As a professional ballplayer, or a celebrity by any sense, your decisions will dictate your career for better or worse. No matter the size or what type of decision you make, it will be glorified and that’s how the general public will see you.
In 2009, “The freak” Tim Lincecum was cited on a misdemeanor for the possession of marijuana months after Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps was photographed smoking a bong at a party and was ridiculed by the general public. The beloved swimmer faced a three month suspension, loss of endorsements, an abundance of public apologies, and harassment from everyone. Headlines read, “What a dope.” The most decorated Olympian, a dope.
Lincecum was drafted into the MLB in the first round of the 2006 draft by the San Francisco Giants after denying offers from the Chicago Cubs in 2003 and the Cleveland Indians in 2005. After a quick trip through the Giants minor league system, Lincecum made his debut for the Giants on May 6, 2007 and his first strikeout was against Chase Utley who was notably one of the best major league players at the time.
By the end of his rookie year, Lincecum was one of, if not, the most popular MLB player. Throughout the next two seasons, he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, won multiple Cy Young awards and was selected to an All-Star game. Lincecum was the new hope for Giants fans after losing Barry Bonds in 2007, which that’s a whole nother saga involving drugs. I remembered Lincecum on SportsCenter almost daily and he appeared on every ESPN commercial including one that hits close to home for me.
After the 2009 season, Lincecum gained attention from the world outside of baseball.
In 2020, this is audibly laughable. In my research, I’ve caught myself in awe with how big of a deal this was in 2009. In Massachusetts, where I currently live, recreational marijuana has been legal for a little bit now and there hasn’t been any visible backlash from my perspective and it’s now culturally accepting.
Throughout Lincecum’s new “identity” he still was very, and I mean VERY, successful. The following year after his incident in 2010, he won his first World Series. In 2012 he won his second World Series. In 2013, he threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres on 148 pitches. In 2014 he threw his SECOND no-hitter against the San Diego Padres again and in that same year he won his third World Series title.
Sadly, that’s where his accolades ends. Although it seemed like he powered through the adversity, I believe that’s where it began to play a big part in the fast decline of his short career. In 2011, his velocity dramatically decreased by 2 mph, and continued to decrease until he was throwing his fastball at 87.2 mph in 2015. In the matter of a few years he went from roughly 97 mph to 10 mph less. He joined the Los Angeles Angels organization in 2016 and posted a 2-6 record with a 9.16 ERA. He ultimately left baseball in 2016 after 10 years in the majors. Someone nicknamed, “The franchise” ends their career after 10 years.
Lincecum took a year off in 2017 because of a loss of identity and a sense of purpose. Potentially because of the verbal abuse he dealt with early in his career. He attempted a comeback with the Texas Rangers and was well built and chiseled, but was released by them in 2018 with no pitches thrown in the majors.
Lincecum keeps his life private (rightfully so), so there’s no updates on him, he’s off the grid with social media. He’s naturally an introvert, but he’s totally off the grid. The former loveable Giant kind of just vanished.
I miss the freak.
Adam's Sports Blog 