Baseball does not get much coverage in the British press, so the recent increase in news stories about the sport could be seen as a positive event. Sadly, it is the issue of drugs that has raised the interest of sports editors in this country. As Barry Bonds edges ever closer to Hank Aaron’s career home run record, the general focus throughout the world on the sport of baseball will increase. The oft-stated idea of “any publicity being good publicity” will be well and truly put to the test over the next month or so. Continue reading →

The Giants have not exactly been synonymous with exciting young players in recent years. Indeed their GM, Brian Sabean, has been prone to chasing free agent signings with scant regard to the high draft picks he would be losing in the process. Tim Lincecum is a different story though. Not only is he a young pitcher of great promise, he is also one of those ballplayers who is simply fun to watch. His small frame combined with his lightning fast right arm makes him devastatingly effective and easy to root for. Will Carroll has assessed Lincecum’s unusual pitching mechanics in the latest “Mechanics of Baseball” feature on MLB.com and it is well worth watching. It’s especially interesting to see how different his mechanics are compared to another great small pitcher: Roy Oswalt.

You can currently get to the clip via the main page on MLB.com.

I’m always conscious that this is a general baseball site so I don’t want to concentrate too heavily on my Oakland A’s, but Jack Cust’s story is too good not to mention. Continue reading →