http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3696269
Good for him!
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YOO HOO!
Only moderately a Giants fan here...but this guy is a total stud and definitely deserved this award.
Only moderately a Giants fan here...but this guy is a total stud and definitely deserved this award.
"Listed at 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds, tiny by today's standards for a big league pitcher, Lincecum defied detractors -- and the laws of physics -- by firing 97 mph fastballs past one hulking slugger after another."
I love it!!!
I love it!!!
NICE!!! I'm a long suffering Giants fan and this made my day. Way to go Tim.
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I'm reminded of a favorite Giant who did not win a Cy Young award.
When he went 25-8, 2.41, another guy went 25-5, 1.88.
When he went 21-8, 2.48 another guy went 20-9, 1.65.
When he went 22-13, 2.13, another guy went 26-8, 2.04.
When he went 25-6, 2.23, another guy went 27-9, 1.73.
When he went 26-9, 2.43, another guy went 22-9, 1.12.
When he went 21-11, 2.11, another guy went 25-7, 2.21.
What was Lincecum's record?
Times have changed.
When he went 25-8, 2.41, another guy went 25-5, 1.88.
When he went 21-8, 2.48 another guy went 20-9, 1.65.
When he went 22-13, 2.13, another guy went 26-8, 2.04.
When he went 25-6, 2.23, another guy went 27-9, 1.73.
When he went 26-9, 2.43, another guy went 22-9, 1.12.
When he went 21-11, 2.11, another guy went 25-7, 2.21.
What was Lincecum's record?
Times have changed.
Good point RJM. At least Marichal got the lifetime achievement award.
Lincecum was 18-5. But look at the team he was on. You could argue that Carlton had better numbers on a worse team, but that to me is an apples and oranges argument. Lincecum gave the best performance in the NL this year.
Lincecum was 18-5. But look at the team he was on. You could argue that Carlton had better numbers on a worse team, but that to me is an apples and oranges argument. Lincecum gave the best performance in the NL this year.
As a die hard Giants fan, I am certainly biased - but I have never seen a pitcher that consistently dominant, game after game, all season long.
Congrats to young Cy.
Congrats to young Cy.
It's true for us long suffering Giants fans it wasn't a great season overall but what fun to watch Lincecum pitch. He seems like the most unassuming, low key, nice guy that you can't help but root for him. What an incredible honor that he'll cherish the rest of his life.
Last January, I attempted to build some fundamental mechanics for the Brussels Kangaroos teenage pitching.
While the mechanics improved, these guys all seemed to move in slow motion, locked up by trying to "look" a certain way.
I seriously struggled to communicate the notion of maximum effort. (Yes, there IS a a language barrier....I say french words, but I don't really speak french.)
Anyway, in early February, I brought in some Lincecum video on my laptop as visual reinforcement.
It worked. For the next couple of workouts they clearly demonstrated the intent to throw hard.
Grunting like they were bench pressing Buicks, wild pitches were flying off the gym floors/walls. It was simultaneously funny and dangerous.
In the end, it seemed to worked and they went 9-6.
While the mechanics improved, these guys all seemed to move in slow motion, locked up by trying to "look" a certain way.
I seriously struggled to communicate the notion of maximum effort. (Yes, there IS a a language barrier....I say french words, but I don't really speak french.)
Anyway, in early February, I brought in some Lincecum video on my laptop as visual reinforcement.
It worked. For the next couple of workouts they clearly demonstrated the intent to throw hard.
Grunting like they were bench pressing Buicks, wild pitches were flying off the gym floors/walls. It was simultaneously funny and dangerous.
In the end, it seemed to worked and they went 9-6.
And to think the Seattle Mariners passed this kid by because he was too small. I bet the front office is still kicking themselves over that one.
Pop Up Hitter dad, I'm not surprised the Mariners passed on Tim Lincecum. Bum, Jr. was getting scouted this Spring in his senior season and I was told by a friend (whose 6'3" son had an in-home visit with the Mariners) that the Mariners wouldn't even look at any pitcher under 6'2". Period. I found it curious, even annoying as Bum, Jr. doesn't fit that profile, but that's their thing..
..so Tim is proving to the world that little guys can. I'm counting on him to change the way some of these executives think. The #1 thing that I think they have wrong (in their bias against smaller guys) is their belief that smaller guys break down sooner. I don't think there's a lick of evidence to prove that.
I guess Tim Lincecum -- The Freak! -- will just have to rewrite the recruiting manual.
..so Tim is proving to the world that little guys can. I'm counting on him to change the way some of these executives think. The #1 thing that I think they have wrong (in their bias against smaller guys) is their belief that smaller guys break down sooner. I don't think there's a lick of evidence to prove that.
I guess Tim Lincecum -- The Freak! -- will just have to rewrite the recruiting manual.
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Bum,
Thanks for the insight. Good post. Change is in the air isn't it!
