The Big G: “He’s a guy that gets it”
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- September
- 29
Here’s what kind of person Jason Giambi is.
Two Boston players, Gil Velazquez and George Kottaras, had the first hits of their careers in that long, sloppy game on Friday night. Velazquez had a single in the fourth inning, Kottaras had a double in the fifth.
On both occasions, The Big G made sure that the ball was tossed into the Boston dugout. He also congratulated both players when he had a chance. The Boston players were talking yesterday about how impressed they were with Giambi’s sportsmanship.
“He’s a guy that gets it,” Kottaras told The Boston Globe.
There is little chance that Giambi will be back with the Yankees next season. Some team will give him a two-year deal, maybe the Blue Jays or Mariners. The Yankees need to get younger and move on.
But they will miss Giambi on the field and off. He’s is a guy that gets it, as Kottaras said. It was the Big G who shamed his cheapskate teammates into giving the coaches and support staff bigger postseason shares a few years ago. He’s the guy who will take a rookie out for dinner and he signs autographs for kids every chance he gets.
In a lot of ways, he’s a throwback to guys like Mantle, Ford and Martin who knew how to be good players and have a good time.
The Yankees will no doubt field a strong lineup next season. But a .373 OBP, 32 homers and 96 RBI won’t be easy to replace. And forget replacing that personality.
I wish I could tell you some of the great lines Giambi has had over the years but I’d get fired in a minute. Suffice it to say, he’s one of the few people I’ve ever met who can use a certain word as a noun, adjective, adverb and verb, sometimes all in the same sentence.
Good luck to Jason. He has some ups and down in pinstripes but he was never boring.
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on Monday, September 29th, 2008 at 4:06 am by Peter Abraham.
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Peter Abraham
Big G showed everyone he still has plenty in the tank, I wish him the best.
He went through many highs and lows with the team but through it all you could just sense that he was a very good guy. He will be missed.
Since Michael Kay said several times that Giambi wants to play another 4 years, I doubt he’ll have another go with the Yankees. And if they are going to get younger and more athletic, well, then he certainly doesn’t fit the bill.
His numbers this year are definitely good enough to get him a job elsewhere, probably fairly easily, but like other guys on the team this season, there were so many more opportunities unfulfilled – opportunities which would have sent his numbers into the stratosphere, by the way, if he’d taken advantage of them.
He’s been a good guy. I’ve enjoyed him. He’s enthusiastic and shows his joy for the game. From the outside looking in, and from what Pete shares about him, he certainly seems like a great teammate, not a good one, but a great one. The ‘stache support this year for the all-star game was just pure fun.
I wish Jason Giambi all good things going forward. He will be missed.
I admire Jason for telling the truth about the roids. While most hid and let time take its course he did what was right.
He was certainly a character and I’ll miss reading amusing little anecdotes about him. His production from his good years will be missed as well. Hope he does well.
i’ll miss giambi and mussina on this team. shame they couldn’t win here.
I had the privilege of being at the stadium before the gates opened to fans a couple of years ago. I was down in the front row by the on-deck circle while the team came out to stretch. Only two people came over, Donnie and Jason. He didn’t have to do that, but he went out of his way to come over to me, some 20 year old kid, shake my hand, thank me for coming out so early, and sign a ball. I see pete’s point about his personality, too: he told me to head out to the seats in right before other fans got in and he’d hit a couple balls out there for me.
Say what you want about the mistakes he made, but no one has played harder or cared more about helping this team win than Giambi. Too bad he couldn’t get himself a championship.
Jason Giambino…. Gotta Love , admire and respect the man for the way he carried himself during his tenure as a New York Yankee. It would be nice for him to come back as a DH, but we have Matsui, Damon, and possibly Manny Ramirez coming to New York.
He’s a guy that cheated himself and the game of baseball for taking steroids. He sort of apologized for that a few years ago. I know he’s making amends now, and seems like a “Great Guy” who “Gets it”. The fact of the matter is that this guy cheated to make himself millions upon millions of dollars. If it was any poor joe schmoe, they would be in jail. He should be happy, he’s been an average player for the past five years, and made 100M for it.
Giambi might have been considered for another year at much less money if he hit the ball to the opposite field more often. The monster pull swing caused the shift he hit into many times.
