"The Freak" - Tim Lincecum

Tim "The Freak" Lincecum

With a nickname like "The Freak", one would conjure up an image of something grotesque, odd or how some people put it, "simply not right." When someone is considered a freak, they most likely are using the term in a negative light, and are usually forlorn from society due to their abnormal appearance. However, in this case, freak is used to describe a pitcher that has fervent pitching mechanics and an attitude to match it, a pitcher who is obdurate to the lack of hits of the opposition, and a pitcher who makes professional baseball players look puerile; he is also known as "The Franchise", but his name is Tim Lincecum. The moniker is attributed to his small frame, 5'11 and 172lbs (78Kilos). What is so befuddling about his stature was his ability, during his college days and rookie years, to reach in the high 90mph's (56kph's) and 100mph's (63kph's) range; reason being, his long stride, and his unconventional mechanics that call upon every inch of his body to generate an optimal output in every throw. Watch his pitching mechanics in slow motion, and it will become evident that he uses his whole body to generate so much velocity in his throws. Consequently, "Timmy" as the San Francisco Giants fans call him, has accrued a copious amount of achievements in his relative infantile career. To name a few - back to back Cy Young Winner in his first two full seasons in the Majors, National League All-Star participant, MLB record in most strikeouts in four seasons, World Series Champion and recently, Franchise record for more games with 10+ strikeouts, surpassing the baseball great, Christy Mathewson.

Hit That!

"The Freak" is a name, given to a man that can do freakish things, when on the mound. He eclipsed Christy Mathewson's franchise record by almost 400 games fewer and around 40 games fewer than who was in second at the time, Jason Schmidt. The irony of the situation is Christy played for the New York Giants, when the Giants were in the east coast, before they moved out to San Francisco; and Timmy broke the record of more games with 10+ strikeouts in New York against the New York Mets by strikeing out 12. What made this day even more remarkable for Timmy was that his pitch count was over than what pitching coach, Dave Righetti, allots him - over 120. He overcame a bad start to the inning, and with his pitching coach counting each and every pitch before he calls on a replacement, Tim struck out the side and gave himself a big '*expletive* yeah', when he came off the mound.

World Series Champion

To further validate the "The Freak" moniker that was bestowed upon Tim Lincecum; after each outing that he has for the 2010 World Series Champions, he does not ice that cannon, in what doctors call an arm. The practice of not icing the pitching arm after an evening of 'fireballs' thrown at the opposition is simply unheard of. If  team managers, team owners, and the fans did not know that Tim Lincecum is a special breed of pitcher whom can only be paralleled to the claims of one Uncle Rico from Napolean Dynamite (in which he states, he can throw a steak over a mountain) than everyone would be worried, but everyone knows, so its nothing to be worried about. The San Francisco Giants fans have a special player on their team that not only is a "Freak" on the mound but a good hearted man, who gave 20,000 USD to the Bryan Stow Foundation; a fan that was critically beaten after a game in Los Angeles against the heated rivals, Dodgers. Every time, Tim Lincecum steps on the mound, the city of San Francisco and the fans feel invincible that their ace will negate any offense that the opposing team might have, and can anticipate to see strikeout after strikeout after strikeout, for that is what "The Freak" is known for. Who would have thought that a man who is 5'11 and 172lbs (78Kilos) would be the anchor to a World Series Club, especially when everyone - the critics, baseball fans, simply everyone, except for the Giants fan base, wrote them off for dead. But what the San Francisco Giants and Tim Lincecum can show them is this (see picture above).