Bum,
Thanks for the insight. Good post. Change is in the air isn't it!
This is encouraging to all the little guys in the baseball world! After all David Exstein showed em too.
If you read up on Jimmy Rollins he too had to overcome the execs. doubts because of his size.
Apparently, there was a scout for the Phillies that really believed in Rollins.
It is very, very encouraging!
My son fight the size thing every time he sets foot on the field. It is a great motivator to see these other guys succeed.
How about Dustin Pedroia?
Times are changing with the end of the steroids era.
Apparently, there was a scout for the Phillies that really believed in Rollins.
It is very, very encouraging!
My son fight the size thing every time he sets foot on the field. It is a great motivator to see these other guys succeed.
How about Dustin Pedroia?
Times are changing with the end of the steroids era.
There are some great videos on Youtube of Tim L. and his pitching mechanics. Good stuff. The guy has a huge following.
Adding Alan Jackson's "Little Man" to my MP3 playlist...
Adding Alan Jackson's "Little Man" to my MP3 playlist...
Two fun articles in the SF paper this morning:
In the first ( http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/13/SP4H1437J1.DTL ) , Scott Ostler has a couple of great lines:
The second article, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/12/SPVD1437GO.DTL , talks more about the behind the scenes competitive drive...
In the first ( http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/13/SP4H1437J1.DTL ) , Scott Ostler has a couple of great lines:
quote:Tim Lincecum was so stunned by the Cy Young Award announcement that he didn't even dress up for his gala news conference Tuesday. He rolled in to face the nation's cameras wearing a T-shirt and a knit cap.
Which is why we love the guy. He is totally lacking in superstar pretense. Some famous guys dress down for effect. Lincecum doesn't know what that means ...
If I had a vote for Best Reaction to a Major Award, Lincecum would get it. He was gracious and modest, but he looked like he'd won a trip to Willy Wonka's factory.
There's nothing cooler than a guy who does what we dream of doing, and then enjoys it as much as we dream we would enjoy it. Lincecum doesn't have a blase bone in his body....
Let's all put on our knit caps, find Timmy, go down to the malt shop and talk some ball.
The second article, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/12/SPVD1437GO.DTL , talks more about the behind the scenes competitive drive...
quote:""His attitude when he started to read the paper, when people didn't want him to pitch and wanted him to sit down, asking what he is going to gain ... you should have heard him," pitching coach Dave Righetti said Tuesday.
"He wanted to pitch, obviously, and it wasn't just a little kid wanting something. There was a man knowing what he wanted to do was go out for the Giants and compete against these teams and let them know that we were on the block as a team. He wanted the best challenge and he did it up to the last day, obviously."
That brand of hard-headedness, which belies his where's-my-skateboard demeanor, could serve Lincecum well as he embarks on an even greater challenge than winning the Cy Young. That is, living up to the grandiose expectations that follow."
Part of another SFGate article from July:
His size
First, the details: Lincecum weighed more than 7 pounds and measured 21 1/2 inches at birth. He was about as tall as other kids his age until 8, when pretty much everyone grew past him. At age 15, as a freshman at Liberty High in Renton, Wash., he stood all of 4-foot-11 and weighed 85 pounds.
By contrast, his brother Sean weighed about 260 pounds at the time.
"I didn't try to start too much with him, unless mom and dad were there," Tim said, smiling.
He finally had his growth spurt as a high-school junior, climbing all the way to 5-7 and 130 pounds. He reached 5-9 and 135 when he arrived at Washington, not enough to stop him from nervously glancing at his new college teammates and thinking, "Man, these guys are big."
His size
First, the details: Lincecum weighed more than 7 pounds and measured 21 1/2 inches at birth. He was about as tall as other kids his age until 8, when pretty much everyone grew past him. At age 15, as a freshman at Liberty High in Renton, Wash., he stood all of 4-foot-11 and weighed 85 pounds.
By contrast, his brother Sean weighed about 260 pounds at the time.
"I didn't try to start too much with him, unless mom and dad were there," Tim said, smiling.
He finally had his growth spurt as a high-school junior, climbing all the way to 5-7 and 130 pounds. He reached 5-9 and 135 when he arrived at Washington, not enough to stop him from nervously glancing at his new college teammates and thinking, "Man, these guys are big."
quote:He reached 5-9 and 135 when he arrived at Washington, not enough to stop him from nervously glancing at his new college teammates and thinking, "Man, these guys are big."
Kudos to Washington for looking beyond his size and seeing his heart and ability!
GotW4S, let's hope so. I understand all the arguments for taller pitchers.. projection, downward plane on the ball, durability. But if a smaller guy already has present ability (a good fastball and good stuff), and we take durability out of the mix (because I haven't found anything to back up that theory), then all we're left with is the argument that smaller pitchers have less "tilt" (downward plane) on the ball. Tiny Tim apparently makes up for that with a longer stride. Oh, and that 97 MPH fastball.