A hero's welcome for Fil-Am Tim Lincecum

By Henni Espinosa, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau

Posted at 11/04/2010 6:38 PM | Updated as of 11/05/2010 11:22 AM

SAN FRANCISCO – About 2 million Giants fans eager to see the new World Champions flooded the downtown streets of San Francisco in a festive mood on Wednesday.

Filipino fans lined up for hours just to get a glimpse of the Giants’ ace pitcher, Filipino-American Tim Lincecum and his teammates.

Lincecum was the starting pitcher against the Texas Rangers during Game 5 of the World Series. Lincecum played the full 8 innings, giving up only one run and clinching the World Series in Texas last Monday.

It did not matter if it was a work or a school day — no one was missing the victory parade.

Filipino fans, including Philippine Consulate officials, welcomed the hometown champions.

Philip Abello has been a Giants fan since he was kid. “I'm really proud that Tim Lincecum is half-Filipino and I think for the Filipino community, it's a great thing. I just think overall, the Giants [are] fantastic,” Abello said.

Abello’s 13-year-old son, Jon, is also an avid Giants fan. He said: “It’s amazing! I never think this would happen before in my life”.

Bonifacio Uy has been a die-hard Giants fan for 30 years. He said his father was an even bigger fan — but he did not live to see the day when the Giants would win the World Series.

Uy, who brought his father’s picture, said, “I brought his picture so we can share this experience together.”

Giants fans cheered as cable cars carrying the World Champions made their way to the Civic Center Plaza where the team was presented with keys to the city.

Giants fans hope this championship would just be the first of many for a city that simply loves baseball. Balitang America

Lincecum played, prayed for Grandpa

Submitted by administrator on Thu, 08/23/2007 - 12:54

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By PAUL GUTIERREZ
Sacramento Bee
Thursday, August 23, 2007

Tim Lincecum is so youthful looking; he easily could be mistaken for a batboy in the San Francisco Giants' gruff and geezer-filled clubhouse.

He is so slight at a listed 5-foot-11, 170 pounds (maybe while soaking wet and with rocks in his pockets), Lincecum could take the mound in a high school game, and no one would question a thing until the ball exploded out of his hand and did sick things on its way to the plate.

And, quite frankly, it appeared Tuesday night as if Lincecum finally succumbed to a childish and petulant prima Donna moment. The 23-year-old right-hander refused to speak to the media, leaving his manager and teammates to speak for him and answer to fans after his ninth-inning meltdown against the Chicago Cubs following eight innings of sheer brilliance.

The kid with lightning in his arm also appeared to be showing up the Cubs, tossing the ball to himself before throwing to first on a comebacker by Ryan Theriot to end the third inning and summoning a little Francisco Rodrmguez with a violent fist-pump and growl following his eighth-inning-ending strikeout of pinch hitter Daryle Ward.

The Cubs noticed.

"You saw him showboating a little," Cubs outfielder Cliff Floyd told reporters.

But there is more to the story.

Lincecum, whose meteoric rise to the majors is as awe-inspiring as his Jim Palmer-Orel Hershiser hybrid delivery, can be forgiven his histrionics.

Turns out he was pitching with a heavy heart -- it was Lincecum's first outing since returning from bereavement leave, as his maternal grandfather passed away last week -- and was simply living in the moment.

He also apologized to reporters gathered around his locker Wednesday afternoon.

"It was my fault," he said of not facing the music. "I had a lot of stuff in my head."

Such as the passing of his grandpa, whose first name he did not know how to spell.

"I just called him Grandpa Asis, because that's his last name," Lincecum said. "It's Filipino."

And you learn something new every day.

"Out there, I was thinking about him," he added. "I was thinking of past stuff as well as using him to help me.

"A lot of people do that -- they look to God and relatives that have passed away. They look to them to help them get through stuff. I guess I used him like that ... and it was great. It's sad to see him go, and it's kind of tough to deal with, but on the field I'm just trying to be as focused on the game as possible."

