that time he was the stopper, the sign of hope whenever the Giants had hit a losing skid. He became the face of the franchise and all seemed right under the Orange and Black Sky.
LIVE FEED TIM LINCECUM
Chicago Cubs: SP Edwin Jackson's Contract Worst At Position In MLBCall to the Pen
Humbled Tim Lincecum Returns To His FatherAround the Foghorn
Bruce Bochy Hints Tim Lincecum Will Start In The Giants RotationFanSided
San Francisco Giants: Tim Lincecum Is The Linchpin In The RotationAround the Foghorn
Matt Cain And Tim Lincecum: Can They Bounce Back?Call to the Pen
But 2012 saw San Francisco’s hero come tumbling back down to earth. He inexplicably lost command and velocity on his pitches, leaving the Giants little choice but to leave him out of the playoff rotation. Lincecum, to his credit, took the difficult new challenge presented to him and embraced his new role as a shutdown reliever. With no pitch count, he held nothing back and only worried about giving it his all for a couple of innings a game.
His move to the bullpen left the opposing team wondering and worrying if they would have to face Lincecum on any given day. It was because of his unselfishness and a competitive spirit that never died, that he added a second World Series ring to his collection.
That was the last time fans saw “The Freak” rocking the long hair and violent approach to the plate, however, as Lincecum changed his look the following two years. Perhaps not so coincidentally, he suffered two consecutive rough seasons, making him something of a question mark coming into 2015.
No, Lincecum is not an ace or a superstar anymore. He does not come with the prestige that Giants fans had become so used to feeling whenever his name was mentioned. So why should San Francisco fans think that 2015 be any different for Lincecum? Being that he is a free agent after this season, and contract years have a way of bringing out the best in a player.
But there is also a more human side to this story. It gives fans more reason to believe in Lincecum’s resurgence. Over this past offseason, Lincecum and his father Chris began speaking again. This, after going the past few seasons without much of a casual friendship, let alone father-son relationship. That family struggle could help explain the turmoil Lincecum experienced on the mound.
MORE FROM SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
3/3 - Tim Lincecum Impressing Teammates, Showing Consistency In Spring Training
3/3 - Cactus League Opener Preview: Giants Vs. Athletics
3/2 - San Francisco Giants Set Starting Pitchers For Early Spring Training Games
2/27 - Ronny Cedeno Signed To Minor League Deal By Giants
2/27 - Angel Pagan Is Key To Giants’ Offense In 2015
Not only is this positive on a personal level for the Giants’ pitcher, but Chris Lincecum was also his son’s first and longest serving pitching coach. It was Chris who developed and taught the unorthodox delivery baseball fans know Lincecum for. And it was the elder Lincecum who convinced all of his son’s coaches to not interfere with the unusual style, as he knew that it was what was best for his son.
The mechanics were flawless though, and Lincecum’s difficult delivery was repeated start after start. Whenever Lincecum hit a rough patch, a quick phone call from his father focused his mind and fueled the excellence yet again. For a very long time, he had his coach right there with him, correcting any flaw and restoring his deceptive delivery.
Brandon Belt and new Giant Casey McGehee were among the first challengers to face Lincecum 2.0. Belt raved about the movement and life he saw from Lincecum’s fastball, specifically mentioning its late break into the strike zone.
McGehee elaborated, “The ball seemed to be coming at my head but then it would dive right back into the strike zone.”He also noted how difficult it was to see the ball and any point during Lincecum’s windup, something that had been easy to do even this past season when McGehee homered off “The Freak.”
Giants’ skipper Bruce Bochy has been so impressed with Lincecum’s resurgence that he’s named him the fifth starter in the rotation. While there is still over a month to go until the Giants are back playing meaningful baseball, San Francisco fans are excited by the thought of having the “Freak” back.
From Chris Montoya of Golden Gate Sports
His long hair fluttering in the wind with each pitch, his carefree demeanor off the mound, and his unique delivery made him an athlete like no other. In a city always striving for new ideas and a sense of uniqueness, it is little wonder that San Francisco adopted Lincecum as its poster boy.
San Francisco Giants
GOLDEN GATE SPORTS 20hTim Lincecum Looks to Rekindle Magic for San Francisco
MORE HEADLINES AROUND FANSIDED:
1d - Falling in Love with the Giants
1d - World Champion ball club, world clas
1d - Tim Lincecum Impressing Teammates, S
2d - Cactus League Opener Preview: Giants
2d - Angel Pagan: San Francisco Giants An
More News at Around the Foghorn
After bursting onto the scene in 2008 and establishing himself as one of baseball’s most feared pitchers, in 2009 and 2010 showed us all a new side of Tim Lincecum — playoff hero. For it was the 5″11 young man who was the ace of a formidable Giants staff, who helped them win their first World Series Championship since moving to San Francisco all those years ago.
