Slider Numbers

Inning	Batter	Velocity	Result
2	I. Rodriguez	81	Ball
3	C. Granderson	81	Ball in dirt
4	M. Cabrera	86	Swinging strike, K
4	M. Holliman	83	Swinging strike, K
5	C. Granderson	79	Swinging strike
5	P. Polanco	86	Ball

Last night's game wasn't the strikeout gala I was hoping for, but I'll take it.

Reasons to Celebrate

There has to be something positive remaining after, say it with me, the A's beat the Giants. Again. I have a few reasons in mind:

1. The resuscitation of my computer.
2. Who else but Tim Lincecum (happy belated birthday, rock on) and his consistent dominance.
3. Lincecum vs Verlander at 7:15.

'Til then, a scattering of links:

• The Giants have gotten the ball rolling on signing their draft picks. To date, 17 out of 50 picks have signed. Notable signees include Edwin Quirarte, for $193K, and CJ Ziegler.
• Semi-forgotten Kevin Frandsen says, "I want to hit." Recovery normally takes 4-6 months, but 3 months after the injury, his rehab is ahead of schedule.
• In light of Tyler Walker's recent struggles, Bochy confirms that Keiichi Yabu is now the set-up man. Yabu has been solid given his relative anonymity and age, so he definitely earned the role.

Question: In which inning will the radar gun overheat tonight?

Kelenna Azubuike Opts Out

Not unexpected, as he played his way to a larger contract. He's an RFA, meaning that the Warriors can match any offer given by another team. Most, if not all, teams are pushing luxury tax this offseason, so the most I expect Azubuike to receive is a $1-2 million chunk of the MLE. He and his agent most likely will ask for $3 million per season, but with the extensions for Monta and Andris and the rookie contracts for two draft picks already pushing lux tax, the Warriors can't finagle that amount. That said, the Warriors will figure out a way to keep Azubuike on the team.

New Coach, No Shiny Trophies

Three days after Ron Wilson left the team for good, the Sharks quickly one-upped the Leafs by hiring Todd McLellan. Before yesterday's press conference, McLellan was most recently sighted doing this:

Despite inexperience as a head coach in the NHL, he brings the discipline of the Red Wings and the authority of a coach who has been on a Stanley Cup-winning team. His training camp gameplan for getting the Sharks past the second round:

speed through the center of the ice, getting to the net and keeping opponents' goalies busy with plenty of shots.

For now, a warm welcome for the man who can, I hope, light a fire under Thornton's behind come playoff time.

---

In other Shark related news, Martin Brodeur wins the Vezina Trophy. Again. Brodeur is undoubtedly a top-notch goalie, but look at Nabokov. There were plenty of games last season where Nabby singlehandedly kept the Sharks from losing. Not to mention the epic 53-save performance to force 4 overtimes in Game 6 until the Stars got the winning bounce. Well, at least that's something else the Sharks can avenge for next season.

Giants' Batting Stances

Must, must watch. Batting Stance Guy is spot on.

Bargain Hunters

Inning	Batter	Velocity	Result
3	C. Iannetta	82	Ball
3	O. Quintanilla	84	Infield single
4	T. Helton	84	Ball
4	B. Hawpe	86	Foul
4	O. Quintanilla	84	Ball
5	M. Holliday	83	Swinging strike, K
6	G. Atkins	82	Ball
6	B. Hawpe	84	GIDP

Not much to report from last night's game, except I had fun watching Lincecum and Jimenez battle for 7 innings. Unfortunate that Bengie couldn't pull off a play at the plate to preserve a nil-nil tie, which happens since the Giants' offense typically dies a mile from sea level.

About the slider: same stuff as before. Tim normally uses the fastball-curveball or fastball-changeup combo in the first couple of innings, and then throws in the slider every once in a while to give the opposing lineup another pitch to think about the second and third times up.

When it breaks, the slider moves away from a RHB enough so if it misses, it misses low and away. (Kalk's player card)

If a batter makes contact, he only manages to hit grounders, as in the cases of Quintanilla and Hawpe.

As a whole, Lincecum gets yet another solid game to put into his resume when extension time rolls around. Right now, he's second in the league in ERA, ERA+, and strikeouts only to Edison Volquez. He's out-pitching the likes of Webb and Santana while making vastly less money than the two: a mere $405-grand. The Giants are paying a bargain price for excellent performances every 5 days. It's time to get Lincecum signed.

Previous slider goodness here.

Hi, I'm a PC

... and I crashed this morning so that my owner couldn't reboot me at all and now has to use a super-old computer that freezes every 5 minutes.

Since I can't type anything without fear of losing all my work, this post will be short.

Someone get Misch the shamrock or horseshoe that Rueter used to pitch with.

Lincecum on the mound tonight facing Ubaldo Jimenez at 6:05.