Through eight innings, Lincecum was dominating with his mid-90s heater -- he said 85 percent of his pitches were fastballs -- shutting out the Cubs while limiting them to two hits on 88 pitches. Then came three hits on five pitches to begin the ninth -- his first journey so late in a big-league game -- and his fairytale beginning had a nightmare ending.

Lou Piniella, the Cubs' fiery first-year manager, saw nothing wrong with Lincecum's antics and sounded like a fan. "The kid was excited," Piniella said. "He was throwing the ball well, and he has as good a stuff as we've seen all year."

The 10th overall selection of last year's draft out of Washington, Lincecum, who debuted May 6, less than a year after pitching in the Pac-10, is 7-4 with a 3.91 ERA in 20 starts. He has a team-leading 132 strikeouts with 53 walks in 124 1/3 innings while opponents are batting .213 against him.

For now, and with apologies to the $126 million man, Barry Zito, they'll have to enjoy the ride with Lincecum, the future face of the Giants, as he astounds them and confounds opponents.

As long as it doesn't come back to bite him.

"I've never done that stuff to show up a team or hot-dog it like I was better than them," Lincecum said. "With the fist-pump, I just felt like it was a big inning ... that's what was in my head. It was just a big pitch that I made late in the game. It wasn't anything I did to show up anybody."

Leave the apologies to forgetful batboys.

(Contact Paul Gutierrez can be reached at pgutierrez@sacbee.com.)

Tim Lincecum’s endorsement money to go up in smoke?

Rob Sylvester

Nov 3, 2010, 2:29 PM EDT

5 Comments

The blows just keep coming for the World’s recreational marijuana users — first California’s highly anticipated Proposition 19 (which would have legalized the sale & possession of weed within the State) fails to pass, and now there’s a note from Forbes sports business blog that World Series superstar and pitching wunderkind Tim Lincecum could potentially be losing out in millions in endorsement deals, thanks to a misdemeanor possession charge he picked up last year in the state of Washington.

On a team that won a championship without a lot of traditional star power, the undersized kid with the overpowered arm and the Wiley Wiggins haircut is the most marketable face in the clubhouse, and if his rap sheet were clean he could expect to be on every Wheaties box and Gatorade bottle in the Pacific time zone. Unfortunately, since all the vestigial effects of Nancy Reagan’s brainwashing have yet to remove themselves from the American consciousness, Lincecum is somehow less marketable for engaging in an activity enjoyed by millions of working adults from coast to coast.

Gauging corporate reaction to endorser scandal is tricky business. The more severe the scandal and the more recent the scandal, the more damning the impact on an athletes’ endorsement potential….Marijuana possession and consumption is certainly deemed less severe by the public than acts like adultery or aggressive behavior towards women. But when companies with high-profile endorsers target children with their products, it is understandable why they run the other direction when faced with scandal.

Mr. Lincecum is sill probably looking at millions in endorsements, so it’s hard to feel too bad for him, but it’s unfortunate one minor arrest has turned an otherwise likable kid into some sort of shady criminal figure, too nefarious in nature to pitch Coca-Cola or deodorant or any other number of forgettable wares our sports heroes are asked to pretend they use. And why haven’t Doritos or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups stepped up to the plate yet? Surely in a country with as many diverse interests as America, there’s an audience for everyone (well, except you, Vin Diesel).

Personally I think advertisers just to need to get a little creative – how about a mash-up with Lincecum and everyone’s favorite television narc, Dallas NBC-5′s Newy Scruggs? Those two fellas and any number of delicious snack product is a match made in munchie Heaven.

In the meantime, Lincecum will have to settle for the being the best pitcher in baseball at age 26 and never having to buy a drink in San Francisco for the rest of his life.

On second thought, who gives a damn about endorsements?

Wait, Californians Smoke Weed? Who Knew?

