There was a point last year when Tim Lincecum would start games and look pretty bad. Keep in mind, this is back when Lincecum was generally a really good pitcher. Still, he had a tendency to give up a couple hits or walks before he got a good command of the strike zone and truly settle in. Typically at that point he’d be in great shape, but it led to quite a few antsy first innings for Giants fans. As a result, Lincecum started to spend more time warming up before games, trying to work out the kinks before the game started, rather than using the first inning as a de facto warmup.
So here’s the plan. On Tim Lincecum’s next start, he’s facing the Dodgers on June 27 at 12:45 pm. The Giants will hire a bunch of actors, dress them in blue, and tell them to stand in the batter’s box against Lincecum and do nothing except wave the bat menacingly and do their best to look like soulless Dodgers players. Then Bruce Bochy will tell Lincecum that the game starts at 12:30, and send him out there against the “Dodgers” players. He’ll walk a few, hit a few, but and then settle down. And that’s when the game really begins.
Because I don’t understand this crap, Timmy. I’ve seen Timmy look bad, but rarely that bad. And I’ve seen Timmy look good, but rarely that good. A Tim Lincecum start is becoming a soap opera all on its own, where the writers are so bored that they’ve turned every character into a caricature. Bad Timmy is horrendous. Good Timmy is glorious. There is no middle ground.
