According to multiple sources, the San Francisco Giants are actively trying to sign Tim Lincecum to a long-term contract. The move makes sense for the team but probably will not go anywhere. “The Freak” has already stated his preference for one- or two-year deals. Of course, it does not hurt the organization in any way to give it a shot, and success could save a lot of money. It will undoubtedly cost the team more to work on short-term deals.

Let us get one thing across right now. Lincecum may not always be a Giants’ pitcher, and shot-term contracts make a lot of sense for him. Obviously, there is a lot of flexibility for him if he decides one day to pack it up and jump to another organization. He would not have to wait too long to make that move. A lot of players like stability, but having freedom can be just as favorable. In any case, it is not like Lincecum would be unable to sign with a team should a deal not be struck from year-to-year.

Plus, Lincecum stands to make more money on shorter deals than a long-term contract. He will be handed millions more each season through this method. The San Francisco Giants (or other teams) will have to pay an extra premium to keep him around to avoid having another club offer him more money. Of course, there is not much risk involved in signing an ace starting pitcher for one or two seasons when he shows very little downside. If he stays healthy each season, then he will end up earning more money than he would have through a big contract.

The team and the fans might want to see Tim Lincecum locked up for the next decade, but that is not going to happen. I highly doubt that “The Franchise” is going to dedicate himself to more than two years at any given time until he starts to show some decline later in his career. In reality, I do not think he is going to jump ship either though. He should stick around as long as the Giants continue to win games and give him the support he needs to wrack up his own wins. Lincecum should stay the “Franchise” for the years to come. However, he will just do so without a multi-year deal.

Who knows? The organization could give him enough money or enough of a reason to commit himself to three, four, or more years. Without a doubt, money or the right circumstances can change anyone’s mind. By the end of the offseason, Lincecum could be locked in with the team for many years. That is still an unlikely outcome though. He just seems like the kind of guy who would prefer to only commit bits and pieces of his time. In the end, that is not a huge deal for Tim Lincecum or the fans. The San Francisco Giants’ pocketbook might not like it too much though.

For more information, visit The San Francisco Giants Site .

Derrick Williams is a fan of the San Francisco Giants and lived in the Bay Area for nearly three years.

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With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I think that it is as good of a time as ever to show thanks to some athletes. I would like to take a look at some San Francisco Giants players that we should all be thankful for. Of course, nearly everyone on the team deserves some praise, but I am only going to focus on five players.

These hitters and pitchers have done a lot for the team, so they should be recognized.

Madison Bumgarner(notes)

The thing I am most surprised at is how Bumgarner went through the 2011 season without making a fuss about how much the offense let him down. In fact, nearly a majority of his starts resulted in the team scoring one run or no runs—if I remember correctly. He was the biggest victim of the Giants’ offense and never said a word about it. Some games he would simply go out there and dominate opposing lineups for as long as it took the team to give him some run support for the win. Undoubtedly, it is hard not to respect him and how well he actually pitched during 2011.

Tim Lincecum(notes)

They do not call him “The Franchise” for no reason! Watching Lincecum pitch is electrifying and a spectacle to behold. Undoubtedly, anyone who has ever watched one of his multi-strikeout games knows what I am talking about. Seeing him dominate opposing lineups is a lot of fun, and I hope he does not stop doing so for the years to come.

Buster Posey(notes)

Sure, Posey missed the 2011 season due to injury, but his presence was missed. I enjoyed watching him flash power and smart defense during 2010. Of course, I cannot wait for him to return in 2012 so that he can get back on track. Things look bright for the young catcher to say the least. All that matters is that he comes back from this injury with his bat and defense intact. In reality, it is hard not to like the guy.

Sergio Romo(notes)

Romo has quietly been an elite reliever during the past few seasons. Perhaps he has been one of the best, too. Without a doubt, he is enjoyable to watch with his ridiculous knack for striking out batters. I would not be as excited during the later innings of games if he was not stepping up to the mound most of the time. He will be with the team for the next few seasons, and I am very thankful for that.

Pablo Sandoval(notes)

Finally, we come to “Kung Fu Panda,” who is undoubtedly the team’s MVP from this past season. He hit for the cycle and smacked the ball around almost all season. Dropping the weight during the previous offseason really helped him return to form. With that in mind, I am more than appreciative that he worked hard because it paid off on the field and in the batter’s box. It was and will continue to be a thrill to watch him play baseball.

What players are you thankful for?

Obviously, you might not be a fan of the San Francisco Giants, but you are more than likely a fan of one or more other teams. There are bound to be multiple players that you appreciate for doing what they do. For some people, there are hitters or pitchers that are the main reason they like a particular team or even the sport itself. On that note, feel free to show some thanks to the athletes you appreciate!

For more information, visit The San Francisco Giants Site.

Derrick Williams is a fan of the San Francisco Giants and lived in the Bay Area for nearly three years.

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Five Predictions For Aubrey Huff in 2012

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The former landlord for Giants ace Tim Lincecum has filed a lawsuit against the pitcher seeking $350,000 in damages, claiming the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner stole and destroyed items in the San Francisco apartment he rented.

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in San Francisco Superior Court by Mindy Freile. She alleges that after Lincecum’s lease expired, he returned to living in the unit and “broke, stained, defaced, tore, injured or destroyed” her property.

