Jason Giambi News: Pro Sports Daily

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July 2

San Francisco Chronicle

"Two of Oakland's slumpingest players drove balls out of the Coliseum on Wednesday, and they did it against one of the league's top pitchers. Jason Giambi, who entered the day with a league-low .197 average, whacked his 407th career homer, tying him with Hall of Famer Duke Snider on the all-time list. And Jack Cust, pushed down in the order because of a recent slump, also hit a two-run homer off Justin Verlander in Oakland's 5-1 victory over Detroit. Though the A's have lost six of their past eight and 14 of 21, they still took the series from the AL Central-leading Tigers. Giambi had struck out in his first two at-bats Wednesday against Verlander, and his third time up, with no outs, he ..."

Mates adopt Giambi's pregame yams diet

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June 11

Contra Costa Times

"The story went that Hall of Fame third baseman Wade Boggs was fanatical about eating chicken before every game. A's first baseman Jason Giambi has his own pregame dietary ritual: yams. Or sweet potatoes, if yams aren't available. They look similar, taste similar and serve a similar function as an energy provider. They've been a staple of Giambi's diet since spring training of last season, when he saw then-Yankees teammate Alex Rodriguez munching on them. "A-Rod's really dedicated about how he eats," Giambi explained. "I felt like one aspect of my playing that I could really clean up was eating well. (Rodriguez) would always eat sweet potatoes before the game because it not only fuels you ..."

Giambi's juice too little, too late for A's

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May 10

Contra Costa Times

"The A's 6-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday might go down as the game where Jason Giambi began turning things around at the plate. For his part, Giambi had this to say after notching the 38th multihomer game of his career: "I would have traded them in for a win. We've got to get over the hump and start playing some better baseball, and not wait until the end." True, it was the typical team-first stuff you often hear from a player who has a big day in defeat. But Giambi's words were on target. After showing signs of busting out offensively in wins Thursday and Friday, the A's were held to three hits and one run over the first eight innings Saturday before they sprung to life. ..."

Giambino Returns To The Bronx With His 'Stache

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April 20

New York Post

"He is big, he is strong, he is . . . The Giambino! And he's back! Jason Giambi will return to The Bronx today as a member of the Athletics to begin a three-game series with the Yankees. Giambi is back with his original club after spending the past seven seasons in pinstripes. As a Yankee, Giambi experienced the highest of highs (hitting two home runs in a Game 7 victory over the Red Sox in the 2003 ALCS) and the lowest of lows (admitting use of illegal performance enhancing drugs). Derek Jeter predicted the crowd will give Giambi a warmer reception than it gave Carl "The Punchline" Pavano yesterday. "He'll get a good one, I'm sure," said Jeter, who smiled when reminded of Giambi's return. ..."

Giambi's tank already is running near empty

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April 12

Oakland Tribune

"After seven innings against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday, Jason Giambi had to tell A's manager Bob Geren his tank was running on empty. Giambi, 38, already had legged out an infield single and sprinted after a foul ball that landed just out of his sliding reach. "I told Bobby, '(The legs) are dead'," Giambi said. In the A's home-opener on Friday night, Giambi ran all the way to third after he hit a slow ground ball to pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith, whose errant throw went past first base and down the right field line. "This is way too much running for me," Giambi said. "This is a little out of control for me. This is way too much running this early in the year." Giambi's infield single ..."

Will fans give A's Giambi homecoming welcome?

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April 6

Oakland Tribune

columnist Joe Stiglich

"You can speculate on how many homers Jason Giambi might swat for the A's or ponder the impact that his leadership will have in the clubhouse. But as the A's christen their 2009 season Monday night at Angel Stadium, there's another question that cuts to the heart of Giambi's return to green and gold. Will the A's faithful rekindle their love affair with their former favorite son? "I hope so," Giambi said with a chuckle last week. Giambi is, by nature, one of the game's most likeable players. He's friendly and accomodating with the media, and generous with the time he's donated to charitable causes over his career. But his defection to the New York Yankees following the 2001 season stirred a ..."

