Tim Lincecum Keeps Dealing: The Franchise Is Becoming the Best Around

When Tim Lincecum won the National League Cy Young Award last year, not a lot of people could think that the man they call The Franchise could get much better than he was. Heck, you weren't going out a limb when you thought that a guy who went 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA and struck out 265 could get much better. Not many people thought that Lincecum could do much for an encore in his second full season as a major leaguer and newly proclaimed ace of the San Francisco Giants. But as the 2009 season has gone on and the Giants have surprised many by staying in the Wild Card race, Lincecum has proven that his statements in Spring Training about getting better are indeed becoming a reality. He said he wanted to and he's showing that even the best pitcher in the National League in 2008 can get better, stronger, and dominant at the same time. The hair is getting longer and even more out of control as the days go by. It really doesn't matter when you keep throwing gems one after anot...