Jason, come home!

by iceplant on Dec 6, 2004 11:22 AM PST

Say what you want about steroids and cheating, but Jason Giambi was good for Oakland. Are we all so affected by New York's influence on baseball as a whole that we forget what a happy, contagious place the A's clubhouse was with him in it? Even before the 'roids, Jason Giambi was a very good hitter. I think he could be again, maybe not the homer mashing MVP of 2001, but that's not what we'd need to pay him either. I bet he'd come back to Oakland for a song, either because the Yankees would pay for him to or because they are able to void his contract and Jason would do it on his own. At this point he is clearly damaged goods, and if his only benefit to the team is to put the kill back in Chavvy's mindset, that alone may be worth what we'd have to pay for him. Jason Giambi is a good man, and it seems only the people of Oakland that remember the real, pre-NY Jason Giambi know that. He's also emotionally fragile, just as Chavvy is, but I would guess he realizes that his best chance to resurrect his career, image and confidence is by playing in Green and Gold. Furthermore, IF he can still hit, he may just be the ultimate "under-valued" player.
He cheated (arguably, the rules being what they are, and just as many others did as I'm sure we'll all find out soon enough) and he'll wear a big scarlet letter for that. He was tempted by the allure of the bright lights and big city. And he wanted to be written into the history books with the all-time greats. He was not unique in these desires, and he paid with his reputation and his health - a pretty high price to pay. But he didn't hurt anyone that I know of, and I'd give him a shot at redemption. Am I nuts?

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Yes

you are nuts. no way he is in green and gold next year or any other year.

by boatshoes on Dec 6, 2004 11:29 AM PST reply actions

HEY BOATSHOES! Never say never

I agree, Jason's lifetime batting average in Oaktown is outstanding. So I ask.. if Juan gone can be rumored to be coming to Oakland, it seems plausible that the same can be true for giambi. Anyway, he has been humbled and I personally would forgive him and let him return to the A's. It's kinda funny, he is the one being tarnished, but Bonds, and Sheffield are not. Why? Maybe because bonds and sheff went off last year and Jason did not. at least jason came clean to the grandjury, more thasn i can say about bonds.

by oakwin2004 on Dec 6, 2004 12:19 PM PST reply actions

HEY OAKWIN2004

i never said never. the a's don't need another lefty first baseman. especially one with numbers that have gone down every year since 2001.

by boatshoes on Dec 6, 2004 12:35 PM PST reply actions

Does anybody wish he'd re-signed with Oakland?

Not me. NY can afford to carry a contract like that without getting any real production out of the player, but not Oakland. If he was our 1b last year, we would've finished behind Texas, and been financially hamstrung to boot. In Billy We Trust!

by ArakSOT on Dec 6, 2004 12:45 PM PST reply actions

giambi

I know you didn't say never, you said no way. anyway my point is for a low price he would be worth the gamble. We already have a lefty who puts up marginal numbers and his name is hatteberg. we cld always trade hatty, pick up giambi if the yanks dump him, and let him compete with D. Johnson at 1b. just a theory.

ps. araksot..there is no way to determine the chain of events that wld have occured if we signed giambi..we may have won in 2002 with miggy, chavy, giambi and the big 3..so stop it.

by oakwin2004 on Dec 6, 2004 12:58 PM PST reply actions

I love the A's

but if they ever bring him back, I'll never go to another game.

by Tony on Dec 6, 2004 1:02 PM PST reply actions

You're forgetting

You're forgetting that with Giambi on the team we'd be known as Team Steroids. Nevermind that Bonds and Sheffield also did the juice, you can be sure that the media would focus on Giambi and the A's. It'd be a PR nightmare and a huge distraction for the A's. Let the Yankees deal with Jason's steroid poster-boy status.

by OaktownTribesman on Dec 6, 2004 1:12 PM PST reply actions

giambi

i know giambi is hated because he is a greedy s.o.b.; but he just got caught up in being a yankee and the tradition, plus his daddy wld be proud. anyway, don't you think he deserves a 2nd chance? what if giambi hit .320 28hr 100 rbi next year witht he A's? would that be ok..lol..

by oakwin2004 on Dec 6, 2004 1:14 PM PST reply actions

No

I'd rather come in 3rd place with a team full of players I respect and can be proud of, than come in first with someone who buried the knife in our backs.

by Tony on Dec 6, 2004 1:39 PM PST up reply actions

He'd need to remake his image again...