Together again: Giambi, Chavez talking baseball

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April 5

San Francisco Chronicle

"With Opening Night drawing near, The Chronicle sat down with third baseman Eric Chavez, the longest tenured A's player, and the team's returning first baseman, Jason Giambi. Among other things, the two old friends and teammates talked about playing together again after seven years apart, the upcoming season and knuckle balls. Q: When did you both have an idea Jason would be coming back this way? Eric Chavez: Actually, the year before I heard something, someone threw the idea out there. Jason Giambi: He missed me (laughs). ... and he said, 'You know what, I need you back.' That's why I made my decision. EC: Anytime anything is talked about in Oakland, it kind of doesn't happen. We started ..."

Giambi shifts toward defense

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March 30

San Francisco Chronicle

"So far this spring, Jason Giambi has showed a lot of defense and not much offense, sort of the opposite of his reputation. Giambi hasn't played first base all that much since leaving the A's after the 2001 season. Daily work there this spring has left him a little sore on occasion, but he looks as if he will have no trouble being the regular there. At the plate, though, Giambi is in an 0-for-20 funk. He's not concerned about it because, he said, he has been working on several things, especially with teams playing him in a shift. He's getting pounded inside as a result, but he doesn't want to change his approach. "I'm sure the shift sucks up a few hits, but I'm here to get on base, drive in ..."

Homecomings for Ken Griffey Jr. and Jason Giambi

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February 23

New York Times

"At baseball's heart lies one simple goal: to leave home and then return. Straying's perils are instantly dispelled on contact with the place once left. Ken Griffey Jr. and Jason Giambi, having squared that circle more than 2,700 times, are rounding into more terra firma this spring. Nine years after leaving for his home of Cincinnati, Griffey is rejoining the Seattle Mariners - a franchise he breathed life into throughout the 1990s. Giambi, meanwhile, is returning to his old Oakland sandbox after seven turbulent years in New York. Their greener pastures had been more like minefields. So Griffey and Giambi exhaled a bit last week when slipping on not just their old uniforms, but a sense of ..."

Giambi talks up A*Rod at luncheon

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February 12

Contra Costa Times

"TREASURE ISLAND The Bay Area's baseball brass - minus travel-weary A's general manager Billy Beane - met with the media Wednesday at Comcast SportsNet's luncheon on Treasure Island, and, no, Manny Ramirez was not unveiled in a Giants uniform. Here are the highlights: -- Giambi on A*Rod -- Jason Giambi, settling nicely again into his role as speaker of the A's clubhouse, didn't have any shocking revelations about former Yankees teammate Alex Rodriguez. "I didn't know anything until it came out," Giambi said of Rodriguez's recent admission of steroid use. "The biggest thing is Alex did the right thing (by confessing). ... I hope he gets through this all right because he's a good friend." ..."

Giambi hopes game can move forward

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February 12

San Jose Mercury News

columnist Tim Kawakami

"Jason Giambi knew what was coming, and, it must be noted, he still showed up at Treasure Island on Wednesday. Showed up and sat in on a Comcast SportsNet baseball panel with A's owner Lew Wolff and answered questions about steroids, Alex Rodriguez and Miguel Tejada. Showed up and later waded into the media maw, with cameras rolling "... and answered questions about steroids, A-Rod and Tejada. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Mark McGwire never did this and probably never could imagine doing anything of the sort. It's all part of the Great Giambi Tour of General Steroid Remorse, Penance and Renewal, in which he grits his teeth, tries to smile and dreams of a quieter time. Jason, after the ..."

A giant welcome back, Jason Giambi

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January 12

San Francisco Examiner

columnist Bob Frantz

"Dear Jason, Welcome back to the Bay, G-man! You've gotta be lovin' life again! You get to grow that hair back out, and start partyin' like a rock star, rakin' like an All-Star, and ... I forget how the rest of that goes. Anyway, you gotta help me out here and answer just one question for me: How'd you do it? How'd you pull it off? Seriously, dude, you gotta let me in on the secret. Maybe you can't, if it's all about pigment, cause I can't do anything about that. But if there's something else, you gotta help me, bro. I just don't get it. I mean, we were both doing the same thing at about the same time, right? I jumped on the BALCO juice and stole a home run title; you jumped on it and stole ..."

