Jason Giambi really can be a likeable guy. He is generous, and when it comes to people beneath him on society's hierarchy, Giambi is notorious for treating such people well.
But the news of the past week confirms that Giambi shouldn't be regarded as much better than Barry Bonds. First, Giambi offered some convoluted statements to USA Today, sort of confessing to his steroid usage but insisting the performance enhancers didn't enhance his performance, as well as proclaiming that baseball should apologize for the steroids era.
Now word emerges that Giambi failed an amphetamines test within the last year, which debunks Giambi's stated claim that he would never damage his body after overcoming his benign tumor on his pituitary gland.
Giambi wants us to think he's better than Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield, because he issued a general apology in 2005 (that's when this photo with Joe Torre is from). Yet Giambi didn't expressly say why he was apologizing that day - which is understandable, but then don't pretend that you manned up. Bonds and Sheffield get Fs for their BALCO grand-jury testimony and their subsequent public statements, and they act like they got Fs. Giambi got a D, and he acts like he got an A.
And now, with this amphetamine revelation, Giambi has pretty much lost all credibility. Many, many people suspected that "stuff" of some sort was behind Giambi's remarkable rebound of 2005 and last year. Now we know that, at the least, he was using greenies. Not good. Giambi can be praised for his general treatment of human beings, but please, please, let's stop presenting him as some paragon of integrity.
Comments (6)
Giambi protected his paycheck and apologized at the same time which is what anyone in his position would do to have some semblance of honesty about them. Giambi is the ONLY one who has been honest and because he called MLB out on the carpet they release this year old test result. You and I do not know when exactly the test was taken but let's not forget that the guy was inured a great deal last year. Who is to say what exactly was in his system. I applaud Giambi for being as honest as he could. He wants to stay in NY and the majority of Yankee fans embrace him for that honesty.
Giambi should be applauded for his honesty...What a joke...If he really wanted to be honest he'd forfeit some of the "green stuff" associated with his multi-million dollar contract.
As usual, bravo, Ken. No one should see this guy as anything other than what he is -- a lying, cheating 'roidhead who's only concern is protecting his 'roided-up contract.
Watch Giambi get all good press over the next few days. Even Michael Kay today says he's a victim of leaks and rumors. But all is fair when going after Bonds - the black man. The whole thing is so racist. They committed the exact same offenses, but they're tearing Bonds apart everyday. Giambi is a hero. It's so unfair, it's sickening.
I know what Giambi has done is wrong, but he at least told the truth to the grand jury and wanted to come clean to the public but his lawyers told him he could be indicted if he did. Maybe he was "protecting his paycheck" but I would challenge anyone to give up $80M to be honest about something that is rampant in baseball anyway. I try to put myself in Giambi's position sometimes. Let's say you are a young ball player coming up in the A's minor league system and your idol is McGwire, you make it to the majors and McGwire tells you the only chance you have to succeed is to get on the juice, I don't think too many young guys would pass up the chance to have the life of a MLB player. Young guys always think they are immortal and Giambi found out the hard way that he isn't and it probably (hopefully) scared the hell out of him.
I think baseball ought to give all the players amnesty for what they have done in the past, even up until today. Then give them extremely harsh penalties if they fail from then on, but you know what? I doubt the players union would go for it because homeruns mean more fans and more fans equals more money in the owners pockets and that means more money for the players and their union. It's all about greed and Giambi was sort of right when he said "baseball should apologize" because just about everyone from the owners to the agents are guilty of enabling this garbage.
The only reason Roidy "came clean" was because he was subpoenad by a Grand Jury. If not for that, he'd still be lying, cheating and denying his way through MLB.