Category Archives: sports

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Linceblog: Tim Lincecum reportedly done for season. Giants too?

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The  Freak in healthier times dangled the ball and had a motion that would turn his whole body into a flame-throwing pitching machine.

But now with his health in question, Tim Lincecum–the best Major League Baseball player ever with Filipino blood– is done for the season, according to multiple reports.

And it could signal the end of his career  as a San Francisco Giant.

Lincecum, 31, a two-time National League Cy Young Award winner for being the best pitcher in the game, four-time All-Star, and a three-time World Series Champion, is being shutdown for the rest season, San Francisco Giants general manager Bobby Evans told the Chronicle.

Lincecum has been recovering from a hip injury and sought medical treatment on Wednesday to see if surgery may be required.

I saw Lincecum last week and tried to talk to him, but with headphones on, he was riding a white motorized rover-style scooter and zipped away.

Lincecum will be a free agent in 2016 and is likely to have pitched his last inning as a Giant.

That would be hard to fathom for faithful Filipino American fans, and others, who looked on Lincecum as their special Giants hero.

Picked tenth overall in the 2006 draft, Lincecum has been the face of the franchise for much of his nine seasons and compiled a 108-83 record, with a 3.61 ERA.

The Giants are known to reward their heroes for past efforts. But Lincecum this year is being paid $18 million.

Once his health is right, Lincecum may want to test the free-agent market, but it’s unlikely he’ll command from other teams whatever the Giants might offer him to keep the fan-base happy.

Then again, the Giants got rid of Mays and brought him back. Baseball is strange that way. I could envision Lincecum trying Seattle, his home base, and a new league.

And then coming back to the Giants at the end.

But the most important thing now is his health. His hips were good enough for the motorized monorover. But just not ready for an MLB playoff drive.

Do they have Tommy John surgery for a pitcher’s hips?

As for the Giants, they may not be good enough for a last minute playoff drive. Three one-run defeats in a row to the Dodgers made for great baseball, but were heartbreaking.

The three games embodied the frustration of an entire season.  The Giants didn’t catch many breaks in the LA series and ended up falling just short. That could be the way the season ends, unless the disabled list clears and the Giants can muster one major push in September. The Giants with the second Wild Card last year have always been masters in “Just In Time.”

There may still be time. But they’ll need some luck too.

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) blog, blog, diversity, news, politics, race, sports

Emil Guillermo: Linsanity? That was his last contract for $30 million, Jeremy Lin, the Harvard baller, has a saner deal in Charlotte.

Jeremy Lin is probably happy to get out of LA and heading South. –to Charlotte.

I think he’ll have a breakthrough year,  playing for the love of the game again.

He’s a cultural hero, but he’s also still a good NBA player. In Charlotte, he’ll get a chance.

Read my NBCnews.com piece on Jeremy here.

I also see my latest column here: www.aaldef.org/blog

 

blog, Filipino, SF Giants, sports

Linceblog: Lincecum has shortest start in his career as Dodgers chase him out early.

It started strange and ended quickly for Tim Lincecum tonight.

The first inning looked auspicious initially as Lincecum got a fly out from Puig, and struck out Joc Pederson. Two out, and then things went south.

Lincecum walked Justin Turner, gave up a single to Adrian Gonzales, then threw a wild pitch to Howie Kendrick which scored Turner.

Kendrick ended up singling to left. But the Lincecum recovered, striking out Guerrero to end a strange first. 2 swinging  Ks, 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 run.

You can fool people some of the hitters some of the   time, but not all the time apparently.

And the 2nd inning sealed it.  Grandal and Rollins started with  back to back singles, followed by an  Anderson sacrificed bunt. Then came the Puig at bat that did in Lincecum.

Our guy battled, but Puig did too, extending his 3-2 at bat so that Lincecum was into 40 plus pitches. On pitch 42, there was some question if Puig actually fouled a ball or missed it entirely.

That could have bailed out Lincecum a bit.

But they played on, and the next pitch, Puig softly lined a single to center and 2 runs scored.

Dodgers, 3.

Puig-haters, 0.

Pederson, who struck out early against Lincecum, adjusted and doubled in Puig. Turner singled in Pederson.

And that’s it for our guy and a horrid looking Lincecum line:

1.1 inning, 7 hits, 5 runs, 5 earned runs, 1 walk, 2 Ks, 3.85 ERA.

Lincecum really looked uncomfortable from the start.

But it’s too bad it happens under the glare of the ESPN national spotlight.

He’s been so much better this year.

 

blog, Linceblog: Following Tim Lincecum, SF Giants, sports

Linceblog: Matt Duffy gives Lincecum, SF Giants the early lead v. Seattle; Makes you forget that Panda guy.UPDATE: GIants Win! Next, the Warriors?

Matt Duffy wasn’t supposed to be the Pablo replacement. But his work ethic and production has kept him on the roster and forced him into the starting lineup.

And now when the Giants are swooning, Duffy is really coming into his own.

In the 2nd inning, his two-run blast to the left field bleachers gave Lincecum and the Giants a little breathing room early.

But compare these  numbers:

6 HR, .745 plus OPS; .282 BA, 28 RBI

6 HR, .718 OPS; .261 BA, 23 RBI

The first set are Duffy’s.

But here are two other key stats:

Duffy is five years younger, and 85 pounds lighter.  (Not too mention, about $17 million lighter in salary).

Pablo’s career years may be over.  That’s what you get paid for. Duffy’s could be this year, and in the future.

LINCECUM

Tim seemed to struggle with control with 4 walks, but still managed to pitch around the Mariners and let his  fielders help him get outs. He made just two bad pitches both to Mariner Brad Miller.

Miller’s solo shot in the 5th was Seattle’s lone run. Then he came back  with  two outs in the 6th with an RBI single, to cut down the lead to 3-2.

That was enough for Lincecum, who left this line:

5.2 innings; 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 earned runs, 4 BB, 3 SO,  3.31 ERA.

It’s a win and a stop if the Giants and the pen can hold it from here.

Giants started game with a 5-game losing streak, 9 straight losses at home.

But they ended strong, adding some insurance runs to up the final margin to 6-2 over Seattle.

Win for Lincecum, now 7-3 for the year.

And now Game  6. Go Warriors? Or do you want a game 7 that bad.

I said Warriors in 6. Let’s keep it at that.  It’s more 1 v. 5. LBJ vs. GSW.  Can LeBron will a win?

And if so,  then there’s a Game 7 and more travel by week’s end.

Let’s see Curry and Thompson,  get super hot and end the madness with a super splash.

They got a lake over there in Cleveland. And it’s no mistake if the Warriors win in 6.