It’s so important to Lincecum that he stay grounded in the midst of his growing fame and wealth that he began consulting a ‘life therapist’ during the off-season. He wants to make good choices. He wants to keep his ego in check. He wants to learn how to let the inevitable public criticism roll off his back. He wants to be the pitcher who jumps onto the outfield wall when he’s shagging flies during batting practice ‘as if he’s trying to make the highlight reel for ESPN,’ as Giants Manager Bruce Bochy puts it.
Lincecum wants, in other words, to remain the anti-star. Last season, when a teller at his neighborhood bank noticed the Giants logo on a check Lincecum was depositing, she asked if he worked at the ballpark. Lincecum said he did. ‘Oh, that must be fun,’ she said. He agreed that it was. When people ask if anyone has ever told him he looks like Tim Lincecum, he says, yes, they have.