He’s also a victim of age, a less than adequate 1st baseman, and too many DH types on the team.
Mussina will be back because he is an athlete and all athletes want to play their sport again eventually. Just ask Brett Favre. Mike Mussina just had the best year of his career and he’s thinking, why not enjoy a few more? If we want him back, he will be back. 1 yr 10 mil with an 8 mil player option sounds good to me.
Giambi is good enough to play on this team and he would help us next year, but he would end up blocking other players from coming in if he is resigned for more than a year.
I hope to see him in the AL somewhere, DHing, maybe Oakland. Wouldn’t that be fun?
He seems like a great guy. I view him as another case of a player who should have been a lifer on the team he came up with. He should have taken very good-
but less-money to stay in Oakland. He would have been an icon there.I think the same thing about A-Rod in Seattle, too.
“If we want him back, he will be back. 1 yr 10 mil with an 8 mil player option sounds good to me.”
He won 20 games and was their best pitcher. He’s not coming back at a pay cut.
Going by the comments here, a lot of fans underappreciated Giambi. But his offense has been excellent for all but two years of his contract.
I will miss his power and batting eye, one of the best in the game.
I will not miss the mysterious injuries, the poor defense, the infuriating refusal to hit the ball to left for easy base hits, and the legacy of PED use.
As big as his contract was, we may replace him with an even bigger contract in Teixeira. Sometimes you have to shell out the big bucks to reign in the best hitters. When we signed Giambi, he was a modern day Gehrig. Even today, he’s still one of the better hitters in the league.
My question is: if they had it to do over again, would the Yankees sign Giambi to the same contract? My gut reaction is no. But it’s a tough call.
Braintrust: Giambi will never live down his involvement with steroids. However, the fact that he used steroids doesn’t vitiate every good or admirable quality the guy has. It’s not like he killed somebody.
Also, you state that “any poor joe schmoe . . . would be in jail” for using steroids. That’s just false. Steroids possession is of course prosecutable, but in the absence of a prior criminal history, it is highly unlikely to result in a jail sentence.
68 runs scored is just not enough.
Jeremy,
Not a chance.
-Ryan
i’ll miss giambi and mussina on this team. shame they couldn’t win here.
Mussina will be back next season. He wants to play for the Yankees, just won 20 games, and the Yankees will want some veteran presence in the rotation. I think Mussina and Pettitte will both be back, and they will add one or two big starters (CC, Burnett, Garland, others)..
Im not dellusional to think we can get everyone we want to get, but after seeing CC this year, they need to throw as much money as it takes at him. if his asking price is 6 years/ 150 mil , offer him 6 years/ 165 mil. Whatever it takes.
I am really going to miss Giambi but we have to cut the emotional cord on some of these old timers and move on.
Once he’s off the team and there’s no conflict of interest, why not pitch him to write a book, Pete?
“Big G.” There’s your title.
Pete—I have to disagree with you here. I think Giambi’s at bat in the 8th inning last night epitomizes what was wrong with the Yanks this year and in recent years. He had a man on third, one out, and a tie score. The infield was overshifted. The first pitch was a fastball on the outside part of the plate, which he could have poked to left field for a cheap hit and the lead. He takes it for a strike. Ultimately, he takes a huge swing and pops up, and the Yanks do not score. This is someone who is very strong and ought to be able to hit sac flies regularly, especially in tight games. It reminds me of the 2001 playoff game (right after the Jeter play game) when the Yanks got 3 in the top of the first and El Duque promptly loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the inning for Giambi. If the A’s score one or two runs, they’re right back in the game with eight innings to go. A sac fly to right means one run and a man on third with one out, so a good chance for two. Again, Giambi hits a huge pop-up to second, the next batter GIDP, inning over, Yanks still up 3-0, we all know the rest of that story.
Unfortunately, this fits in with the SI story on ARod from a few years back, where ARod had gotten a couple of cheap hits that produced runs during a doubleheader sweep against the Red Sox and Giambi put him down because he didn’t hit some huge home run. I recall that alot of O’Neill’s hits weren’t pretty as was the case with alot of Jeter’s, but they could still beat you just as effectively as with the hard liners they also got.