Giambi reaches deal to reunite with A's

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January 7

MLB.com

"After splitting the first 14 years of his career with the A's, for whom he debuted in 1995, and the Yankees, with whom he signed as a free agent after the 2001 season, Jason Giambi has officially returned to Oakland. As expected, the A's on Wednesday announced that they've signed Giambi to a one-year contract with a club option for 2010. Details of the contract were not announced, but according to multiple sources, it includes a 2009 salary of between $4 million-$4.5 million, with the option worth about $5.5 million. An option buyout of $1.5 million and annual incentive packages worth up to $250,000 also are said to be part of the deal. Giambi, who turns 38 on Thursday, took a physical in ..."

Giambi Back With A's

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January 7

New York Post

"Jason Giambi is back to where it all started and hopeful he can recapture some of his former glory. Two days shy of his 38th birthday, Giambi yesterday agreed to a one-year deal with the Athletics worth $4.5 million. The contract includes an option for 2010 at $5 million with a $1 million buyout. The deal is pending a physical scheduled for today. Giambi did not receive much interest in the free-agent market. The A's and Rays were the two teams considering signing him, but Tampa Bay signed ex-Phillie Pat Burrell on Monday to a two-year, $16 million contract. So Giambi's decision to return to Oakland was not a difficult one. He played the first seven years of his career with the A's ..."

A's-Giambi reunion pending physical

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January 6

MLB.com

"Jason Giambi's Oakland homecoming is a done deal, only a physical away from becoming official. Tying a bow around day-long reports that the free-agent first baseman and the A's were nearing an agreement, the New York Post reported Tuesday night that the two have signed off on a one-year contract with a 2010 club option. Giambi is scheduled to undergo the physical on Wednesday, the last step before the reunion becomes official. Confirming details reported earlier, the Post pegged Giambi's 2009 salary at $3.5 million, with the $5 million option for next season carrying a $1 million buyout. Giambi broke into the Majors in 1995 with Oakland under the wing of incumbent first baseman Mark ..."

Giambi, A's close to deal

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January 6

San Francisco Chronicle

"The A's on Monday announced they have a new radio home, but within the next few days, they could make far bigger news: The team nearly has former Oakland first baseman Jason Giambi back in the fold. A team source said Monday that the A's are moving toward completing a deal with the free-agent designated hitter, who came to the big leagues with Oakland and won the AL MVP award while with the A's in 2000. A major-league source said there's widespread belief that a package already is in place and that an announcement could be imminent. Oakland's top competition for Giambi, Tampa Bay, signed DH/outfielder Pat Burrell on Monday and the Rays' top brass indicated it no longer would pursue any ..."

Griffey would like to play for Rays

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January 5

San Francisco Chronicle

"Five teams have shown interest in outfielder Ken Griffey Jr., agent Brian Goldberg told SI.com. According to Goldberg, three American League teams and two NL teams have expressed some level of interest. The Mariners and Rays are known to be two of the AL teams eyeing Griffey, who'd like to play at least one more season. A friend of Griffey's said that the power-hitter would love to play for Tampa Bay, which is less than two hours from his Orlando home. The Rays are looking for hitters, and though Griffey's on their list, other younger players, such as Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, and perhaps Jason Giambi or Garrett Anderson might be higher on it. Griffey had his left knee drained three times ..."

Giambi Meets With Friedman, Maddon

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December 10

Tampa Tribune

"Much of the buzz around Jason Giambi this week has had him returning to Oakland, but the Rays obviously don't think that's the case. And Giambi's decision to have dinner with Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon late Monday night would seem to validate it. "I can't imagine [Giambi to Oakland is] done, or I don't think they would have wasted their time or our time," Friedman said today. "I don't know how it's going to play out." What is clear is the mutual interest. As with the Rays' meeting with Milton Bradley earlier yesterday, Friedman characterized it as a get-to-know-you session. The Rays obviously have seen plenty of Giambi the last few years and like his makeup as a hitter. He would fit in ..."

Tampa Bay Rays meet with free-agent slugger Giambi

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December 10

St. Petersburg Times

"The Rays know about the power, on-base percentage and clubhouse presence Jason Giambi could add to their team. They got a sense of his personality and flair during a late-night dinner Monday at the trendy N9NE Steakhouse, including manager Joe Maddon being summoned to the kitchen for a photo with celebrity chef Barry Dakake and Giambi. "I've always been a fan of his," Maddon said. "I just like the zeal with which he plays the game. I know from other people he's a great teammate, not just a good teammate, and he's still got a lot left in the tank. … He's the kind of guy that makes everybody better that's around him." Giambi, 37, was the second free-agent hitter the Rays held a get-to-know ..."

