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Don't look here for a Giambi feel-good story

Sporting News, The, Sept 23, 2005 by Ken Rosenthal

Jason Giambi, Comeback Player of the Year. Roll that around your tongue, and your mouth quickly will turn sour.

Oh, I'd love to write an ode to Giambi, marveling at his revival, comparing him to the Giambi of old, endorsing his candidacy for the comeback award.

Forget it.

Everyone loves a comeback story, but embracing Giambi's requires a willful suspension of disbelief.

We know what he's coming back from--a sprained right ankle, an intestinal parasite and a benign pituitary tumor that limited him to 80 games last season.

But we don't know whether his physical deterioration is related to using performance-enhancing drugs, which he admitted taking in testimony before the BALCO grand jury.

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We also don't know whether he still might be using human growth hormone, which is detected only in blood tests, not in the urine samples conducted by Major League Baseball in its steroids testing.

Comeback Player of the Year?

Sure, and Rafael "Ear Plugs" Palmeiro is the early favorite for next year's award.

Give Giambi credit for staying mentally strong when many perceived him to be weak. But his resurgence further underscores the problem with baseball in the steroids era.

We don't know what to believe. That's why I don't think Giambi should win the award, which will be determined by fan voting for the first time (at MLB.com).

But chances are it's going to happen. The Yankees have one of the game's largest, most passionate followings. What's more, none of the other A.L. nominees--the Blue Jays' Roy Halladay, the Indians' Bob Wickman, the Orioles' Jay Gibbons, the A's Barry Zito nor the Mariners' Richie Sexson--is as deserving as the Reds' Ken Griffey and the Astros' Andy Pettitte are in the N.L.

A panel of MLB.com writers selected the nominees largely on the basis of statistics, according to an MLB official. Giambi leads the majors with a .445 on-base percentage and ranks fourth with a .996 on-base plus slugging percentage. He's on pace to hit more than 30 homers after entering July with just five.

Though the panel discussed Giambi's, uh, unique situation, it concluded that it could not justify excluding him. Giambi's steroids use is known only through leaked grand jury testimony. He never publicly has admitted using performance enhancers and never has flunked a steroids test.

Which brings us back to the willing suspension of disbelief.

Perhaps Giambi is simply a good guy proving that he can thrive without the juice. That would make his story a traditional baseball myth, nice and clean.

Alas, Giambi is a confirmed liar.

His BALCO testimony contradicted his previous comments; he knows that publicly admitting the use of performance enhancers could allow the Yankees to void the remainder of his seven-year, $120 million contract that will expire in 2008.

Imagine Giambi accepting his comeback award, then getting asked whether he believed that his tumor might have been caused by his use of human growth hormone--a valid medical question.

Giambi could borrow a line from his friend Mark McGwire and say, "I'm not here to talk about the past. I'm here to talk about the future." Then he could make one of his patented apologies, without revealing what he was apologizing for.

It's easy to picture Griffey winning the N.L. award--no one has accused him of using performance enhancers, and he had 35 homers and 92 RBIs before injuring his right foot last week.

Sexson, with 34 homers and 104 RBIs, probably deserves the A.L. honor--he played in only 23 games last season before undergoing shoulder surgery. Frankly, the best A.L. candidate, A's second baseman Mark Ellis, is not even on the ballot. Ellis, who missed all of 2004 because of a career-threatening shoulder injury, leads his club with a .377 OBP.

The best comebacks inspire us. Giambi's makes us cringe.

Do not vote for him for Comeback Player of the Year.

INSIDE DISH

The Nationals got caught with thin starting pitching down the stretch after trading RHPs Zach Day and Tomo Ohka and waiving RHPs Claudio Vargas and Sun-Woo Kim during the season. Entering the week, those four were a combined 18-11 with a 4.44 ERA since leaving the Nationals. * Dr. Charles Yesalis, a leading steroids expert, says that even if professional sports leagues made a legitimate effort, they couldn't develop tests rapidly enough to detect every new performance-enhancing drug. "You can spend $50 million to $100 million to close 15 doors," Yesalis says, "and during those five years another 80 doors would open up." * The Twins' problem is that they have too many utility types in their lineup. OF Jason Kubel, recovering from knee surgery, should be ready to compete with Lew Ford next season for the right field vacancy that will be created by the departure of free agent Jacque Jones. The team needs to find an experienced cleanup hitter who will ease the burden on 1B Justin Momeau and C Joe Mauer. * The Angels insist struggling setup man RHP Scot Shields isn't tired, but Shields has thrown more innings than any A.L. reliever the past two seasons. He also led the league in relief innings in 2003 before a move to the rotation. * Talk continues to circulate that Braves G.M. John Schuerholz would accept a similar role and an ownership stake with the Nationals if former Braves president Stan Kasten were to head the team's new ownership group. Those who know Schuerholz, however, doubt he would make such a significant change at age 64. * Three reasons to be optimistic about the Rockies: Entering the week, they were tied with the Giants for the best record in the N.L. West since June 1; they've identified LHP Brian Fuentes as their 2006 closer; and they have a slew of young players on the way. * One reason the Devil Rays are so pesky: LF Carl Crawford and SS Julio Lugo are on track to become only the eighth set of teammates since 1900 to reach 180 hits and steal 35 bases in the same season. * Dodgers IF Oscar Robles could be a great role player, but most scouts and executives believe it's a stretch to envision him replacing SS Cesar Izturis next season. Izturis will be out until at least July after undergoing elbow surgery. * Reds SS Felipe Lopez still doesn't have everyone convinced. "He makes a lot of mental mistakes and gives away a lot of at-bats for a guy that can run," one scout says. "He tries to bunt a lot, and he's not a very good bunter." * A's G.M. Billy Beane is suitably impressed by Mariners RHP Felix Hernandez. "There aren't too many 19-year-olds with those kinds of weapons, that kind of command, that kind of velocity," Beane says. "He's going to be a dominant guy in this league for a long time." * The Rangers are excited about RHPs Kameron Loe and Juan Dominguez, but the team would be foolish to bank too heavily on young pitching next season. The Rangers need to add two veteran starters, one if it re-signs free-agent LHP Kenny Rogers.

Don't look here for a Giambi feel-good story

Sporting News, The, Sept 23, 2005 by Ken Rosenthal

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