Lincecum took every new challenge presented to him in October with force and threw with such conviction that the greatest hitters on the planet could not touch him.
He followed up his mammoth playoff run with a stellar 2011 season that saw the reigning World Champion strike out another 220 batters. He also posted a dazzling 2.74 ERA and won an impressive 13 games while being provided with the lowest run support in the majors.
During that time he was the stopper, the sign of hope whenever the Giants had hit a losing skid. He became the face of the franchise and all seemed right under the Orange and Black Sky.
LIVE FEED TIM LINCECUM
Chicago Cubs: SP Edwin Jackson's Contract Worst At Position In MLBCall to the Pen
Humbled Tim Lincecum Returns To His FatherAround the Foghorn
Bruce Bochy Hints Tim Lincecum Will Start In The Giants RotationFanSided
San Francisco Giants: Tim Lincecum Is The Linchpin In The RotationAround the Foghorn
Matt Cain And Tim Lincecum: Can They Bounce Back?Call to the Pen
But 2012 saw San Francisco’s hero come tumbling back down to earth. He inexplicably lost command and velocity on his pitches, leaving the Giants little choice but to leave him out of the playoff rotation. Lincecum, to his credit, took the difficult new challenge presented to him and embraced his new role as a shutdown reliever. With no pitch count, he held nothing back and only worried about giving it his all for a couple of innings a game.
His move to the bullpen left the opposing team wondering and worrying if they would have to face Lincecum on any given day. It was because of his unselfishness and a competitive spirit that never died, that he added a second World Series ring to his collection.
That was the last time fans saw “The Freak” rocking the long hair and violent approach to the plate, however, as Lincecum changed his look the following two years. Perhaps not so coincidentally, he suffered two consecutive rough seasons, making him something of a question mark coming into 2015.
No, Lincecum is not an ace or a superstar anymore. He does not come with the prestige that Giants fans had become so used to feeling whenever his name was mentioned. So why should San Francisco fans think that 2015 be any different for Lincecum? Being that he is a free agent after this season, and contract years have a way of bringing out the best in a player.
But there is also a more human side to this story. It gives fans more reason to believe in Lincecum’s resurgence. Over this past offseason, Lincecum and his father Chris began speaking again. This, after going the past few seasons without much of a casual friendship, let alone father-son relationship. That family struggle could help explain the turmoil Lincecum experienced on the mound.
MORE FROM SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
3/3 - Tim Lincecum Impressing Teammates, Showing Consistency In Spring Training
3/3 - Cactus League Opener Preview: Giants Vs. Athletics
3/2 - San Francisco Giants Set Starting Pitchers For Early Spring Training Games
2/27 - Ronny Cedeno Signed To Minor League Deal By Giants
2/27 - Angel Pagan Is Key To Giants’ Offense In 2015
Not only is this positive on a personal level for the Giants’ pitcher, but Chris Lincecum was also his son’s first and longest serving pitching coach. It was Chris who developed and taught the unorthodox delivery baseball fans know Lincecum for. And it was the elder Lincecum who convinced all of his son’s coaches to not interfere with the unusual style, as he knew that it was what was best for his son.
The mechanics were flawless though, and Lincecum’s difficult delivery was repeated start after start. Whenever Lincecum hit a rough patch, a quick phone call from his father focused his mind and fueled the excellence yet again. For a very long time, he had his coach right there with him, correcting any flaw and restoring his deceptive delivery.
Brandon Belt and new Giant Casey McGehee were among the first challengers to face Lincecum 2.0. Belt raved about the movement and life he saw from Lincecum’s fastball, specifically mentioning its late break into the strike zone.
McGehee elaborated, “The ball seemed to be coming at my head but then it would dive right back into the strike zone.”He also noted how difficult it was to see the ball and any point during Lincecum’s windup, something that had been easy to do even this past season when McGehee homered off “The Freak.”
Giants’ skipper Bruce Bochy has been so impressed with Lincecum’s resurgence that he’s named him the fifth starter in the rotation. While there is still over a month to go until the Giants are back playing meaningful baseball, San Francisco fans are excited by the thought of having the “Freak” back.
From Chris Montoya of Golden Gate Sports