Giambi's, Pavano's option declined

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November 4

MLB.com

"In a pair of paperwork decisions that were anticipated for months, the Yankees declined their 2009 options on first baseman Jason Giambi and right-hander Carl Pavano on Tuesday, officially making both players free agents. The 37-year-old Giambi completed his seventh season in New York, batting .247 with 19 doubles, 32 home runs and 96 RBIs in 145 games. The Yankees held a $22 million option for 2009 on Giambi's original seven-year, $120 million contract signed before the 2002 season, buying him out instead for $5 million. Remaining healthy and on the field, Giambi exceeded expectations by making 112 starts at first base, ranking second on the club in home runs and recording his eighth ..."

Giambi Wants To Remain With Yankees

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September 26

New York Post

"The Yankees haven't made Jason Giambi an offer, but according to the first baseman, they have been asking what he wants to do next year. "I talked to Cash (GM Brian Cashman), and he asked me if I was interested (in returning) and I said I was definitely interested," Giambi said before the Yankees' 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays last night at Rogers Centre. "He said, 'Do you think you want to go to the West Coast.' I told him I enjoyed winning and playing on good baseball teams." Having Giambi back doesn't fit with the Yankees' need to get younger and more athletic. He will be 38 in January and his "Dancing Bear" nickname tells you about his lack of nimbleness that forces him to run the bases ..."

Yanks Not Ruling Out Giambi Return

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September 23

New York Post

"Early yesterday morning Jason Giambi stood in the middle of the clubhouse and understood there was a chance he had played his final game at Yankee Stadium and in pinstripes. "I have had an unbelievable seven years," Giambi said. "The first couple of years I did real well and then I was the Comeback Player of the Year. And I got to play with Derek Jeter." While Giambi may have sounded like he was putting seven high-wire years in the past, the Yankees haven't ruled out bringing back the man with many nicknames (Big G, Dancing Bear, Big Sexy), a productive bat and no enemies. "I wouldn't say that," GM Brian Cashman said when asked if the door was closed on Giambi, who will become a free agent ..."

Giambi's legacy with Yankees? Generosity

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September 17

Newsday

columnist Ken Davidoff

"It could be that Jason Giambi's finest hour as a Yankee didn't occur on the field, or in the dugout, or in front of a grand jury in San Francisco. No, Giambi, whose colorful Yankees tenure is very likely coming to an end after seven memorable seasons, arguably shined the brightest in a back room of the Yankees' clubhouse, in the fall of 2003. The Yankees were holding their "shares meeting," when the players who have been on the club for the entire season convene and decide how to divvy up the bonus given out by the commissioner's office to the 12 teams that finish in first and second place. Votes are taken on players who spent only a portion of the season with the club, as well as support ..."

Jason Loses Bout With Bathroom Door

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September 4

New York Post

"Jason Giambi wishes he had a sexier story to explain the gash on the corner of his right eyelid that cause discoloring and swelling. "I would like to have something to tell you, something like a fight or anything else," Giambi said. "But it was nothing like that. I walked into the bathroom door at the hotel and split it open." The cut resembled a gash a boxer would get during a fight, but didn't keep Giambi out of the lineup. "There was so much blood the maid probably was wondering where the body was hid," said Giambi, whose third-inning double hiked his RBI total across the past seven games to nine and marked the seventh straight game he has plated at least one run."

Giambi Is A No-Go On Throw

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August 27

New York Post

"You snooze, you lose. Or maybe Jason Giambi really was awake and just afraid a throw home might produce an uglier result than holding the ball. Whatever the case, Giambi helped gift-wrap a run for the Red Sox in the fifth inning last night - one more reason, along with an awful performance by Alex Rodriguez, why the Yankees resembled a bunch of bozos in their 7-3 loss to Boston. With runners on second and third and two outs in the fifth, Jeff Bailey hit a grounder that struck third base, but popped into Rodriguez's glove. Rodriguez's throw to first was late, and Giambi watched as Coco Crisp raced across the plate behind Jed Lowrie. "[The throw] skipped off the grass and I couldn't get a ..."

