UPDATE, 12:00 p.m.: In the biggest winter of his professional life, Tim Lincecum swallowed his pride, apologized to his father, Chris for a stubborn refusal to listen to his dad and went to work trying to fix the broken mechanis that have threatened Lincecum’s career.

As Lincecum reported to spring training today, he revealed that he had about 50 throwing sessions over the winter in Seattle with his father, who taught him how to pitch, and said, “I feel more confidence in myself. I feel I deserve the reward you can find from doing the right kind of work.”

That reward is the fifth spot in the rotation, which manager Bruce Bochy suggested will go to Lincecum.

The 30-year-old right-hander said he spent the offseason going over “bullet points” regarding his delivery with his father after years of a professional estangement. As Lincecum continued to struggle year after year, he admitted, he got tired of having to answer to Chris about what was going wrong. Until he realized that his dad was the best choice to try to get him back on track.

“It’s kind of like a kid with a bad report card,” Lincecum said. “You can’t hide it from (your parents) all summer, can you?”

Lincecum’s inability to repeat his mechanics has been the main reason he has struggled. He still had the stuff to no-hit the San Diego Padres for a second season in a row last year but could not consistenlty pitch well. By season’s end, he was in the bullpen and was practically an afterthought in the postseason.

UPDATE, 9:50 a.m.: Manager Bruce Bochy all but named Tim Lincecum the fifth starter, with Ryan Vogelsong and Yusmeiro Petit going into spring training as relievers.

Bochy would not say the words directly because he hasn't talked to the pitchers, but in his first spring training chat with reporters talked about Vogelsong and Petit getting stretched out so they can start if needed.

This represents a bit of a change from what the team suggested when it signed Vogelsong. It had said Vogelsong and Lincecum would compete for the fifth spot, but Bochy said this morning, "I think we're pretty well set with this rotation. We haven't put the order down."

This dovetails with what the Giants said before they signed Vogelsong, that they expected Lincecum to start in the final year of his two-year, $35 million deal, which the club admitted was starter's money.

Bochy called this a "workable situation" and suggested Lincecum should not feel fully comfortable, saying, "We do hae some options, so that does make it a little bit of a competition."

The starters, Bochy said, "can help each other out, maybe give a guy a start off. If somebody's arm gets a little cranky, we've got Vogelsong and Petit. . . . Talking about a six-man rotation, three or four guys might not be comfortable with that. But if somebody needs a little break, we've got Vogy or Petit to throw in there."

ORIGINAL POST: It's a gorgeous day in Scottsdale, Ariz., and players are popping in and out of the Giants clubhouse on pitcher/catcher reporting day. Several position players are here already, working, including Hunter Pence, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Gary Brown and Mac Williamson.

Also here is Hector Sanchez, who declared he feels "200 percent" now that his concussion symptoms have healed.

And, he is ready to catch.

Despite his admission last season that he feared for his long-term health because of repeated blows to the head, Sanchez will begin catching bullpens Thursday and compete for the No. 2 job, a long shot candidate behind Andrew Susac.

So, why continue catching despite multiple concussions?

"I love it," the 25-year-old said. "I love my position. That's the way I started to play baseball. It guess it's the only way I know how to play baseball. I know it's not safe, but I love the position."

Sanchez has lost some weight since last season, shedding pounds he gained while inactive. He went to winter ball in Venezuela as a designated hitter.

He said he was "sad" watching the World Series on TV and understands why Susac is ahead of him on the depth chart.

"What I can say?" Sanchez said. "He's done a really good job. He's a really good player. I just have to come in here and do what I can do, work hard, and let them make the decision."

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There are some new faces in the clubhouse who will not wear baseball uniforms.

Mike Murphy, who began working for the Giants as a batboy when they moved west in 1958, is going into semi-retirement and will now be the clubhouse manager emeritus.

Murphy will still be around, working home games during the season, and he is here in Scottsdale as usual, hating the fact that I am putting his name in the paper. (Sorry, Murph).

Just to show you how hard Murph has worked over the years, his is being replaced by three people under the new clubhouse hierarchy.

Brad Grems, who has worked for the Giants and most recently worked for the D'backs, is the new clubhouse coordinator. He will report to Bret Alexander, the traveling secretary, who now assumes executive leadership of the clubhouse. The new equipment manager is Alan Lee, who also runs spring training for the Giants.

Another legend, visiting clubhosue manager Harvey Hodgerney, has retired, too. The new visiting clubhouse manager will be Abe Silvestri.