So Jason may be a nice guy, but he has used his presence in the clubhouse to take away from winning baseball. As a hitter, he was good for a home run or, if he got on base, for a run if someone else hit a home run, but that was about it. We were a better team with Tino at first, and we should look for someone more like Tino than like Jason as our next first baseman.
Above all, Pete, thanks for great coverage and a fun blog. I hope you keep it going in some form during the hot stove league, but get some well-earned breaks in there as well. Cheers. Paul.
Braintrust is dead on. He was a decent left-handed hitter who appeared to be an MVP-HOF type of offensive player because of steroid/HGH use. He cashed in on an illusion. Also, I don’t consider him better than the other cheaters just because he told the truth—eventually—under duress—to the Feds. If they didn’t close in on him and others, he never would have come clean on his own accord.
He was afraid, not brave.
The Giambino seems like the guy on the team that I’d love to have a beer, or more appropriately, a few shots of Jack Daniels with. Although Derek Jeter is a consumate professional and greatest all-around Yankee leader and player of my lifetime, Giambi seems more human and accessible. The playoff shares thing is a great story and an example of this. I could see Giambi, who I know lives in the Las Vegas during the offseason, chowing down at one of the casino buffets and since I’m in Vegas several times a year visiting family, I always wish I could see him around town.
Even though Giambi had some weird injuries in the 2003-2004 period (we could have used a more productive Giambi in 2004 but we still would have Kevin Brown pitching), Giambi has played hard for us, shown some team leadership (trying to get A-Rod in gear), and of course, sported the best NY baseball ‘stache since Keith Hernandez. These days, mustaches are out-of-style unless you’re in adult films or if your name is Borat. The ‘stache is a good way to rebel against contemporary style while conforming with the Yankees rules on grooming (short hair and no beards and goatees). Even Don Mattingly was fined for his mullet when he played.
But we need to move on. The Giambino could still drive in runs and has a lot of power left. But we need some nimbler feet at first base and a hitter that will spread out his hits across the field. Mark Texiera is not the answer and if the Angels win the WS, they’ll probably keep him.
It would be nice to see Giambi back in Oakland. But the A’s won’t pony up $8-$10M for him unless if Billy Beane thinks his A’s could squeeze out at least 85-90 wins in 2009. And we sadly know, 85-90 wins doesn’t guarantee an AL playoff spot, even in divisions that Hank Steinbrenner would consider weak. So, I’m not expecting Billy Beane to pull the trigger even though he loves guys who hit HRs and draw walks. But watching Giambi play in Oakland, he seemed very happy there and early in this century, he was king there.
giambi also took shortcuts that got him $100+ mil dollars.
The Gman, what is not to like. Yeah he had some faults, but nobody can infer that he didn’t give what he had. He was an asset and will be an asset wherever he goes. The roid era was just that. You have to earn your money by competing for it. I think it would be very difficult in that time slot to allow yourself to be bypassed by the competition for your job, by not taking the same advantages your competitors use. When you compete for 20+million a year, you do what seems necessary to compete. Unfortunately it was roids. All but the first users were more or less victims of circumstance. Not excusing just understanding the dilemma.
My guess is he puts up very good numbers next year, unless he signs only to dh. Don’t think that role fits him, mindset, and not just anyone will enjoy success at dh. Good luck and good years Jason, I did appreciate having you here.
Giambi is/was awesome. I wish he was a little younger so the Yankees could maybe think about a one or two year deal. He was one of the best hitting Yankee first baseman ever. NoMaas posted his OPS+ being second to only Gehrig. Good luck wherever you go Jason.
I agree that the Yankees need to get younger but its going to be hard to replace both Giambi’s and Abreu’s offense, upgrade starting pitching and work to get younger overnight.
Its most important that the team get younger and athletic at the skill positions. Before someone jumps on me for underrating the importance of defense at 1B, I get that it would help to improve 1B defense but its still the least important position to have someone with range and athleticism. There is a reason why everyone puts the big slow guy at 1B.
I think the team would be smart to bring back either Giambi or Abreu (both not both) if they can do so on a 2 year contract with a reasonable 2nd year buyout or a 1 year with an option that vests. If they brought back Abreu, I’d trade Matsui for whatever they can get for him knowing its not going to be much. My guess is Abreu will take too many years so Giambi has the best chance to come back. That said, its still probably not likely but I can tell that I think its more likely than most people here do.
yeah will miss jason. but hey, good luck to him and his new team next season.
