Fan FestOne person much on people’s minds at last Saturday’s San Francisco Giants Fan Fest wasn’t even in the house. For the first time since 2008, the Giants are beginning their season without one of the most iconic players in their history: Tim Lincecum. Questions on his status came up in several of the interview sessions, and the responses were invariably to wish him well. The nature of his disappearance, though, left fans with an empty feeling: a mid-season trip to the disabled list, season-ending hip surgery, and a quiet expiration of his contract. No trade, no retirement, nor even a formal release marked his departure from the team. He just faded away. Someday, he’ll be back for a formal good-bye, possibly with a one-day contract so he can retire as a Giant. It’s never too early, though, to start making plans for his statue.
The true reason for Timmy’s departure, though, is that the Giants no longer have room for him in their rotation after their front office did double duty in the free-agent market to bolster what was generally believed to be the team’s weak link in 2015. There are question marks surrounding their acquisitions, Jeff Samardzjia and Johnny Cueto, not to mention holdovers Matt Cain and Jake Peavy, but it seems likely that with reasonably good fortune, they and Madison Bumgarner will pitch a lot more innings than the rotation did in 2015, provide much needed relief to the bullpen and give what has been a solid lineup a chance to win at least 90 games. Those developments, along with the crucial even-numbered ones digit in this Year of Our Lord 2016, have fueled October expectations sky high in San Francisco, if the buzz and the crowds last Saturday were any indication.
Who am I to say otherwise? The future is now, guys.