Pettitte, Giambi excel, but are they clean?

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July 21

Newsday

columnist Wallace Matthews

"Taken at face value, this should be a heartwarming story, a tale of twin redemptions for Andy Pettitte and Jason Giambi. One suffered through an offseason of embarrassment, the other muddled through an April of abasement. Both came through in a big way in yesterday's 2-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium...It was a win to remember, to be sure. But was it a win to be proud of? Was it real? Was it clean? Those are the questions you'd rather not have to wrestle with, but considering the players involved and their well-publicized history, they refuse to go away."

The Duke can't duck Giambi

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July 21

San Francisco Chronicle

"Jason Giambi's success rate against Justin Duchscherer trumped the A's scanty offense and tilted the game the Yankees' way Sunday. Justin Duchscherer did his usual trick of allowing no more than two runs, but the A's All-Star still lost in Oakland's final regular-season game ever at Yankee Stadium. New York completed a three-game sweep by topping the A's 2-1, and Giambi turned in the winning blow against Duchscherer, his personal home run-ATM. Oakland has dropped five games in a row for the first time since September, and the team has fallen nine games behind the Angels in the AL West."

Giambi Has Ace's Number

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July 21

New York Post

"All-Star Justin Duchscherer came into Yankee Stadium yesterday leading the majors in ERA. Jason Giambi, though, continued to clobber him. Giambi's go-ahead solo homer off Duchscherer in the sixth inning was critical, lifting the Yankees to a 2-1 lead over the A's, a score they'd eventually win by. It was also another degree of success for Giambi against Duchscherer. The way Alex Rodriguez mashes Bartolo Colon and Shawn Green used to dominate John Smoltz, Giambi basically owns the Oakland righty. With yesterday's homer, Giambi is now 6-for-8 with four homers against Duchscherer in his career. Two of the homers have come this season, including one on June 11."

Cheers for Giambi, but Silence for Bonds

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July 12

New York Times

"Barry Bonds must be kicking himself. As he watches Jason Giambi morph from pariah to hero, being feted with mustache day at Yankee Stadium in support of a failed All-Star candidacy, Bonds has to be thinking, â??You mean, all I had to do was say I did it.â?"

Despite 'stache, Jason Giambi's no All-Star this season

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July 11

New York Daily News

"Giambi lost out to Evan Longoria, the Rays third baseman who won the fan vote for the final spot on the American League roster. White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye finished second, with Giambi coming in third ahead of Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts and Royals outfielder Jose Guillen."

Giambi Growth Grows On Fans

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July 10

New York Post

"The mustache might not get Jason Giambi to the All-Star Game and it certainly won't win him any beauty contests, but it has taken on a life of its own. "I grew it a few years ago, the fans weren't ready for it," Giambi said before the Yankees won their fourth straight with a 2-1, 10-inning victory in The Bronx. Now, evidently, they are. The first 20,000 fans who arrived at the Stadium received fake mustaches, and various employees also donned the ridiculous looking imitation facial hair - including Joe Girardi in his postgame session with the media."

Hair Ye, Hair Ye! Vote For Jason!

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July 8

New York Post

"It's not quite on the level of Hillary Clinton endorsing Barack Obama, but Jason Giambi's candidacy for the AL All-Star squad received a boost yesterday. From the American Mustache Institute. "It doesn't take a mathematician to figure out that Jason Giambi's hitting prowess plus a fashionable mustache equals a bona fide All-Star," Aaron Perlut, the AMI's executive director, said yesterday in a release issued by the Yankees."

With a Few Powerful Swings, Giambi Turns His Season Around

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June 29

New York Times

"Jason Giambi insisted he was not thinking about the possibility of making the American League All-Star team. Giambi moved his head from side to side and widened his eyes to punctuate his point. Really, Giambi said and tried to show, it is something he has not pondered. But, once the subject was broached and once Giambi was asked how it would feel to complete his resurrection from a seemingly spent slugger to an All-Star again, he embraced the idea. If Giambi truly has not thought about the game, he definitely did after he was quizzed about being at Yankee Stadium on July 15. "That would be awesome," said Giambi, the Yankees' first baseman. "That would be cool.""

