Oh, yes they call him the FREAK...

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I’m not a baseball fan. I don’t really even know how the game is played, but one day at a sports bar, I was entranced by the grace and precision of San Francisco Giants’ Tim Lincecum [who I actually thought was Derek Jeter for a long time]. I am admittedly ignorant.

As a former dancer, I saw a resemblance in his pitches to the attitude turns I used to do in ballet class. I never realized that baseball of all things could be a thing of grace and beauty.

So I became, not a Giants fan, but a Tim Lincecum fan. [My dreamy boyfriend is okay with this]. I found out that Tim is more than a graceful pitcher, he has an interesting story which can be applicable to everyone.

Tim has made his unassuming stature work for him. He is 5’10 and weighs 170 pounds. Ninety-eight mile-per-hour fastballs are unexpected from a figure so unimposing.

Tim is a Cy Young award winner.  He is nationally recognized as a big deal. And he won this prestigious award twice.

So you would think his career would stay rosy, right? Well….maybe not as he had hoped. 2012 was a bad season for the Giants, they lost 15 games. Tim was relegated to the bullpen, which means he was not a starting pitcher…and they weren’t calling on him to pitch at all.

The award-winning pitcher suddenly found himself basically sitting on the bench. What fans did not realize was that he was equally graceful off the field.

Tim could have been filled with jealousy and bitterness [Maybe he was, I don’t know; I’m a two time Cy Young award winner, bitches]. He certainly would have been entitled to it.

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c. Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE

His response was very matter-of-fact, "I understand the way I've been going," he said. "My last two starts weren't very great, and other guys have had success coming into this series more than I have. I'm just trying to help my team, and if that means being in the bullpen, it means being in the bullpen."

Instead of reacting, Tim soaked up all of the lessons from the bullpen, along with a huge dose of humility, I would imagine.

Now he is finding himself in the spotlight again as relief pitcher where he gets to regularly save the day.

Lincecum was perfect, as he commanded his change-up and used his slider more freely, not worrying about the potential risk of getting tired from overuse of the pitch later in the game. He is now throwing everything he has at each batter, knowing that it's unlikely he'll face the same hitter twice in the same game.

Tim has kept a clear head through all of this. No doubt it sucked and was very disappointing.

Some players may not like the idea of surrendering the spotlight on baseball’s biggest stage. However, players such as Lincecum who are willing to take a backseat for the greater good of the team usually are rewarded greatly. The fans of San Francisco will never forget how Lincecum performed on and off the field during the 2012 postseason.

I know I haven’t always been as graceful as Tim, in much less important circumstances. I think we are all very prone to thinking with our lower brains in such instances.  It seems so strange to be looking to a professional sports figure for etiquette in that respect, but Tim LIncecum is such a great example of how bad things can happen to good people, but the good people come out on top.

 c. 2012