I’m not going to miss him. Ok, he’s a great guy – so what? He’s a great guy that refused to adjust his hitting style and the team paid the price for that. No thanks – I don’t like beer, so I don’t care if a player is someone I would want to drink with..or hang out with in any way. I like to like them as people, not just players, and I wouldn’t want players like Albert Belle or Barry Bonds on my team, but I will take a team full of Jeters over a team full of Giambi’s any day of the week.
I like Giambi and I hope he has a few more good years left in the tank for another team.
He admitted to cheating. He cheated. He stole money from me by cheating. He cheated while winning awards. Because of the way we found out makes him OK? Same for your other cheater, Petitte. Same boat.
Good blog though, the writer loves baseball first and is not a homer.
I will miss the hell out of Jason. Watching him work pitchers was a thing of beauty, and he seemed like a really genuine guy.
I’m bummed that he won’t be back.
Giambi’s a good guy who has had some great moments for the Yanks and some good years, but I don’t think they can bring him back, certainly not for more than 1 year. It’s not easy to replace the production he’s capable of, but there’s no guarantee that he could replicate this again, between age and his past, which for various reasons has been far from injury-free. The steroids thing doesn’t do him any favors, but I’d be shocked if he can duplicate this year again, especially playing as many games at 1B as he did this year.
would love to see the Big G out here in Seattle- don’t know where he would fit- a rational club might try to resign Ibanez for a lower price and DH him, however the Mariners are not ones to care about the defensive inadequacies about Ibanez so if they did resign him they’d probably dump him out in left field again.
maybe the mariners can sign Tex AND the Big G….that would be a fun line-up to watch…now if they could only get rid of Silva…
“i’ll miss giambi and mussina on this team. shame they couldn’t win here.”
pretty much…
Great comment, Paul. You nailed it.
I wouldn’t be shocked if Giambi comes back.2 years 24M. The guy can still hit.
I still have not seen the answer to this question: If not Giambi, than who?
Teixeira? (Yanks won’t want to match the long contract other teams will offer)
Other free agents? (Look at the list, they all SUCK)
Matsui-Damon-Posada pu-pu platter? (Yuck)
Youngster from within? (Who, Ransom?)
Seriously, where are you going to find .373 OBP, 32 homers and 96 RBI? Really, give me a name.
Bring the Big G back.
As good as it felt to boo A-Rod every time he blew it in the clutch, it was just as impossible to boo Bino when he did the same thing. Gonna miss him a lot.
giambi won we over. i started to root for him alot in his last couple of years. he wouldn’t be a bad option for one year, $8 mil if they dont sign texiera.
I think Giambi’s a player who’s been a good Yankee. Plenty of action for the highlight reels, and apparently a very good presence in the clubhouse, based on reports from those in a position to know. As for his abilities with the vernacular, spend some time around sailors, Pete. The ability to use a certain word in all its grammatical forms is a requirement for boot camp graduation (or at least it was in the past), and the post-graduate courses attended out at sea provide much more vocabulary versatility.
He was a bad signing, overpaid, all about stats and me first, not a team player. Swing from the heels or work a walk instead of moving a man over or a sac fly to drive in a run. Terrible defense, no arm and needed three hits to drive him in. Good riddance.
I can say from personal experience Giambi is everything Peter has been saying. During his time in Scranton, he was a leader and a mentor to the youth surrounding him. He was also very friendly with the media(though, I do understand it’s much less than he’s used to in New York). He’s someone who will go down in my book as one of the nicest players I’ve had the absolute pleasure of meeting in my short time in Scranton.
On a side note, I have to say, Clemens was the worst. No question there. This is BEFORE the blow up in the press conference mind you.
Jason Giambi is a class act. He might not have produced like expected in New York, but then again, who has in the clutch since 2000? He seems like a great teammate, always has a positive attitude, and has the right idea about life and honesty. I’ve had the pleasure to meet him twice, and he was nothing but a gentlemen. Giambi, I’d love to have you back, but if it’s not possible, I wish you the best of luck elsewhere.