Turns out Jason Giambi's MVP season was, well, just as suspicious as most of us thought in the first place:
Giambi said he injected himself with human growth hormone in 2003 and used steroids for at least three seasons, according to a grand jury transcript reviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle.
His testimony last December, before a federal grand jury investigating illegal steroid distribution, contradicts his public proclamations that he never used performance-enhancing drugs.
Think this hurts Giambi's Hall of Fame chances? And how fast do you think he released the legal hounds to find out who leaked sealed grand jury testimony to the Chronicle?
I like how the Houston Chronicle put it:
Four men, including Barry Bonds' personal trainer, have been indicted in the investigation into the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative. The case has cast a cloud of suspicion over home run records set by Bonds and other athletes in recent years.
Yeah, to add to that other cloud of suspicion that formed after a 36 year-old Bonds showed up for spring training looking like Triple H.
But never fear, Commissioner Bud Selig is on the case:
"I've been saying for many months: I instituted a very, very tough program in the minor leagues on steroids in 2001. We need to have that program at the major league level," Selig said Thursday. "We're going to leave no stone unturned until we have that policy in place by spring training 2005."
Good luck getting Donald Fehr to sign on to that, Bud. Expect this to be a big sticking point when the new agreement starts getting hashed out after 2006. Until then, Bonds still has a couple years to catch Ruth and Aaron.
This might be my favorite line, however (from Sports Illustrated):
Giambi reportedly testified that one of the drugs he thought he used was Clomid, a female fertility drug that some medical experts say can exacerbate a pituitary tumor.
Uh, what? I guess I haven't been following the story all that closely, but can someone explain to me what benefit a guy can get from using Clomid? Was it a gag by his trainers to see if they could get him to take anything?
Trainer 1: "Hey Jason, try this one."
Giambi: "Will it help my OPS?"
Trainer 2: "No, but it might help your OVA." *snicker*
BALCO chief Victor Conte was on 20/20 tonight and apparently spilled the beans about everyone from Bill Romanowski (*gasp*) to Marion Jones. He also talked about giving "The Clear," and undetectable steroid, to Barry Bonds' trainer.
I listened to the NPR story about Giambi this afternoon, and I wish I could remember the reporter's comments verbatim, but paraphrased, they went something like, "Comparing the BALCO case to a circus is doing a disservice to circuses. A circus is a well-choreographed event with several ringleaders in control. This is just mayhem."
Sounds about right.
Actually, it's the activist judges.
These things wouldn't happen if we had more prayer in the schools.
A perfectly cromulent birthday.
A perfectly cromulent birthday.
Thanks, it's the only thing I have in common with Ozzy Osbourne.
Apart from our years of drug abuse, that is.
Hard to believe our stellar local newspaper has no comment on the similarities between "shrinking man" Jason Giambi and "shrinking man" Jeff Bagwell.
I'm sure it's just a coincidence that Jeffy's shrinking, though. His shoulder hurts and he can't lift (or play defense for that matter). No story there....
I blame the liberal media.