Sudden impact all around

Some of my posts here are going to have a singular focus. More often than not, though, multiple subjects will be addressed, and in the name of generating some sense of appeal, I try to find a theme that might connect the various and seemingly disparate musings.

Whether it works or not, hell, I don’t know. Not even sure it matters. If you dig my work, you’ll read what I post. If you don’t, you’ll bash me anonymously online. I know the drill. Perhaps my thematic efforts are an example of my tendency to make things harder that they need to be. Whatever.

That said … “that written” just feels weak … the theme today is reflected in the first two words of the post title. The topics include the response to my soul-baring, butt-nekkid post on Friday, everything Tim Lincecum says and does, Chad Gaudin’s debut as a Giants starter, and A’s lefty Sean Doolittle.

Friday’s post: It was pretty amazing, the response it got. Particularly on Twitter, from folks who’ve been where I’ve been and are where I want to go. I also heard from a gang of loyal readers welcoming me back to the land of the living; within minutes of posting, I was inundated with congratulations and pledges of support.

I used to think people were basically negative. I subscribed to a theory I once heard thrown out by a popular standup comic:

“I like the concept of people … but people fuck it up.”

Now I realize that this attitude was the result of my own negativity, so I make every effort to take the glass-half-full route these days, and the results have been staggering. Friday’s response is but one example, and for those who understand my the root of my recent struggles, it was an example of good things coming quickly in the wake of real work. Another example: a friend at BaySportsNet.com asking, later Friday, upon seeing I was writing again, if I’d like to contribute to the rapidly growing site. I agreed, and my first post there went up early this morning.

Just a great way to head into my weekend, so thanks to everyone who chimed in.

Timmy Time: Scary how big all things Freak become, no matter what it is. That’s essentially the jumping-off point of my BaySportsNet.com debut, which examines the all-but-etched-in-stone eventuality that Timmy will be working out of the bullpen before long.

A related thought on the topic that I saved exclusively for “Unchained”:

Lincecum’s unorthodox windup, which requires exquisite timing and body control, was created to allow for a relatively small man to maximize the inordinate amount of power in his body. So now that the power has clearly been diminished, with no sign of anything more than an occasional return of a couple mph, why not make an all-out effort to simplify those mechanics once and for all?

Lincecum’s money pitches, even with diminished velocity (which is overrated, anyway), remain downright filthy. His split change is cartoonish, his fastball still slips and slides, and his breaking stuff is breathtaking when it’s on. But none of it means much if he can’t command it, and as is the case with 98 percent of struggling pitchers, Lincecum’s struggles can be pinned on the fact that he’s nothing close to pinpoint.

Insanity, we’re told, is doing the same thing and expecting different results. Stop the insanity. Make a radical change. It can’t get any worse, right?

Pronounced GO-DAN:  Don’t let anyone try to convince you otherwise. That’s how you say the last name of our man Chad. Not gaw-din, or go-deen or gaw-deen. It’s go-dan. I know because I asked him — all the way back in 2006, when I was the A’s beat writer for MLB.com and Gaudin arrived for his first Spring Training with Oakland after  being acquired from Toronto for a player to be named later.

That PTBNL designation always gives me a chuckle, by the way. I immaturely envision a newborn deemed so insignificant and that his parents put off giving him a name, but he somehow perseveres and makes it all the way to professional baseball and gets sent from one organization to another, eventually being assigned a name upon completion of the transaction. Inspiring, goosebump fiction, ain’t it?

Aaaaanyway, Gaudin was a hell of a pitcher for the A’s for most of the time I covered him, and he’s been that for other teams as well. He’s had some rough patches, in part because he fought the notion of being a Swiss Army Knife, but now that he’s accepted the inherent value of such a role, he’s settled in nicely as a pitcher capable of saving a team’s ass at any time in a game.

He’s also a great guy, period. Easy to get along with, quick-witted and generally pleasant in the clubhouse.

And what a great sign by the Giants. Just keep the guy into Vogey’s role until Vogey gets back. Don’t even try to force some square-peg prospect into a round hole. Count the blessing that is Chad GO-DAN.

Doolittle does a lot: Nice to see the converted first baseman get the feature treatment in the Sporting Green over the weekend. His story is one of about 324 ridiculously rich stories unfolding in the A’s clubhouse that have gone largely untold.

The guy was a washed up, banged up hitter a couple of years ago, and now he’s a very strong candidate to represent the Elephants in the All-Star Game — hopefully along with Josh Donaldson, giving Oakland two players in the Midsummer Classic for the first time since the days of the Big Three.

Donaldson, of course, is a heck of a tale, too. He got the treatment recently as well. Two down, 322 to go. Good for the Chronicle. Good for A’s fans. …. And wait for it … Good For Ball.

Bonus plan: Gotta get this off my chest before I bolt. The world of youth sports must be rid of the character-building scourge that is participatory trophies.

Come on. You get rewarded just for showing up? Yeah, kid, that’s EXACTLY how it works in real life. Just show up and do the bare minimum. It’s all good. You don’t even have to be on time. Just show up and it’s all cookies and juice boxes.

No wonder we’re getting so soft.

It’s time to get back to teaching life lessons rooted in reality. Winners get trophies, losers get to try harder. That’s real. Who’s with me?

And don’t even get me started on not keeping score …

Thanks for dropping by. Check back tomorrow for more. Oh, and if you download one song today, make it “Flava in Ya Ear” by Craig Mack. Siiiiick.

Peace,

Urbs