Kuzul

The top two pitchers for the San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies are arguably the top tandems in the Major Leagues.  Each of these pitchers is an ace in his own right, but combined with the other, they make a great one-two punch for their respective teams. In San Francisco, the Giants rode the strong arms and steely resolve of Lincecum and Cain to the 2010 World Series title. Lincecum, a two time Cy Young award winner, compiled a record of 16-10 with a 3.43 ERA and 1.272 WHIP last season. For the third consecutive year, Lincecum led the league in strikeouts with 231, in 212 1/3 innings pitched. Matt Cain was the steadiest pitcher in the Giants' outstanding rotation. He was solid during the regular season, as he went 13-11, with a 3.14 ERA and 1.084 WHIP ratio. Cain worked a career high 223 1/3 innings and struck out 177. Where Lincecum and Cain really ...

Barry Bonds was found guilty of obstruction of justice, one of the four charges levied against him yesterday. Although the jury was unable to reach a decision on any of the perjury charges, logic tells you that he probably did know that he was taking illegal performance enhancing drugs, (PED's). The issue was not so much of whether Bonds knew and lied to the Federal Grand Jury, but whether the government could prove it.  Although the government spent tens of millions of dollars, their case was weak and based on circumstantial evidence. The biggest gaffe federal prosecutors made was when their own witness, Dr. Arthur Ting, contradicted earlier testimony by another of their star witnesses, Bonds' former business manager and friend, Steve Hoskins. In Law School 101, the first thing you are taught is that you better know the answer before you ask a question of any witness.  Ting's blatant contradiction of Hoskins' testimony completely undermined ...

In the long and storied history of the San Francisco Giants, the team has had some of the greatest stars ever.  Players like Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Juan Marichal, all living legends, have worn the orange and black. Throughout history, the Giants have had several opponents that always seemed to raise their game whenever they played the Giants.  Players like Don Drysdale, Greg Maddux, Bob Gibson and Maury Wills were more than thorns in the side of the Giants.  They were downright despised as opponents.   The current Giants, who won it all in 2010, have their own share of stars.  Players like Tim Lincecum, Aubrey Huff, Matt Cain and Buster Posey lead the Giants on their quest to repeat as world champions. Who are the players that stand in their way? Let's take a look at the top 10 opposing players who are the biggest nemeses to the Giants.Begin Slideshow

He has been called "The Freak," "The Franchise" and "Big Time Timmy Jim."  No matter what you call him, Tim Lincecum has burst onto the scene over the past three and a half years like no other pitcher in Giants history. Is Tim Lincecum one of the top five pitchers in Giants history? To answer this question, we must take a look at a long and storied franchise, dating back to their days in New York. In this article, I will look at the top five pitchers in the days of the New York Giants and also the top five pitchers in San Francisco Giant history. We will then narrow down that list to come up with our top five of all time.Begin Slideshow

Prior to winning the World Series in 2010, there were many fans calling for the San Francisco Giants to trade Matt Cain for a big bat. At the time of the original rumors a couple of years ago, I was a proponent of trading Matt Cain for Prince Fielder. Thank goodness GM Brian Sabean didn't make that move. Over the past couple of years, in addition to Prince Fielder, we have heard rumors involving Jose Reyes, Adrian Beltre, Grady Sizemore and several others in blockbuster deals involving Matt Cain.  The trade rumors have also swirled around moving Jonathan Sanchez for a powerful bat. I must admit, a year ago at this time, I was in favor of making a move involving either Sanchez or Cain. Watching the Giants in 2010 and also looking at their 2011 roster, I have now changed my view completely. The Giants proved that excellent pitching is the most important thing if ...

Who will be the top 25 National League fantasy baseball sleepers that you can acquire on draft day in 2011? Every year, there are a few players who fly under the radar on fantasy draft day.  If you're lucky enough to get one of these players on the cheap, they are the type that can propel you toward the top of your fantasy baseball league.  Players like Andres Torres, John Axford, Jaime Garcia and Rod Barajas all could have been grabbed at very favorable prices prior to the start of last year and they all produced big results for their teams and their fantasy owners. First, let me set some parameters for who qualifies as a National League fantasy sleeper.  Most fantasy leagues begin with a $265 operating budget.  In order for me to consider a player as a sleeper, he must be less than 5 percent of your team's budget.  In our $265 league, therefore, ...

No pitcher in the history of baseball has won two Cy Young awards in his first two full major league seasons.  Tim Lincecum is a truly special pitcher and athlete. This gifted pitcher leads, arguably, the best pitching staff in baseball and has a World Series championship on his resume. The real question now is: How long can he continue to pitch at such a high level? I will review several pro's and con's pertaining to the outlook for Tim Lincecum's continued success.Begin Slideshow

Tim Lincecum is entering his fourth full season in San Francisco.  In his first three seasons, Lincecum won 40 games and only lost 17.  He won Cy Young awards in his first two full major league seasons, the only player ever to do so. It's amazing that Tim Lincecum's 2010 season, where he went 16-10 with an ERA of 3.43 and 231 strikeouts in 212 innings pitched, can be considered a down year.  That's how good this guy is.  Last season had its ups and downs for Tim Lincecum, as he struggled in August and lost all five of his starts during that month.  Lincecum also did not get through the seventh inning in any of those five starts.  Tim Lincecum turned it around in September, as he went 5-1 down the stretch.  Lincecum also pitched well in the postseason, but the poor August was a bit of a wakeup call for him.  I fully believe Tim ...

It took 52 years, but the San Francisco Giants are World Series Champions.  I can now cross that first and foremost item off my sports fan bucket list. The San Francisco Giants have given their fans numerous heartbreaks, too many to list in this article, but now, all is forgiven.  I have put together a fun piece to showcase the true Giant "hot dogs" who donned the orange and black.  This article is designed to allow us to reminisce about some of the most fun, stylish and charismatic players we have had the enjoyment of watching in San Francisco over the years.  These are not always the best players, in fact, many are not.  They are, however, some of our fan favorites because of the way they played the game. Our list is a tribute to those individuals that played the game with a certain flair that made them fun to watch.  These are the true "hot dogs" of ...

No team in the National League playoff hunt is looking forward to September 1 more than the San Francisco Giants. Heading into the Colorado series, the Giants have only won six of their last 15 games. The Giants desperately need a boost, especially in the pitching department. The team is fighting extremely hard, a credit to Bruce Bochy and the players, but the pitching looks tired.  In the past 15 games, the Giants have given up a total of 92 runs, an average of over six runs a game. For a team built on the foundation of a strong pitching staff, that's way too high  The starting staff and the relief corps have both struggled during this stretch. Who are the top players that we can expect to see the Giants call up in September? The first and most important call up is Dan Runzler.  Runzler was injured while batting on July 8th. At the time ...