Yankees' Jason Giambi a hero to mustache growers everywhere

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June 24

New York Daily News

"Turns out the answers to Jason Giambi's early season problems may have been right under his nose. Through a brutal early start that saw his averageto .191 on May 18, Yankees slugger Jason Giambi kept a stiff upper lip. Then on a lark, Giambi decided to join his teammate Johnny Damon in growing a mustache. The rest is the stuff of legend. "It's for fun," Giambi told the Daily News. "Johnny (Damon) and I were joking one day because we were both kind of scuffling. We did it as a joke and over the long haul of the season, you have to find things to break up the monotony of it.""

A Rousing Revival For Giambi

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June 23

New York Post

columnist Mike Vaccaro

"IT wasn't just that Jason Giambi was strug gling, of course. He was done. He was Done, capital D. He was D-U-N. You wondered if he had to ask the clubhouse boys to get him an extra-large jersey, the better to accommodate the fork sticking out of his back, he was so done. It wasn't just that Giambi was hitting a buck-fifty in early May, of course. He was lumbering on the basepaths (since, inexplicably, pitchers were still scared enough of the name on the scoreboard that they kept walking and hitting him). He was a crazy Coney Island thrill ride defensively."

Jason Giambi, Yankees fired up with power because of mustache

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June 20

New York Daily News

"Giambi, 37, is now the most productive home run hitter in the majors, entering Thursday's games leading baseball in home-run ratio (at-bats per home run) at 11.4. He was also 10th in OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) at .979 and tied for 10th in homers (17). Since he was batting .150 on May4, he has hit .333 to lift his average to .259. Giambi says persistence and newfound health after foot surgery saw him through his slide. Others may credit his slump-busting golden thong, which got a lot of media attention earlier this season although Giambi says he's worn it during struggles for 12 years, or his new mustache."

In Oakland, Giambi Talks of Unmet Goals in New York

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June 11

New York Times

"Asked about a return to the A's, Giambi mentioned the unfinished business he has in New York. He has played in one World Series, in 2003, but has not won the title he had hoped to deliver. They've got great young players over here, he said of the A's. I don't know what would go with the situation. I love playing in New York, and I still have a World Series to win."

Giambi's impact on A's hardly eroded over time

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June 10

Contra Costa Times

"HIS IMAGE IS on the wall in the hallway at the A's clubhouse entrance framed along with the rest of the Sports Illustrated covers that have highlighted the team during its 40 years in Oakland. It's also inside a cubicle in the far corner. Eric Chavez has a picture taped to the inside of his locker, a constant reminder of the one-time teammate he still "loves like a brother." Beyond that, however, and you'd never know Jason Giambi once roamed these grounds. Well, aside from the boos that figure to accompany his every plate appearance at his old home this week. But even those are not nearly as full as vitriol as they once were. After all, time tends to change things, and in case you ..."

Make no mistake, Giambi is red-hot after early slump

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June 9

Newark Star-Ledger

"That slump that dogged Jason Giambi throughout April and into the beginning of May now seems as distant as wintry weather. That might not be a coincidence, according to Giambi, whose bat has been heating up along with the temperature. He had another home run yesterday, his third in four games, and with 14 this season has matched his total from last year's injury-plagued campaign. "Right now I'm getting that maybe one mistake in an at-bat and doing something with it," Giambi said. Since his average dipped to .150 on May 4, Giambi has hit .360 in 26 games to raise his batting average to .259. Of his 43 hits this season, 23 have been for extra bases."

No Magic For Giambi This Time

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June 7

New York Post

columnist Jay Greenberg

"Jason Giambi, Thursday's ninth- inning hero, was back at the plate in the eighth last night with the tying run at second, the lead run at first, and the crowd sustaining the Yankees' momentum with a roar that seemed 30 hours in the build-up. Then Royals lefty Ron Mahay threw a 1-2 forkball. And, in perfect metaphor to the Yankees season, Giambi started to swing, held up, and got rung up by home plate umpire Ed Montague."

Giambi KOs Jays in 9th

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June 6

Toronto Star

"The Blue Jays lost their 123rd game at Yankee Stadium yesterday. And while there have been tougher setbacks over the years, this one – its ultimate significance not yet known – was especially hard to digest. With Toronto just one strike away from victory, Yankee pinch-hitter Jason Giambi played spoiler with a two-run bomb that iced a 9-8 New York victory."

