The 37-year-old designated hitter spent the last seven seasons with the New York Yankees. Although he had some good moments, most Yankee fans consider his time in New York a disappointment. Part of the reason where the amazingly high expectation he had after signing with the Yankees as a free agent.

The last time Giambi was with the A’s, he was putting up fantastic stats. In 2001, Giambi finished his final year in Oakland with 38 homers, 120 RBIs, a batting average of .342 and an on-base percentage of .477. During his seven years in New York, he never matched that batting average or on-base percentage and only surpassed 120 RBIs once.

If Giambi heads back to Oakland, it will likely be for a one-year contract but he’ll get a chance to likely be the day in and day out designated hitter. He won’t reclaim his 2001 magic but he might have enough juice left to have a solid season.

Photo credit: Newscom

Post from: Knuckle Curve

According to further reports, Giambi was only being playful with Roberts and wasn’t trying to start a fight. However, was this appropriate conduct on a baseball field? Watch the Giambi video and judge for yourself.

I wonder if Jason Giambi was wearing his golden thong. On second thought, I don’t want to wonder about that.

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Giambi says that he wears the golden thong to help him when he’s slumping at the plate. He also indicated that some of his current and former teammates also put on the golden thong to help bust slumps.

Recently, the Chicago White Sox got criticized for their slump busting technique. You see, the White Sox used blowup dolls as slump busters and some members of the media apparently got offended.

Seeing that Giambi is hitting .181 on the season, there’s a good chance he’s wearing that golden thong – a lot. Perhaps even on a daily basis. That is not a good mental picture.

File this one under TMI.

Please tell me this isn’t Jason Giambi wearing his thong.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Knuckle Curve

The Yankees are now 20-22 and in last place in the AL East. The Rays, with a record of 24-17, are in first place.

How can the Yankees turn save their season?

1. Get Healthy
The Yankees are dealing with a number of injuries at the moment. Most prominently, the team is without Hall of Fame third baseman Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez has a strained quadriceps that has kept him out of the lineup for the entire month of May. In that time, Rodriguez has only been seen choking in the delivery room. Besides Rodriguez, veteran catcher Jorge Posada and young starter Phil Hughes are also battling injuries. Posada has a shoulder injury, while Hughes has a broken rib.

2. Get Hitting
The Bronx Bombers are more like the Bronx Bunters this year. No player on the team is having that great of a season at the plate. Jason Giambi leads the team with seven homeruns – but he also has a batting average of .184. Veterans like Bobby Abreu and Derek Jeter are having decent but not great seasons. Young players like Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera haven’t lived up to their potential. The Yankees need a hot bat to emerge.

3. Get Pitching Depth
Chien-Ming Wang has been very good for the Yankees this year. Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte have had their ups and downs but overall they have been good enough. The problem is the rest of the rotation is in shambles. The Yankees were hoping that Hughes and Ian Kennedy could be the other two starts, but Hughes is hurt and Kennedy has been ineffective. Whether it’s a trade or a young pitcher stepping up, the Yankees need a more balanced rotation.

4. Get Torre?
While the Yankees are struggling, Joe Torre has the Los Angeles Dodgers at 21-19. Could the Yankees be showing signs of missing Torre? Perhaps. George Steinbrenner and his twin son Hank Steinbrenner won’t give current manager Joe Girardi as much leeway as they gave Torre. If the Yankees don’t turn it around ASAP, Girardi might be sent packing.

Does Joe Girardi Hear Joe Torre’s Footsteps?

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Knuckle Curve

Heard it from a friend who
Heard it from a friend who
Heard it from another…
–REO Speedwagon, “Take It on the Run”

Not to dwell on the Yankees, but right now they’ve got the funniest coverage in baseball. On the heels of O’Neillgate, now we have a report that Jason Giambi is “in great shape.” Beyond the fact that this is one of everyone’s favorite spring training cliches, I love the way we’ve come to learn about Giambi’s condition: The reporter, Peter Abraham, heard it from Yankees minor-league pitcher Ian Kennedy, who heard it from a friend of Giambi.

Really, if that doesn’t convince you that Giambi is in great shape, then I don’t know what will.

Post from: Knuckle Curve