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Vintage Lincecum At His Best

Published

10 years ago

July 2, 2014

San Francisco, CA – After pitching a no-hitter in his last outing, Tim Lincecum got his second consecutive win and helped the Giants out of their slump by shutting out the Cardinals 5-0. Lincecum has never posted back-to-back outings of eight or more scoreless innings in his career.

“I don’t think there was a big difference between his last start and tonight’s outing,” said manager Bruce Bochy. “He kept the ball down, threw quality strikes all night and gave us a great effort. If you look at them, it’s hard to find a big difference.”

Lincecum extended his scoreless innings streak to 17 consecutive innings. This is his longest scoreless stretch since posting 21 straight scoreless frames from May 4-10, 2011. He was simply brilliant on the mound tonight. Lincecum allowed four hits and struck out six in eight shutout innings.

“You have to treat it differently,” Lincecum said when asked about the comparison of his recent starts.

“We threw what we wanted to and things worked out for the best,” he explained. “Things were working. I felt like I did my last start, nothing was crazy nasty or anything like that. 93, 94 [mph] but I was trying to put them in good spots and keep them off balance and bury my pitches.”

Lincecum resembled his vintage days when he escaped a bases-loaded jam. His focus was profound after he put three on with a double, single and a hit batter. Lincecum struck out the next two batters and forced Daniel Descalo to ground out to end the inning, leaving three stranded.

“No question, that’s the turning point of the game,” said Bochy. “He’s in a tough jam there, facing some good hitters and doesn’t give up a run. It kept us from getting down and having an uphill climb.”

“It’s tremendous,” Hunter Pence said. “I really don’t know how to describe it, other than, it’s two phenomenal performances and he’s got that groove. It’s fun to play behind him.”

Pence backed his ace by sparking the offense. He led off the fourth with a single and Buster Posey followed with a a RBI double giving San Francisco a 1-0 lead. Then Pablo Sandoval blasted a two-run homer to left field extending their lead 3-0. Sandoval hit his 100th career homer.

“It’s hard to get one so 100 means a lot to me,” said Sandoval. “I’ve been through a lot of things in my career so I just stay humble and play my game. I knew I was at 99 home runs coming into this game. I’m excited to get that and help us get the win, we needed it.”

The Giants continued to opened up their offense by scoring two more runs in the fifth. Juan Perez lead off the inning with a single, Pence hit a RBI double and stole third base. Marco Gonzales loaded the bases after walking both Sandoval and Michael Morse with one out.

St. Louis manager Mike Matheny saw enough and replaced Gonzales, who made his second Major League start with Seth Maness. Hector Sanchez grounded out and Pence scored. Brandon Crawford grounded out and the Giants had a comfortable 5-0 lead.

This is the first time San Francisco won the first game of the series since June 6 against the New York Mets. They had dropped six straight series openers. The win tonight put them back in first place over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.

Notes – The Giants had another setback with their center fielder Angel Pagan. He was scheduled to come off the disabled list prior to the start of this series against the St. Louis Cardinals. But he came in on his off day yesterday and was doing some running when he had a “minor setback.” Pagan will fly out to Los Angeles tomorrow to see a specialist (Dr. Watkins) and hope to find some better options than what’s been used for his recovery.

“I was working out yesterday and had a minor setback, ” Pagan said. “And to be cautious we want to see a specialist in LA in order to have a better plan for the future. We want the best plan possible so I can come back stronger.”

Pagan explained that he has a bulging disk that is pinching a nerve causing numbness in his legs. His goal is to find a better alternative as surgery is not an option. San Francisco has struggled in the leadoff position since he’s been out. They’re hoping to get him back soon as he’s been an asset to this team and the offense.

“We need a better plan than what we’ve been doing in terms of treatment, injections and medication,” explained Pagan.

“He came in on his day off yesterday and we’ll have the doctor look at him tomorrow,” said manager Bruce Bochy. “We don’t know enough to say what’s wrong with him at this point.”

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Oakland Post: Week of November 20 – 26, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 20 – 26, 2024

Published

1 hour ago

November 22, 2024

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PRESS ROOM: Clyburn, Pressley, Scanlon, Colleagues Urge Biden to Use Clemency Power to Address Mass Incarceration Before Leaving Office

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Mass incarceration remains a persistent, systemic injustice that erodes the soul of America. Our nation has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with nearly two million people locked in jails and prisons throughout the country.

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2024

Oakland Post

Read the letter here.

Watch the press conference here.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman James E. Clyburn (SC-06), Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), and Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) led 60 of their colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden urging him to use his executive clemency power in the final months of his presidency to reunite families, address longstanding injustices in our legal system, and set our nation on the path toward ending mass incarceration.

The lawmakers hosted a press conference earlier today to discuss the letter. A full video of their press conference is available here and photos are available here.

“Now is the time to use your clemency authority to rectify unjust and unnecessary criminal laws passed by Congress and draconian sentences given by judges,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “The grant of pardons and commutations and the restoration of rights will undoubtedly send a powerful message across the country in support of fundamental fairness and furthering meaningful criminal justice reform.”

Mass incarceration remains a persistent, systemic injustice that erodes the soul of America. Our nation has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with nearly two million people locked in jails and prisons throughout the country. The extreme use of incarceration has resulted in one in two adults having had an incarcerated family member. People of color are disproportionately put behind bars, along with individuals from low-income communities, LGBTQIA+ folks, and those with disabilities. The bloated prison system reflects and emboldens biases that undermine the ideals of our nation and diminish trust in the rule of law. Mass incarceration attacks the most vulnerable Americans, thereby destabilizing families and inflicting intergenerational trauma.