Jason Comes Through In Pinch

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June 6

New York Post

columnist Mike Vaccaro

"All afternoon, as the Yankees kept slipping on banana peels, Jason Giambi quietly waited for a look from his manager, a glance, an opportunity to put on a batting helmet, try to stanch the bleeding. All afternoon, as the Blue Jays built a 7-2 lead, then an 8-6 lead, as all the woes and the worries that suck the Yankees in like quicksand - sweaty bullpen, empty clutch hitting, the suddenly ultra-vulnerable Chien-Ming Wang - Joe Girardi patiently waited for an opening to tap his wounded first baseman, point him toward the batter's box."

Sore Foot KO's Giambi

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June 5

New York Post

"The most impressive thing about Jason Giambi across the first two months was that he stayed healthy. He missed two games in early April with a left groin issue but that has been it. Now Giambi, who leads the Yankees' in home runs (11) and is second in RBIs (29), is nursing a tender left foot that kept him out of the lineup lat night against the Blue Jays. "It's still a little sore and there is a tad bit of swelling," said Giambi, who was hit by a pitch in the foot in the sixth inning of Tuesday night's 9-3 loss and left the game two innings later. X-rays taken Tuesday night were negative."

Robinson Cano, Jason Giambi hit back

May 25

New York Daily News

"Robinson Cano entered May hitting an anemic .155. Jason Giambi wasn't much better at .160. But with one week left in the month, both players' bats are slowly heating up. Cano went 4-for-4 with three doubles, tying his career-high for most hits in a game, while Giambi was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, in the Yankees' 12-6 victory yesterday over Seattle at the Stadium."

The Bombers are finally back as Jason Giambi & Co. sink Mariners

May 25

New York Daily News

"Something's changed around the team, however, and Jose Veras eventually got Beltre to ground out to second five pitches later, sealing a 12-6 Yankee victory in front of a sellout crowd of 53,512 at the Stadium. Cue handshakes and Sinatra again - and, the Yankees hope, a continuation of their strong play of late. The Yankees are still in last place in the AL East, but everything looks a lot better. Robinson Cano and Jason Giambi, two scapegoats much of the season, combined to go 7-for-8 Saturday, including a Giambi three-run homer and three doubles among Cano's four hits, which matched a career high."

Cano And Giambi Find 'Good Luck'

May 25

New York Post

"The science of hitting. It can be as difficult as quantum physics, as frustrating as square pegs for round holes. Witness Jason Giambi and Robinson Cano contributing to the Yankee offense's collective early season impersonation of a medical cadaver. But lately, Giambi and Cano are at the forefront of the Yankees' offensive awakening. Both yesterday pointed to a couple elements that helped fuel their turnaround. "Some good luck," Cano said. "We can feel our faces," Giambi said. "We were freezing out there. The weather's not as cold anymore."OK, so maybe it's not really Rubik's Cube."

Giambi Sings New Thong

May 18

New York Post

"Maybe it was the thong working its magical powers. A day after it came out that Jason Giambi sometimes dons a sensual, golden undergar ment to shake out of batting slumps, the Yankee first baseman - in a horrendous funk all year - had one of his most produc tive days, even though the Bombers lost 7-4 to the Mets at the Stadium in the Subway Series opener. "I've been pleased all year," Giambi said after going 2-for-4 with his team-leading eighth homer off Johan Santana and a bloop single to right field off Billy Wagner. "I got a couple to fall in today.""

Jason Giambi and his magic gold thong

May 17

New York Daily News

"The key to turning the Yankees season around could be under Jason Giambi's pinstriped pants. The Yankee slugger revealed Friday he slips on a gold lamé thong with a flame-line waistband when he's trying to get out of a hitting slump - and he's shared it with his teammates. "It works every time," Giambi told the Daily News after his secret was outed on Portfolio.com."

O-Fer For Giambi

April 18

New York Post

"Maybe Jason Giambi should leave some bats behind this weekend to have Pope Benedict XVI perform an exorcism on them. There seems to be some evil spirits in them and right now, it looks like Giambi's last season as a Yankee might be a microcosm for his time in The Bronx - great expectations with little results."