His playing skills aside, he'd need to erase the clean-cut/corporate Yankees image right away. It wouldn't be enough to just go back to the slighty-edgy-but-safe, vaguely bad-boy/biker look he had with the A's- he'd need to go all-out. I'm talking heavy-duty crude prison-style tatts, drawing heavily on standard Inland Empire skulls/Satan/flames iconography, on every visible square inch of flesh. I, for one, would again become a huge Giambi fan if the camera caught him in the dugout using the Exene Cervenka sewing-needle-and-ballpoint-pen-ink technique to apply "E-A-T S-H-I-T" across his knucks. Naturally, he'd need to let his hair grow long and filthy and start driving a primered-out '71 Plymouth Satellite with dual tunnel-rammed Holley 850s and no mufflers.

Basically, I'm saying he'd need to go with the Lemmy Kilmister look (like this).

by AlamedaAphid on Dec 6, 2004 1:25 PM PST reply actions

lool @pic

sorda looks like randy johnson

by AsFan4Life on Dec 6, 2004 1:33 PM PST up reply actions

Hilarious!

Nice pic!

by McFood on Dec 6, 2004 2:57 PM PST up reply actions

Perhaps he could get some dogs ...

Actually, it sounds more like you're describing Paul "Cornfed" Schneider.

by monkeyball on Dec 7, 2004 7:48 AM PST up reply actions

Would you take back a cheating spouse?

I respect your comments about Jason's glory days with the green and gold- and you are correct in saying that he was a key part of our team- but would you take back a cheating spouse just because her new partner dumped her? I don't think so. Jason made his decision to chase the big bucks and indeed he got plenty of them- but we can never let him tarnish our grounds again.

The green machine

by greenmachine on Dec 6, 2004 1:50 PM PST reply actions

Good analogy

I was thinking the exact same thing. Dude was willing to excuse Giambi "because he got all caught up in the Yankee hype." So what? If my girlfriend cheats because she's drunk and caught up in the moment, I'm supposed to forgive her?

by Tony on Dec 6, 2004 1:53 PM PST up reply actions

Lousy analogy.

If you liken a baseball player to a cheating spouse, then you're taking the game way more seriously than the guys who are paid millions to play it.

by McFood on Dec 6, 2004 3:02 PM PST up reply actions

That's true....

And that's the sad thing. I bet most of us on AN take it more seriously than they do.

by Tony on Dec 6, 2004 10:46 PM PST up reply actions

Sticky Situation

I despise the guy as it is, and I can't imagine a scenario where I would want him back on the team. I can imagine that the scenario exists and I haven't thought of it yet, so, I would rate it at like a 99.982% chance that I would never want Giambi on the A's again.

by RichardP on Dec 6, 2004 1:57 PM PST reply actions

Check out this article on Giambi

This is a news article from New York about Giambi

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/259075p-221928c.html

Let's Go Oak-Land!

by Colorado Fan on Dec 6, 2004 2:14 PM PST reply actions

if he'ii help us win...

...and he is good to go then bring him in.

nothing else matters.

it's OK to steal-just don't let billy see ya.

by bigelephant on Dec 6, 2004 2:21 PM PST reply actions

I don't think he's going to hlp us win...

Look, he's now injury prone, thanks to the 'roids. Look he's damaged goods, he's not going to be the "extra something" to get us over the hump.

