"Tim Lincecum's final pitch Monday: A plea to the media regarding his recent All-Star game selection.

"I just really don't want to talk about that right now, to be honest with you," Lincecum said politely while sitting at his locker. "I'm not in a great mood right now."

His record isn't too great, either.

Lincecum fell to 6-7 after battling through five innings of the Giants' 5-3, homestand-opening loss to the San Diego Padres. It gave critics more reason to dispute manager Bruce Bochy's decision to put Lincecum on the National League roster for the July 12 Midsummer Classic.

But stop with all that chatter. Lincecum absolutely should make his fourth straight All-Star trip.

Lincecum is a bona fide star. He is a driving reason the Giants are defending San Francisco's first world championship. Fans have embraced his unique persona, and they're the All-Star game's chief clientele.

Others will claim the All-Star game should not be a reward for last season's exploits. Florida Marlins manager Jack McKeon is among those chirping about Lincecum's credentials.

That's baloney. Why shouldn't last postseason factor into the selection process? Even if it shouldn't, Lincecum entered Monday with a respectable 3.04 ERA and the majors' second-best clip of strikeouts per nine innings (9.77). "