Tim Lincecum

Giants ace Tim Lincecum won the NL Cy Young Award on Thursday for the second straight year, emerging from one of the tightest votes in the history of the honor to become the first repeat winner since Randy Johnson . The wiry right-hander, nicknamed "The Freak," needed only 15 victories to earn the award - the fewest for a Cy Young starter over a non-shortened season. Lincecum led the NL with 261 strikeouts and tied for the league lead with four complete games and two shutouts.

The same suspects Kevin Baxter Los Angeles Times If you liked last season's NL playoffs, chances are you'll like this fall's version since you'll be seeing many of the same teams. Washington, with Stephen Strasburg cleared to pitch a full season alongside Gio Gonzalez, could be even more dominant in the East, while the World Series champion Giants, with their deep pitching staff and reigning MVP Buster Posey behind the plate, are the favorites in the West.

Many in the Cubs' front office think they would be foolish to give up Starlin Castro to get Curtis Granderson , but there are a lot of other ways to do the deal. General manager Jim Hendry appreciates all Granderson brings to the table, even though he has had trouble hitting left-handers in two of the last three seasons. Perhaps Granderson would benefit from working with new Cubs hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo. … The Brewers apparently have decided not to re-sign catcher Jason Kendall (right)

Beltran to Giants Dan Connolly Baltimore Sun Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran to the Giants for prospects is one trade that can make a difference. This is by default. There is no Cliff Lee on the market, no one guy that transforms a contender into a champion as Lee did with the ace-starved Rangers in 2010. If Mets shortstop Jose Reyes is traded, especially to the Giants, his energy and MVP-type numbers will carry a good team to the promised land.

SAN FRANCISCO — Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter. Tim Lincecum might have done him one better. Not in the headlines, of course. In degree of difficulty, however, Lincecum might have aced his rival ace. Lincecum pitched a two-hit complete game and struck out 14 Thursday night to carry the Giants to a 1-0 victory over the Braves in Game 1 of their National League Division Series. The 14 strikeouts are a postseason mark for the Giants. Halladay got four runs of support in his no-hitter.

ARLINGTON, Texas — These Giants have not known the joy of clinching a postseason series at home, of prancing giddily around the field, of spraying their fans with assorted liquid substances. They might never know that joy. They would happily pay that price in order to win the World Series on Monday. The Giants are one victory from a championship. Never have they won a World Series in San Francisco. But never in their San Francisco history have they led a Series three games to one. They do now, thanks to a pitcher of legal drinking age for all of three months.

Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter. Tim Lincecum might have done him one better. Not in the headlines, of course. In degree of difficulty, however, Lincecum might have aced his rival ace. Lincecum pitched a two-hit complete game and struck out 14, carrying the San Francisco Giants to a 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the National League division series Thursday. The 14 strikeouts set a postseason record for the Giants franchise. Halladay got four runs of support in his no-hitter, all in the first two innings.

Giants, Yanks hottest Phil Rogers Chicago Tribune Conventional wisdom says a team with Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt in the starting rotation should roll through the postseason, especially when the lineup behind it is the same one that has won back-to-back National League pennants. Toss in home-field advantage and you'd have to be crazy to pick against the Philadelphia Phillies. But the Giants have a slightly better starting rotation. They counter the Phillies' three No. 1s with a two-time Cy Young winner — Tim Lincecum — and three others who could be No. 1s, and have a better bullpen.

Beltran to Giants Dan Connolly Baltimore Sun Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran to the Giants for prospects is one trade that can make a difference. This is by default. There is no Cliff Lee on the market, no one guy that transforms a contender into a champion as Lee did with the ace-starved Rangers in 2010. If Mets shortstop Jose Reyes is traded, especially to the Giants, his energy and MVP-type numbers will carry a good team to the promised land.

The same suspects Kevin Baxter Los Angeles Times If you liked last season's NL playoffs, chances are you'll like this fall's version since you'll be seeing many of the same teams. Washington, with Stephen Strasburg cleared to pitch a full season alongside Gio Gonzalez, could be even more dominant in the East, while the World Series champion Giants, with their deep pitching staff and reigning MVP Buster Posey behind the plate, are the favorites in the West.