Lincecum signed a lease in May 2010 to rent the Mission District apartment, according to court documents. The lawsuit alleges that shortly after the lease expired on Feb. 28, Lincecum occupied the unit without his landlord’s permission and stayed through May 13.

Freile, who said she had been trying to evict Lincecum, later entered the unit and found the damages. The landlord wrote in the complaint that Lincecum also failed to pay rent on time and stole and destroyed household properties such as “bedding, doors, carpet, pillows, kitchenware, linens, furniture, household appliances, art work, decorations, patio furniture, lights, lamps, and mirrors.”

She is seeking $200,000 in property damage and an additional $150,000 in time and money lost. A case management conference is scheduled for March 9 in San Francisco.

A text message to Lincecum seeking comment wasn’t immediately returned Thursday night.

A fastball from San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum glanced off the bill of Justin Upton’s helmet in the first inning Sunday afternoon, rattling just about everyone at Chase Field – including Lincecum.

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Diamondbacks-Giants photos | Box score | MLB scoreboard

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But early indications are it didn’t rattle the Diamondbacks’ star right fielder too badly.

Upton initially remained in the game to run the bases, but he was removed after experiencing nausea upon returning to the dugout.

But he passed neurological tests administered by the team’s medical staff and a CT scan checked out normal, according to team physician Dr. Michael Lee.

“He looks very, very good,” Lee said.

The Diamondbacks kept right on rolling without him, pounding Lincecum for five runs in five innings to win 5-2. It was their fourth victory in a row, and they remain a game behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the race to secure home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Right-hander Josh Collmenter closed out his rookie season with another quality start, and closer J.J. Putz registered his career-high 45th save, but the focus in both clubhouses Sunday was on Upton’s condition.

Lee couldn’t definitively rule out a concussion, but said all early signs were encouraging. Upton had no loss of consciousness or memory and left the ballpark without a headache. That he vomited after coming off the field can be cause for concern, but there were no other indications that anything was wrong with Upton, who did not speak with reporters after Sunday’s game.

“That can be a sign of a concussion or even a brain injury,” Lee said of the nausea. “But he does not seem to have that whatsoever at this point. The tests sort of ruled that out.”

Lee said Upton will undergo more tests Monday, including the ImPACT test, a computer program that examines a player’s memory and reaction speed compared with prior test results administered before the season.

“We’ll do that again to make sure he tests well with that,” Lee said. “He’s day to day at this point in time. But we don’t have any major concerns.”

It was the 19th time Upton has been hit by a pitch this season.

Lincecum appeared shaken up, walking toward home plate as Upton was being evaluated by the training staff.

“I know situations like that can be extremely scary,” Lincecum said. “I definitely wanted to make sure he was all right. During the game, I had one of the players send a message over there saying that it was a complete accident. There was no intention of doing that. I wanted to know if he was doing all right and how his well-being was. They sent back that he was doing fine.”

Lincecum said he pitched differently after the incident.

“Yeah, maybe a little,” he said. “Kind of afraid to go in for fear of that stuff happening again.”

Miguel Montero followed the hit by pitch by hammering a fastball for a two-run double, Upton scoring from first base. Collin Cowgill and Aaron Hill later added RBI doubles as the Diamondbacks cruised to their sixth win in the past seven games.

Diamondbacks rewind

Keeping pace: The Diamondbacks are one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers, whom they’re trying to chase down to secure home-field advantage – and possibly avoid playing the Philadelphia Phillies – in the division series.

The Brewers won their third in a row Sunday and have won nine of their past 12.

“We can’t control that,” Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said. “We can only control what we can do. Our intentions are to try to win out. We may. We may not. Wherever we go to play on Saturday, that’s fine. We have to beat whoever we have to play. We respect them all, but yet we know we’re pretty good and have the ability to beat anybody.”

Big pitch: Right-hander Josh Collmenter finished a tough at-bat by the Giants’ Aubrey Huff by striking him out looking at a curveball. It’s a pitch he still rarely employs but one that he said has improved throughout the year.

“I thought maybe Miggy was going to call it,” Collmenter said, referring to catcher Miguel Montero. “(Huff) was battling and fouling fastballs off and staying on the change-up a little bit. I knew he wasn’t looking for (the curveball), and I just wanted to make a good pitch. Fortunately I was able to.”

Beating Lincecum: The Diamondbacks faced Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum for the 18th time Sunday, hanging a loss on him for just the fifth time. It was the third time they’ve scored five runs against him.

He has a career 2.95 ERA in 125 career innings against the Diamondbacks.

View from the press box

Justin Upton’s hit by pitch appeared to be a glancing blow off his helmet, and everything looks good so far, but we might not know for sure if Upton is in the clear for at least another day or so. He’s obviously the Diamondbacks’ most valuable player, so they can only hope the early diagnosis holds.

Up next: Los Angeles Dodgers

Update: When the Dodgers have been in the headlines this season, it usually has been for one of three things – their owners’ messy divorce, Clayton Kershaw or Matt Kemp. The ownership situation still is unsettled, and Kershaw made his final start of what might be a Cy Young Award-winning season, but Kemp still has three games to go as he tries to secure the NL MVP award. Kemp entered Sunday with an outside chance to become the league’s first Triple Crown winner since Joe Medwick in 1937. He was third in the league in batting average (.325, six points back of Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun), tied for first in home runs (37) and tops in RBIs (119). The Dodgers are finishing the season strong, having won 22 of their past 31 entering Sunday.