"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." -Friedrich Nietzsche.
Jason Giambi would agree. Story in the San Jose Mercury-News documents Jason Giambi's struggle with injuries and after BAlCO revealed he used anabolic drugs.
Five years ago, Giambi was the fresh face in the Yankees' clubhouse, the wild child from Oakland brought in to replace Tino Martinez and help the club remain on top despite the retirements of Paul O'Neill and Scott Brosius.
Giambi was the center of attention in his first spring, and while the expectations on his broad shoulders were enormous, he delivered with a solid season, hitting .314 with 41 home runs and 122 RBI.
His second season saw his average plummet to .250 thanks to a bum knee and a staph infection in his eyes, though his power numbers remained among the league's best. The 2004 campaign was a disaster for Giambi, who was limited to 80 games because of an ankle injury, an intestinal parasite and a benign pituitary tumor. He batted .208 with 12 homers.
Two months after the 2004 season ended, a report in the San Francisco Chronicle revealed that Giambi had admitted to steroid use during grand jury testimony in the BALCO case. He apologized in a press conference before spring training, though he never said why he was apologizing.
Giambi started slowly in 2005, and there was talk of the Yankees trying to get out of his contract and trying to demote him to the minors. But he went on to win AL Comeback Player of the Year honors with a huge second half despite a balky knee. Last year, he hit 37 homers and drove in 113 runs, playing the latter portion of the season with a wrist injury that would require offseason surgery...
Despite the roller coaster ride he has been on, Giambi believes he has come out of it with a greater appreciation for the game, something he thinks about every day when he takes the field.
"It makes you get back to why you play this game, which is to have fun," Giambi said. "I know you can make a lot of money, but at the same time, all I ever wanted to be was a ballplayer."
you have to give the guy creit. I mean he was all the way at the bottom. He stepped up and took it like a man
Posted by: | 04/21/2007 at 16:43
you have to give the guy creit. I mean he was all the way at the bottom. He stepped up and took it like a man
Posted by: | 04/21/2007 at 16:43
you have to give the guy creit. I mean he was all the way at the bottom. He stepped up and took it like a man
Posted by: | 04/21/2007 at 16:43
As you drive down the road, you encounter a police speed camera setup along the side of the road.
Posted by: wireless co2 detector | 05/20/2011 at 05:31