By Big Cat | October 28th, 2010

Hey reporter, way to totally narc out these hippies trying to roast a bone before the Giants game. Seriously, we get it, people in San Francisco smoke weed. That’s not news. That’s like saying people in New York like to be assholes, or people in Chicago are insanely attractive and know how to party, or people in Florida like to be pedophiles. All these things are facts, not news. Fact - San Francisco does two things, baseball and weed.

So stop being a square and acting all shocked. We know you went over and asked for a hit of the j as soon as the cameras stopped rolling. Probably didnt work though because even though you clearly are a sports reporter I’m pretty sure youre a cop too.

PS

It just dawned on me how this world series has the most polar opposite fan bases. It would be like if America played Cambodia in the Super Bowl. Pretty sure Dallas and San Fran don’t even speak the same language.

Touch 'Em All: What were they smoking in the stands?

By Frank Fitzpatrick

Inquirer Staff Writer

SAN FRANCISCO - To some degree, the 1960s will always survive in San Francisco, where the hippie movement bloomed.

On Thursday, the national anthem was sung by Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, two surviving members of the Grateful Dead, the ultimate hippie group.

And while the Phillies might have ended Wednesday's Game 4 on a down note, a lot of fans in AT&T Park's center-field bleachers had no such problem.

As the Giants and Phils swapped leads in San Francisco's dramatic 6-5 win, the aroma of marijuana in the concourse beneath the cheap-seat grandstands was as thick and pungent as the smell of garlic fries elsewhere in this downtown ballpark.

Actually, marijuana is a hotter topic than usual throughout California this fall. Proposition 19, which would allow municipalities to legalize and derive tax revenue from the sale of the drug, is on the November ballot.

Thursday afternoon, as players prepared for Game 5, a psychedelic ladder truck was parked outside the ballpark. Along one of its multihued sides hung a banner that read, "Prop 19: Yes We Cannabis."

For a while, it looked like the measure was a shoo-in a state where the hippie movement flowered. But a New York Times story Thursday suggested new polls now show those planning to vote against it outnumber proponents for the first time, 47 percent to 46 percent.

All these developments were curious when you consider the Phils' pitching coach is named Dubee and the Giants' Game 5 starter was Tim Lincecum.

Lincecum was busted with a few grams of marijuana in his native Washington state last November.

On Thursday, several fans referenced that event, wearing bright orange shorts emblazoned with a large green cannabis plant on its front along with the words, "Let Tim Smoke."

Giant-sized greed

Far be it for the Giants to take financial advantage of the baseball excitement intensified by Game 4.

For Game 5, they halved the outfield auxiliary press box, selling the dozens of newly created table seats to eager fans.

And overnight they raised the price for a cup of beer from $8.25 to $8.75.

Speculation is that should the Giants reach the World Series, ticket-buyers will be asked for their first-born sons.

Photo surprises

Some interesting facts gleaned from studying all the old Giants photos that line the walls of their ballpark:

The Giants have more players and managers (66) in the Hall of Fame than any other team.

When Bobby Thomson hit his "Shot Heard Round the World" at New York's Polo Grounds in 1951, the left-field warning track was so covered with litter that it appeared as if someone had just sliced open several Hefty bags full of trash.

In a spring-training photo from the pre-Marvin Miller 1930s, players were manicuring their own field.

On the cover of the Giants' program for their 1911 World Series matchup with the Philadelphia A's is a photo of New York owner John Brush in which the poor man resembles a vampire.

The Giants were presented with an actual pennant in '62. Do pennant winners still get pennants?

Still waiting

The Giants, who have been here since their 1958 move from New York, have yet to win their first world championship in San Francisco.

