Timmy!

This 2009 T-206 is a beauty, and was yet another hidden away treasure in the game room, now safely stored in a binder. I'll have to check my snazzy mini-database, but I believe that this is the only mini of Lincecum in my collection so far.

While I have not talked a ton about the Red Sox this year, I definitely have not talked much about Big Time Timmy Jim either. Last spring, after the joint Ginter Codebreaker sale of Michael Phelps card, I decided to get myself something that really wanted, a Bowman Tim Lincecum Graded Rookie Auto. I love that card and it is displayed proudly on a shelf in the man cave. Timmy has gotten off to an amazing start to his career and I had visions of a third straight Cy Young...especially competing in the weak NL, and especially against the weak NL West.

Things started off swimmingly enough, Lincecum jumped out of the gate to the tune of a 4-0 start and eventually 8-2 by mid-June.

But things have changed in the NL this year. The teams are better, the pitching is better, and by far the division is stronger than in past years. Ubaldo Jimenez is suddenly hot sh#t and is having a mammoth year for the Colorado Rockies. Timmy has now lost four straight decisions and six of the last nine. The make things worse, he relinquished the NL Strikeouts leader title, and currently trails that category by 16 K's. Difficult to make up, but not impossible.

One of the biggest alarms that went off about Lincecum this year is batters began to discover his inability to hold base runners. Basically if you can find a way to make it to first, you can make it to second on a steal. So three years in, batters have found a chink in the armor.

Regardless, I like what the Giants are doing this year, love pulling for the Freak and hope to see Timmy reach the post-season and pitch on the big stage soon!