Category Archives: Linceblog: Following Tim Lincecum

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) blog, blog, diversity, Linceblog: Following Tim Lincecum, news, politics, race, SF Giants, sports

That Immigration bill, Boston, and baseball?

The Boston blasts have knocked even the grand leakage of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 AKA “The Immigration Bill,” down a few notches in the news ladder.

 

Going over the details now and will post on www.aaldef.org/blog. Initial reaction is it’s “not great,” and forgets why people immigrate here in the first place. There’s an “F” word that seems forgotten.

 

In the meantime, speaking of words and language, look at all the news stories and  if anyone says “illegal immigrant.”

 

We didn’t see that faux pas yesterday, but look at how quickly we launched into profile mode.

 

Yes, we were kind and all to the innocent. But not so much to people of color when the word went out that police were looking for a “dark skinned male, possibly with an accent, and a black sweat shirt.”

 

Certainly let the white terrorists off the hook.

 

That kind of profiling shows we haven’t learned much from 9/11.

 

If you haven’t noticed, I’ve got this thing for baseball, and covering the San Francisco Giants and their half-Filipino pitcher Tim Lincecum.

 

He’s a real Asian American, not some imported star from Korea or Japan. He’s from the Seattle area.

 

For me baseball and his struggles to date are the human story of the game that provides real perspective. I use it as an antidote to the reality known as “the political process,” where the glacial pace of change makes a nine-inning game go by in a wink. Read the posts under the heading: Linceblog.

 

It’s my form of escape that gives me a sense of balance.

 

It also works both ways. Too much time in the candy store of life, and

you get a day like yesterday.

 

Yesterday’s violence—amid the intense competitiveness of a marathon hailed as one of the iconic events in U.S. sports—brought us all back to that reality as we prayed for the dead and counted the wounded.

 

By the way, yesterday was another milestone day in sport: Jackie Robinson Day.

 

Read my take at  http://diverseeducation.com/article/52621/

 

And please read my other work at the archives :

 

http://aaldef.org/blog/archive/

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Linceblog: Lincecum has the Chicago Blues–another big inning that’s done him wrong–but Giants’ offense, Pence, save day

Just as the full “Filipino Flash” Nonito Donaire fizzled, the Giants’ half-Filipino flash, Tim Lincecum. was rocked in a first-inning that began with a walk to the first batter he faced.

It was the only walk he allowed the whole game.

That’s the positive.

But then he gave up two 2-run homers in that same first inning. That’s a four-run inning, a typical Lincecum start.

Lincecum has given up three-or-more runs in an inning 10 times from the start of the 2012 season to date.

But the Giants’ offense eventually picked him up. Pinch-hitter Nick Noonan (batting .600 on this road trip) lined a single to left to give the Giants a 5-4 lead, and cap a 4-run inning in the 6th.

Lincecum was still in for the win. But the Cubs came back to regain the lead 7-6 in the 8th.

That set up a 2-strike homerun by Hunter Pence to tie and extend the game at 7-7.  Lincecum was off the hook totally for another no-decision start. And then the Giants with some clutch hitting pulled away with a 3-run 10th, 10-7.

Suddenly, the Giants  aren’t reliant on pitching so much. They are confident and showing enough offense to erase deficits late in the game.

Mark of a champion? Team is going well at 9-4.  And Lincecum? Well, the team has won his last three starts.

Tim’s next start is likely Saturday night against the Padres at AT&T.

 

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Linceblog: Lincecum battles Cubs, and more on that little fight in the Big Apple

Tim Lincecum, the half-Filipino flash, pitches today for the Giants against the Cubs in Wrigley, and that’s good news for the Giants.

Winners of two of three 1 run games vs. the Cubs, the Giants will have a pitcher who has never given up more than 2 runs per game at Wrigley Field. With a 1.82 ERA in five starts, Lincecum loves Wrigley.

If he pitches to his record,  the Giants may be able to muster just enough run support to take three out of four in this Cub series, and give Lincecum his 2nd win of the year.

Lincecum had that rocky 2nd inning against the Rockies this past week. In an answer to my post-game question, he said he saw video in-between innings  and saw something he was able to correct.

 He didn’t say what it was , but added it wasn’t a mechanical or timing thing.

“Rhythm,” was the word Lincecum used. He went on after that to give the Giants a solid four innings.

We’ll see today if he’s still on the beat and can avoid a bout of the Chicago blues.

 

RIGONDEAUX-DONAIRE FIGHT:

The Big Apple played host to the best small guys in boxing, the 122 lb. super bantamweights.  But it’s hard to say what was on Nonito Donaire’s mind last night at Radio City Music Hall?

Was he waiting for the Rockettes?

It  sure didn’t seem he wanted to fight Guillermo Rigondeaux.

I was hoping Donaire would take advantage of Rigondeuax’s lack of pro experience and school him into pronouncing his first name the Filipino way (not Gee-air-mo, but Gil-yer-mo).

