Far be it for me to question what the inner workings of a professional baseball organization is doing, but what in God’s name are the San Francisco Giants thinking?

In mid-January, Tim Lincecum field for $13 million in arbitration, while the Giants submitted an $8 million figure. Many viewed the situation as the Giants low-balling their ace pitcher, but I figured that the $8 million would be used as a starting point for the club and Lincecum to reach a deal outside of the courtroom. I even told my cohort here at The Scores Report, John Paulsen, that they would likely avoid arbitration altogether and meet somewhere in the middle.

But upon waking this morning I read: Giants, Lincecum set arbitration hearing for Friday.

Nice prediction, Stalter.

Unless I’m missing the big picture here, the Giants have done a fantastic job of setting themselves up in a lose-lose situation. By submitting $8 million and then actually following through with the hearing, they risk not only pissing off Lincecum but also losing $13 million in arbitration. After all, what are they going to use against Lincecum – his RBI totals?

Fortunately for the Giants, Lincecum is being a total professional about the situation. He’s on record saying that he understands the business part of baseball and that it’s nothing personal. He also understands that the Giants could use his October 30 pot charge against him during the hearing, although that’s about the only thing the club has against the two-time Cy Young winner.

For the life of me I don’t know why the Giants couldn’t settle with Lincecum on a $10 or $12 million deal to avoid arbitration. Or a two-year deal at $25 or $30 million, seeing as how this is the same brain trust that gave the ultra-useless Edgar Renteria a two-year, $18.5 million contract in December of 2008. If Renteria is worth $18.5 million over two years, than Lincecum is worth roughly $9 billion and the deed to the Playboy mansion.

Again, maybe I’m missing the bigger picture. Maybe the Giants don’t want to shell out big bucks for Lincecum and then watch his arm fall off in a year. Maybe they’re worried about his marijuana charge or that he’ll eventually pick up a hobby like hunting for great white sharks. Who knows.

What I do know is that nothing good will come out of this arbitration hearing on Friday. If they win, then Lincecum gets less than he’s worth and may eventually resent the Giants for it. If they lose, then they pay Lincecum more than they wanted and they still run the risk of having him resent them in the end. I realize he’s under their control for the next four years (his remaining arbitration years), but this just doesn’t seem like a wise decision by a club that is known for having their choices come back to haunt them.

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]]> http://www.scoresreport.com/2010/02/10/lincecum-arbitration-hearing-a-lose-lose-situation-for-giants/feed/ 1 http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/11/07/courts-let-tim-lincecum-off-easy/ http://www.scoresreport.com/2009/11/07/courts-let-tim-lincecum-off-easy/#comments Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:08:03 +0000 Christopher Glotfelty http://www.scoresreport.com/?p=28508

I think Geovany Soto put something else in those brownies. Someone help me!

If you take a good look at Tim Lincecum, you wouldn’t think the 25 year-old is a former Cy Young winner who is possibly the most challenging pitcher in the National League. No, you wouldn’t. You would, however, guess that he liked to hit the pipe every now and then. Tim Lincecum looks like the type of guy that drives 15 mph over the speed limit with 3 grams of weed in his car on Interstate 5.

Regardless, none of us think any less of The Freak and apparently prosecutors in Clark County, WA don’t give a damn either.

The Vancouver, Wash., newspaper said Clark County prosecutors have reached a deal with a lawyer for the 2008 Cy Young Award winner that would result in a $250 fine for possessing a marijuana pipe.

The prosecutor told The Columbian “it could have been the kid next door” getting the same treatment. “The fact it’s a celebrity doesn’t mean he doesn’t get the same deal.”
Grant Hansen, a Clark County deputy prosecutor, told the newspaper his office is willing to dismiss a misdemeanor charge of possessing 3.3 grams of marijuana.

Schatzel said police consider the 3.3 grams a small amount for personal use, well below the maximum of 40 grams before possession is classified differently and carries a more severe penalty.

“It’s not really out of the ordinary. It happens every day,” Schatzel said about the volume of marijuana Lincecum handed over. “It was about the size of a thumb, the whole thumb.”

Lincecum still faces a $122 fine on the speeding citation.

I think he has the money.

Even though 3.3 grams isn’t all that much, he’s lucky to escape with a simple fine. From my understanding, most California courts would order the offender to take some drug classes.

They obviously run things a bit differently in Washington. Anything under 40 grams is the limit before they enact a harsher penalty? What are they smoking?

Reigning NL CY Young winner Tim Lincecum is facing misdemeanor marijuana charges following a traffic stop in Washington.

From the San Jose Mercury News:

The 2008 Cy Young Award winner also was cited for driving his 2006 Mercedes 74 mph along a 60 mph stretch of Interstate 5 near Hazel Dell, Wash., police said.

After an officer detected the smell of marijuana, the two-time All-Star complied with a request to turn over 3.3 grams of the substance and a pipe from the car’s center console. Because the officer did not judge Lincecum to be impaired, he cited him and allowed him to continue.

Lincecum, 25, entered a plea of not guilty through his attorney Monday, according to court records obtained by The Associated Press. He is scheduled to appear in court Dec. 22 and faces fines of $622 for the misdemeanor charges, police said.

I’m not going to blow this story up and make it bigger deal out of it than what it really is, but there’s one thing I don’t get: He knows he’s driving around with the pot, so why go 74 mph in a 60 mph zone? If you’re going to speed around in a Mercedes with pot in his car, why not just hold a sign out the window with a big marijuana leaf drawn on it too?

This will all blow over in due time and it’s highly unlikely the Giants will punish Lincecum because of this. But hopefully he’s a little humbled by the sitaution and realizes that he’s a celebrity and has to be a little smarter than to speed around in his car with pot in the center console.