Jason Giambi likely playing final games with Yankees this weekend
BY MARK FEINSAND
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Friday, September 26th 2008, 12:59 AM
TORONTO - Jason Giambi came to New York seven years ago as one of the most feared hitters in the league, hoping to carry on the winning tradition in the Bronx.
This weekend, he will likely play the final three games of his Yankees career, and while there are no championship rings on his fingers, Giambi wouldn't trade in his experience in New York for anything.
"It's flown by," Giambi said before Thursday night's 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays. "I've had the time of my life here, no doubt about it. It's been great. I've enjoyed every minute."
Giambi, 37, has 209 home runs as a Yankee, tied with Alex Rodriguez for 10th most in club history. Some of those longballs have been memorable, such as his game-winning, 14th-inning grand slam in the rain against the Twins in May 2002 or the two solo shots he hit off Pedro Martinez in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS that helped set the stage for the Yankees' comeback.
But when people look back at Giambi's tenure in New York, the thing they'll .remember most is the steroid controversy that made him the poster child for all that was wrong with baseball. Giambi found himself embroiled in the BALCO scandal, missed time with a benign pituitary tumor in 2004 and was on his way to being one of the biggest busts in free agent history.
Somehow, through all of it, he emerged relatively unscathed.
In December 2004, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Giambi admitted in grand jury testimony a year earlier that he had injected himself with performance-enhancing drugs. Following a winter of talk that the Yankees would try to void his contract, Giambi held a press conference in February 2005 to apologize for his actions. He never directly said why he was apologizing, but over time, the fans forgave him, as he returned to being one of the most popular players on the team.
"I knew that I came back when Coney said, 'You did it,' " Giambi said, referring to a conversation in July with David Cone. "I said, 'What did I do?' It was mustache day, and he said, 'You got the fans back. You worked hard, you've been that guy and you were honest.' I worked hard to get back where I was."
Giambi credited his managers and coaches for helping him stay positive and battle through the adversity, but it was an act by Derek Jeter in the spring of 2005 that meant the most to him.
"He stepped up and said, 'He's my teammate, he's my friend and we'll welcome him back,' " Giambi said. "That's a very controversial issue for who he is and what he represents, so for him to do that, he's a great friend and I'll never forget that."
After Giambi hit .195 with three homers and six RBI through the first five weeks of the 2005 season, the Yankees asked him to go to the minors, but he refused. He went on a tear after that, finishing the season with a .271 average, 32 homers and 87 RBI, enough to earn him Comeback Player of the Year honors.
While injuries cost him half of both the 2004 and '07 seasons, Giambi played in at least 139 games in each of his other five years with the Yankees, hitting at least 32 home runs in each.
"To not have a little doubt, I wouldn't be human," Giambi said of his comeback. "Of course there was always a little doubt, but I knew in my heart that if I figured out what was the matter when I was sick that I would come back and work hard. I always had the same work ethic, so that wasn't going to be a problem. I made it."
Where will Giambi go from here? The Yankees hold a $23 million option for 2009, which they will certainly buy out for $5 million. Giambi hopes to play for several more years, so he'll be looking for a multiyear deal this winter.
One potential suitor could be the Blue Jays, according to a source, as Giambi has a relationship with GM J.P. Ricciardi from their days together in Oakland and Toronto could use another big bat.
Giambi might be leaving New York without a ring, but he won't downplay his six trips to the playoffs when he looks back at his pinstriped career.
"I thought we would go to the World .Series a lot more, but it tells you that what those guys did was incredible," he said of the 1996-2000 Yankees.
Wherever Giambi winds up, his time in New York will have made a huge impact on his life - and not just on his wallet or his career statistics.
"From the person I was before I got here to the person I am now, the things I've gone through, all the ups and downs; knock on wood, I made it through," Giambi said. "I really did. I'm a better person."
BY MARK FEINSAND
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Friday, September 26th 2008, 12:59 AM
TORONTO - Jason Giambi came to New York seven years ago as one of the most feared hitters in the league, hoping to carry on the winning tradition in the Bronx.
This weekend, he will likely play the final three games of his Yankees career, and while there are no championship rings on his fingers, Giambi wouldn't trade in his experience in New York for anything.
"It's flown by," Giambi said before Thursday night's 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays. "I've had the time of my life here, no doubt about it. It's been great. I've enjoyed every minute."
Giambi, 37, has 209 home runs as a Yankee, tied with Alex Rodriguez for 10th most in club history. Some of those longballs have been memorable, such as his game-winning, 14th-inning grand slam in the rain against the Twins in May 2002 or the two solo shots he hit off Pedro Martinez in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS that helped set the stage for the Yankees' comeback.
But when people look back at Giambi's tenure in New York, the thing they'll .remember most is the steroid controversy that made him the poster child for all that was wrong with baseball. Giambi found himself embroiled in the BALCO scandal, missed time with a benign pituitary tumor in 2004 and was on his way to being one of the biggest busts in free agent history.
Somehow, through all of it, he emerged relatively unscathed.
In December 2004, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Giambi admitted in grand jury testimony a year earlier that he had injected himself with performance-enhancing drugs. Following a winter of talk that the Yankees would try to void his contract, Giambi held a press conference in February 2005 to apologize for his actions. He never directly said why he was apologizing, but over time, the fans forgave him, as he returned to being one of the most popular players on the team.
"I knew that I came back when Coney said, 'You did it,' " Giambi said, referring to a conversation in July with David Cone. "I said, 'What did I do?' It was mustache day, and he said, 'You got the fans back. You worked hard, you've been that guy and you were honest.' I worked hard to get back where I was."
Giambi credited his managers and coaches for helping him stay positive and battle through the adversity, but it was an act by Derek Jeter in the spring of 2005 that meant the most to him.
"He stepped up and said, 'He's my teammate, he's my friend and we'll welcome him back,' " Giambi said. "That's a very controversial issue for who he is and what he represents, so for him to do that, he's a great friend and I'll never forget that."
After Giambi hit .195 with three homers and six RBI through the first five weeks of the 2005 season, the Yankees asked him to go to the minors, but he refused. He went on a tear after that, finishing the season with a .271 average, 32 homers and 87 RBI, enough to earn him Comeback Player of the Year honors.
While injuries cost him half of both the 2004 and '07 seasons, Giambi played in at least 139 games in each of his other five years with the Yankees, hitting at least 32 home runs in each.
"To not have a little doubt, I wouldn't be human," Giambi said of his comeback. "Of course there was always a little doubt, but I knew in my heart that if I figured out what was the matter when I was sick that I would come back and work hard. I always had the same work ethic, so that wasn't going to be a problem. I made it."
Where will Giambi go from here? The Yankees hold a $23 million option for 2009, which they will certainly buy out for $5 million. Giambi hopes to play for several more years, so he'll be looking for a multiyear deal this winter.
One potential suitor could be the Blue Jays, according to a source, as Giambi has a relationship with GM J.P. Ricciardi from their days together in Oakland and Toronto could use another big bat.
Giambi might be leaving New York without a ring, but he won't downplay his six trips to the playoffs when he looks back at his pinstriped career.
"I thought we would go to the World .Series a lot more, but it tells you that what those guys did was incredible," he said of the 1996-2000 Yankees.
Wherever Giambi winds up, his time in New York will have made a huge impact on his life - and not just on his wallet or his career statistics.
"From the person I was before I got here to the person I am now, the things I've gone through, all the ups and downs; knock on wood, I made it through," Giambi said. "I really did. I'm a better person."