But my loyalty to  Filipino American Donaire was all off.  On this night, Donaire was neither linguist or pugilist.

I had seen both fighters’  televised bouts over the last year, and never was all that impressed with Donaire.  He always showboated with his left hand down. I just couldn’t imagine him so much quicker than opponents that he could avoid telegraphing his punch.

Rigondeaux, on the other hand, I’ve always thought was fairly quick and elusive.  And he’s a lefty, which meant that with luck, he could possibly catch the righty Donaire flush in the face.

Sure, enough, the left caught Donaire, puffing up his eye, and essentially ended all chance before the 12th was done.

Indeed, the so-called “Filipino Flash” hardly flashed a thing all night, unable to jab or catch up to Rigondeaux.  For at least the first six rounds, it was like Donaire wasn’t even in the fight.

Later, in the post-bout interviews on HBO, Donaire admitted, “I never studied (for) the fight. “

It was a stunning admission on his lack of preparation. HBO commentators said that trainer Robert Garcia had been so involved with his other top fighter Brandon Rios, that much of his time with Donaire was spent on the phone.  Maybe that’s why Donaire looked like he was “phoning it in.”

It all leaves Filipino American fans wondering if Donaire really has what it takes to replace Manny Pacquiao, a loser in his last two fights.

 

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Linceblog: Death march averted; SF Giants, Lincecum show no surrender in comeback victory over Rockies

Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum, the pride of Filipino-American baseball fans everywhere, had no idea he was pitching on what is known in U.S./Filipino WWII history as Bataan Valor Day—the day the U.S. surrendered Bataan to the Japanese, leading to the infamous death march.

That coincidence of history aside, Lincecum and the Giants could have easily given up Tuesday night with the Rockies ahead 6-2 in the 6th inning.

Instead, Lincecum regained his command just enough to keep his team in the game so the Giants’ offense could stun the Rockies 9-6.

“I thought he threw the ball great and he didn’t let the game get out of control,” said Giants manager Bruce Bochy speaking of Lincecum. “He kept us from going to the (bullpen) early, and gave us a chance to make that comeback and what a great comeback the guys made.”

Lincecum looked like he was in control from the start, but the second inning by his own estimation was “a doozy.”

After a nine-pitch first inning, Lincecum began the second with a four-pitch walk to Rockies slugger Troy Tulowitzki, the last two 91 and 92 mph fastballs that missed.

It would be the first of three walks that inning alone, including a walk to the pitcher Juan Nicasio. (“Pitchers should be outs,” said Lincecum later, frustrated by having walked Nicasio twice in the game). The self-inflicted trouble loaded the bases and was compounded by a two-run Dexter Fowler double, followed by a Josh Rutledge two –run single.

When I asked Lincecum the difference between his pitching between the first and the second innings, he knew right away.

“Rhythm, I guess you can say, that’s about it,” he said. “It wasn’t mechanical or just a timing issue.”

Lincecum said he righted himself by looking at video on his own after that second inning.

What did it show?

“Stuff I needed to see,” he said. No reason to give away any of his trade secrets.

He also said it wasn’t a matter of stamina.

“I think I’m where I need to be stamina wise,” Lincecum said. “But I can still get better at locating my pitches and erasing those five-run innings.”

Lincecum said after giving up those five runs, he was “just trying to settle in, be competitive and battle as long as I could.”  

Take away that second inning, the 4 walks, and the six earned-runs,  and his pitching line wasn’t all that bad: 104 pitches, 61 strikes, 43 balls, 7 strikeouts.

Bochy said he was impressed with Lincecum’s stuff and feels that in spite of missing time in spring training,  Lincecum is where he should be now.

Interestingly, I noticed how all the pre-game talk, the “Hector-Sanchez-as–DLC (Designated Lincecum Catcher)” was hardly worth a mention later.

Does the Hector for Posey thing really make a difference to Lincecum?

“Not really,” he said. “I got to go out and compete. Whether you got someone else in the outfield or catching, I have to do my job.”

The Giants didn’t miss Posey’s offense either, which at 5-24 (.208) hasn’t been great anyway.

In fact, the Giants, overall, were hitting just .231 and averaging under 3 runs a game for the first six games.  But on this night it wasn’t just the hot hitters: Pagan, Panda and Pence carrying the load.

Brandon Crawford delivered a three-run home run to left off reliever Adam Ottavino to get the Giants to within 1 run in the 6th.

And then in the 8th, the Giants scored 3 more runs on 5 hits.  The game saw contributions up and down the lineup, including Scutaro (3h, 1RBI), and Blanco (a bunt single RBI).

So the victory was a good boost for the team. And except for that one inning, a boost for Lincecum, too. He didn’t get the win, but he didn’t take a loss either.  A wash? If he learned a lot just watching film on that second inning, this game could be a gold mine.

He’s not totally back to his prime. But after two imperfect starts,  if  Lincecum keeps his poise and battles like he did tonight, his 2013 campaign should be far from a death march.