In their letter to President Biden, the lawmakers praised the President’s efforts to create a fair and just criminal legal system by pardoning people convicted of simple marijuana possession and LGBTQ+ former servicemembers and urged the President to use his clemency powers to help broad classes of people and cases, including the elderly and chronically ill, those on death row, people with unjustified sentencing disparities, and women who were punished for defending themselves against their abusers. The lawmakers also outlined the fiscal toll of the growing mass incarceration crisis.

“You have the support of millions of people across the country who have felt the harms of mass incarceration: young children longing to hug their grandparents, people who have taken responsibility for their mistakes, and those who simply were never given a fair chance,” the lawmakers wrote. “These are the people seeking help that only you can provide through the use of your presidential clemency power.”

Joining Representatives Clyburn, Pressley, and Scanlon in sending the letter are Representatives Joyce Beatty, Sanford Bishop, Shontel Brown, Cori Bush, André Carson, Troy Carter, Yvette Clarke, Jasmine Crockett, Valerie Foushee, Al Green, Jahana Hayes, Steven Horsford, Jonathan Jackson, Pramila Jayapal, Henry Johnson, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Robin Kelly, Summer Lee, Jennifer McClellan, Gregory Meeks, Delia Ramirez, Jan Schakowsky, Robert Scott, Terri Sewell, Marilyn Strickland, Bennie Thompson, Rashida Tlaib, and Bonnie Watson Coleman.

The lawmakers’ letter is supported by the American Civil Liberties Union; Center for Popular Democracy; Last Prisoner Project; Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Death Penalty Action; The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls; The Faith Leaders of Color Coalition; Second Chance Justice of MCAN; JustLeadershipUSA; FAMM; The Episcopal Church; The Bambi Fund; Free Billie Allen Campaign; People’s Coalition for Safety and Freedom; Prophetic Resistance Boston; and Families Against Mandatory Minimums.

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Tennessee State University Set to Debut the First Division I Hockey Team at An HBCU

THE AFRO — “I am incredibly excited to embark on building this program, supported by God, my family, TSU students, alumni, and all those eagerly awaiting this moment,” said Duanté Abercrombie, the head coach of the Tennessee State Tigers ice hockey team, in a press release courtesy of TSU Athletics. “I firmly believe that one day, TSU will be recognized not only as a powerhouse on the ice but also as a program whose student-athletes leave a profound legacy on the world, enriched by the lessons learned at TSU.”

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2024

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By Mekhi Abbott
Special to the AFRO
mabbott@afro.com

Tennessee State University (TSU) continues to break ground on a historic journey to become the first historically Black college or university (HBCU) to field a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I ice hockey team. Alongside some assistance from the National Hockey League (NHL), the NHL Players’ Association and the Nashville Predators, the TSU Tigers have already named their official head coach, unveiled their jersey and received their first official commitment from a student-athlete.

TSU held an official press conference to announce the plan in June 2023. Their first official season as a sanctioned Division I program is planned to commence in 2025-26. On April 18, TSU named Duanté Abercrombie as the head coach of the Tennessee State Tigers ice hockey team.

“I am incredibly excited to embark on building this program, supported by God, my family, TSU students, alumni, and all those eagerly awaiting this moment,” said Abercrombie in a press release courtesy of TSU Athletics. “I firmly believe that one day, TSU will be recognized not only as a powerhouse on the ice but also as a program whose student-athletes leave a profound legacy on the world, enriched by the lessons learned at TSU.”

Abercrombie was raised in Washington, D.C., and was mentored by hockey legend Neal Henderson, the first Black man to be inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. Abercrombie attended Gonzaga College High School and graduated from Hampton University, where he was a track and field athlete prior to retiring due to an injury. After college, Abercrombie briefly played professional hockey in both the New Zealand Ice Hockey League as well as the Federal Hockey League.

After his career as a professional hockey player, Abercrombie moved onto coaching, including stints with his alma mater Gonzaga and Georgetown Preparatory School. In 2022-23, Abercrombie was a member of the coaching staff for NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs organization.

“We are no longer doing club play in 2024-25. We are going right into D1 play for 2025-26,” Nick Guerriero told the AFRO. Guerriero is the assistant athletic director of communications and creative content at Tennessee State.

On Jan. 19, TSU got their first official commitment from an ice hockey recruit, Xavier Abel. Abel played at Drury University and scored 12 goals in 34 games, including three game-winning goals. Abel was recruited by Guerriero.

In July, the Tigers got their second commitment from forward Trey Fechko. In October, Trey’s brother Marcus Fechko also committed to Tennessee State. Since, the Tigers have also signed forward Greye Rampton, goaltender Johnny Hicks, Grady Hoffman and four-star forward Bowden Singleton. Singleton flipped his commitment from North Dakota to Tennessee State. Guerriero said that TSU has a “few” other recruits that they are waiting to announce during their November signing period.

“I think it’s important to invest in these unorthodox sports for Black athletes because it allows Black children to have more opportunities to play sports in general,” said Zion Williams, a 2024 Gettysburg College graduate and former collegiate athlete. “The more opportunities that children have, the better. They won’t feel like they are boxed into one thing or sport.”