Before the steroid thing I could have been OK with a scenario in which Giambi would come back.

Now I don't want him back. Period. It's not just the whole "he a cheater" thing, it's also knowing he's not going to be the same production wise.

He's going to spend too much time on the DL and his production will see a ig dropoff. He's never going to play like he did when he was with the Green and Gold, ever again.

Steroids can really fuck someone up. Jason Giambi is living proof of that.

"Evil will always triumph because good is dumb." - Spaceballs

by secret ASian man on Dec 6, 2004 4:56 PM PST up reply actions

well, the magical word was...

IF.

i personally don't know what giambi's current state of health is BUT if he proved to be healthy AND presented himself at a cheap price you'd be a fool not to take a flier on him.

it's OK to steal-just don't let billy see ya.

by bigelephant on Dec 6, 2004 5:05 PM PST up reply actions

Maybe someone would want their $17 mil's worth?

If Giambi were proved to be healthy, why would the Yankees let him go? To prove a point? They appear to be okay with Sheffield. Why would Steinbrenner risk alienating his proved-to-be-healthy former MVP when he still has almost $100 million tied up in him?

by floyd on Dec 6, 2004 10:36 PM PST up reply actions

It would take balls for him to come back...

...and ask the fans' forgiveness. And I'd respect that. Gotta respect balls.

by AlamedaAphid on Dec 6, 2004 3:30 PM PST reply actions

Apparently his have shrivelled...

from too much steroid use.

by McFood on Dec 6, 2004 4:00 PM PST up reply actions

Ahhhh.....ha...ha...ha...ha.....

LOL.

by sf drift king on Dec 7, 2004 10:46 AM PST up reply actions

It aint' gonna happen,

no matter where you sit on this issue,

because,

there is to much $$ to eat, too much bad publicity to absorb, too many egos involved, too risky (for the A's) who can't afford obvious risks like this would be, and too nice an ending to a story: i.e bad boy comes home, becomes the classic under-valued Moneyball guy, wins the World Series (which he couldn't with the Yankees)and we Green and Golders live happily ever after.

by robertmelvin on Dec 6, 2004 4:29 PM PST reply actions

cheating spouse

well I am not sure how 2 respond to that analogy. are you guys upset with jason for using roids or leaving our green n gold like he did? I mad at him for leaving. I want my team to win and if he showed contrition I wouldn't mind having him back. Under your cheating spouse analogy, your playing the morality card, and if that's the case, what about all the players who have criminal records? fans still cheer for them. anyway this is a good topic. keep it up.

by oakwin2004 on Dec 6, 2004 4:32 PM PST reply actions

Why not bring back Jeremy too

Thn you could bring two losers back to the A's.

Think of the effect these steroid freaks have upon 13 & 14 & 15 year old athletes who think they have to put this Drano into their bodies to compete.

by Okeydokie on Dec 6, 2004 5:21 PM PST reply actions

at this time

I really think baseball is the least of his problems and worries. Lets all just wish him good health and leave it at that.

When I look at it, I think if I'd been healthy, or this year, not a dumbass at the end of the season, we would have won so many more games---MM

by Satchmo22 on Dec 7, 2004 4:01 AM PST reply actions

I can see it now

Jason at his return press conference with tears in his eyes - not from contrition, but because his Dad always wanted him to play for the Green & Gold. His Dad was always a Reggie Jackson fan and nothing would make his Dad happier than to see him in green socks and white shoes.

Jeremy is off to the side, rubbing his ass.

by elephant man on Dec 7, 2004 10:33 AM PST reply actions

Beane is no idiot and furthermore

no one should be campaigning for Jason Giambi to return to Oakland. I, myself, merely stated in an earlier post that I would welcome Jason back under the right circumstances which has to overwhelmingly favor the A's. Otherwise, we can do w/o the distractions of haveing baseball's poster child for steroids on our roster.

by sf drift king on Dec 7, 2004 10:53 AM PST reply actions