You don't have to be conspicuously great to have a terrific starting rotation. When the Phillies added Cliff Lee to Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels, they became the official champions of the 2010-11 offseason. They zipped past the World Series champion Giants in claiming the best combination of four starters in the majors — a notable feat given our last look at the Giants. Remember them? They rolled to an 11-4 record in the playoffs thanks to a 2.18 ERA from Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner and Jonathan Sanchez.

1 Tiger's lost year Toward the end of the worst year in what previously had been a charmed life, the good thing for Tiger Woods was his shortcomings as a golfer were getting more attention than his failures as a husband, father and IMG-styled global icon. When Woods squandered a four-shot lead in his last tournament of the year, it marked the first time in 29 occasions he had lost a lead of more than two strokes in the final round and the first time since 1995 — when he played only four events, as an amateur — he went through a year without a win. Also gone: his wife (divorce)

Pity the Rockies. They have two of the National League's best hitters in Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki and one of baseball's best pitchers in Ubaldo Jimenez. They also have a huge challenge ahead of them in 2011. Ditto the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks and the surprising Padres. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Jonathan Sanchez aren't going anywhere after carrying the Giants to the World Series championship. Barry Zito also remains around, and there wasn't another team in the playoffs that wouldn't have wanted him on its roster.

Brian Wilson attracted a crowd of reporters; so did Buster Posey and Tim Lincecum. The president of the San Francisco Giants did a round of interviews, and so did the owner, the former owner, former players, even the clubhouse manager. As the celebration raged in the San Francisco clubhouse late Monday night, all those interviews giddily interrupted by streams of champagne and beer, Dick Tidrow stood in an adjacent hallway, cameras and reporters rushing past him. There were plenty of romantic tales to be told about the first World Series championship in San Francisco history.

ARLINGTON, Texas — These Giants have not known the joy of clinching a postseason series at home, of prancing giddily around the field, of spraying their fans with assorted liquid substances. They might never know that joy. They would happily pay that price in order to win the World Series on Monday. The Giants are one victory from a championship. Never have they won a World Series in San Francisco. But never in their San Francisco history have they led a Series three games to one. They do now, thanks to a pitcher of legal drinking age for all of three months.

Giants, Yanks hottest Phil Rogers Chicago Tribune Conventional wisdom says a team with Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt in the starting rotation should roll through the postseason, especially when the lineup behind it is the same one that has won back-to-back National League pennants. Toss in home-field advantage and you'd have to be crazy to pick against the Philadelphia Phillies. But the Giants have a slightly better starting rotation. They counter the Phillies' three No. 1s with a two-time Cy Young winner — Tim Lincecum — and three others who could be No. 1s, and have a better bullpen.

1 Tiger's lost year Toward the end of the worst year in what previously had been a charmed life, the good thing for Tiger Woods was his shortcomings as a golfer were getting more attention than his failures as a husband, father and IMG-styled global icon. When Woods squandered a four-shot lead in his last tournament of the year, it marked the first time in 29 occasions he had lost a lead of more than two strokes in the final round and the first time since 1995 — when he played only four events, as an amateur — he went through a year without a win. Also gone: his wife (divorce)

Pity the Rockies. They have two of the National League's best hitters in Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki and one of baseball's best pitchers in Ubaldo Jimenez. They also have a huge challenge ahead of them in 2011. Ditto the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks and the surprising Padres. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Jonathan Sanchez aren't going anywhere after carrying the Giants to the World Series championship. Barry Zito also remains around, and there wasn't another team in the playoffs that wouldn't have wanted him on its roster.

SAN FRANCISCO — Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter. Tim Lincecum might have done him one better. Not in the headlines, of course. In degree of difficulty, however, Lincecum might have aced his rival ace. Lincecum pitched a two-hit complete game and struck out 14 Thursday night to carry the Giants to a 1-0 victory over the Braves in Game 1 of their National League Division Series. The 14 strikeouts are a postseason mark for the Giants. Halladay got four runs of support in his no-hitter.

Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter. Tim Lincecum might have done him one better. Not in the headlines, of course. In degree of difficulty, however, Lincecum might have aced his rival ace. Lincecum pitched a two-hit complete game and struck out 14, carrying the San Francisco Giants to a 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the National League division series Thursday. The 14 strikeouts set a postseason record for the Giants franchise. Halladay got four runs of support in his no-hitter, all in the first two innings.