Among the events that have happened in this area while the baseball fans wait patiently:

The Monterey Pop Festival; the Summer of Love; the Zodiac murders; Patty Hearst's kidnapping; the attempted assassination on President Gerald Ford; the assassination of Mayor George Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk; the 1989 earthquake; one Warriors NBA title and five 49ers Super Bowl wins; seven U.S. Opens, three at the Olympic Club and four at Pebble Beach; and the BALCO scandal.

Did you know that . . .

. . . there's a campus of Penn's Wharton School in San Francisco?

. . . the Phillies have lost nine of the 14 postseason elimination games they've played in their history?

. . . Manuel may be picking up a little Philly-speak? In his pre-Game 5 news conference, the Phils' manager said "all right" like someone from Wissinoming - "He's allll-ight."

Game 5 limerick

The fans said "Give us Roy and not Joe.

"In Game 4 it's an ace you should throw."

But Charlie said "Blanton.

"Let Philly fans rant on."

And a must-win his Phillies did blow.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20101022_Touch__What_were_they_smoking_in_the_stands_.html?viewAll=y#ixzz14OVKaQjS
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news broken on twitter via @joanwalsh...

Were they chanting "Let Tim Smoke!" behind the Comcast team? The Prop. 19 folks have been dealing this post-season...#sfgiants

joanwalsh is following 857 and has 16,514 followers

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1 week ago from web

Pot Should Be Legalized in Honor of Tim Lincecum

By

Seattle Sportsnet

(Correspondent) on November 6, 2009

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Tim Lincecum got busted for marijuana possession. Big deal. At least he didn’t hurt anyone. Kill anyone. Cheat the game.

On top of that, the San Francisco Giantsace and Renton, Wash., native wasn’t even under the influence when he was caught.

He just committed a slight faux pas. Had his pipe sitting out during a routine traffic stop. Whoops. We’ve all been there. Not necessarily with marijuana. But other stuff.

Maybe your porn collection was discovered.

Maybe you told a fib to get out of going to the opera, then got found out.

Maybe you cheated your diet, got caught with your pants down, or let slip a four-letter word in front of your mom. We all make mistakes. We’re human.

Fact is, I’m cool with Lincecum smoking a doobie every once in a while. I don’t smoke myself, but I absolutely condone the use of marijuana by others. It doesn’t bother me.

Smoking pot then getting behind the wheel bugs me a little bit. But smoking in and of itself is no big deal. Falls right in line with alcohol consumption and frivolous sex. It fails to register on my moral code.

Think about it. How many potheads do you know that have caused serious problems in our world? You never hear about a pothead committing a heinous act against society.

You don’t see potheads holding up banks, kidnapping children, or murdering anyone. Crackheads, maybe. Needle junkies, maybe. Potheads, no.

Potheads are among the most passive individuals on the face of the earth. All they want to do is eat, sleep, and play XBox. What’s wrong with that?

They aren’t hurting anybody, and if you talk to them you’ll probably have a nice conversation that tunes you into life. Potheads love life. You have to appreciate that.

And who knows. Maybe Lincecum is one of those dudes that becomes a savant when he’s on the hash. Maybe weed is what gives him his remarkable flexibility, his ability to throw a fastball 100 miles per hour, his gift to bedazzle the masses with his wicked curveball.

Hell, we enjoy watching that go down. We love witnessing the marvel of Tim Lincecum’s athletic feats. Why would we want to sideline that gift, if that gift just so happens to be brought on by the use of marijuana?

I say let that gift thrive. Let it be free. Let’s just go ahead and legalize the darn plant— because that’s what it is, a plant, like a freakin' rose or daisy—and get this bad boy over with.

Legalize pot and you cut the arms and legs off of violent, malicious drug cartels that capitalize on the sale of a controlled substance.

Legalize pot and you free up space in our prisons.

Legalize pot and Tim Lincecum is just another guy with a pipe, a dimebag, and a gift that brings smiles to the faces of children and adults alike.

If Tim Lincecum has a need for weed, then I say let that need be freed.

Let’s all say it together now: Let that need be freed.

Legalize!