Giambi close to title after leaving Oakland two years ago

By Aaron Juarez

The moment I have feared since December 2001 is upon me. It's something I distantly hoped would never happen, yet knew all along that it would. Seriously, you can only keep a $180 million payroll down for so long.

December 2001 marked Jason Giambi's signing with the New York Yankees after six seasons with the Oakland Athletics. Explaining that playing for the Yankees had always been his dream and something he wanted his father to see, Giambi dodged the main reasons for which (it is widely believed) he signed: for the money and the chance at a championship ring.

It is this championship ring which I do not want Giambi to win.

I don't feel he deserves it. It wasn't so bad that he left Oakland, it was the manner in which he did it, running to our vanquishers and burning the bridge behind him.

Giambi had been the clubhouse leader and fan favorite of the Oakland Athletics since about 1998, when he took over the first base job after Mark McGwire had been traded. While helping lead Oakland out of its funk and to a division title in 2000, Giambi began to gain national attention from a small-market base. His long hair, goatee and numerous tattoos had appealed to the Oakland fans and he was even featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in the summer of 2000 under the title "The New Face of Baseball."

After his MVP year in 2000 and a disappointing loss to the Yankees in the first round, Giambi's drama with Oakland began in 2001.

In his contract year, he continually expressed his desire to remain an Oakland Athletic. Oakland management, led by owner Steve Schott and General Manager Billy Beane, presented to Giambi a six-year, $91 million extension. The only snag in the deal was one detail which Giambi used as his justification to leave, and it was the A's refusal to include a no-trade clause.

Whenever asked about the state of negotiations, Giambi maintained his stance on including the no-trade clause, citing his loyalty to the fans in Oakland. The A's refused, concerned that Giambi would be 37 by the time the deal expired and have little trade value. This back-and-forth banter continued until the All Star break, when the A's finally relented and included the clause in the deal.

It was too late. Giambi and his agent, Arn Tellem, refused the deal and decided to use the offseason to consider other teams' offers. At that moment, it became apparent the writing was on the wall.

That October of 2001, the A's were eliminated once again by the Yankees, this time after New York dramatically overcame a two-game deficit.

It had been rumored during the season that the Yankees coveted Giambi and, through some bad PR moves, he became public enemy No. 1 for A's fans.

Instead of silencing rumors or refusing to comment, Giambi instead began to talk up the Yankees as a great organization in a great city. Without specifically saying he'd love to play for the Yankees, he commented on how he would love to play for an organization like the Yankees.

These not-so-subtle hints jabbed at A's fans. When he finally signed his seven-year, $120 million deal with New York, no one was shocked. The real shock came on Dec. 14, 2001, when Giambi read David Letterman's Top 10 list titled "Top 10 reasons I, Jason Giambi, want to play for the New York Yankees." After a few witty cracks at the Yankees, Giambi uttered the No. 3 reason, "Have YOU ever been to Oakland?"

With his goatee gone, his hair cut conservatively and his tattoos covered up, it was official. Jason Giambi cut all ties to Oakland and its fans. SI's "New Face of Baseball" had quickly become just another face in the crowd.

Contact Aaron Juarez at (408) 554-4852 or at ajuarez@scu.edu.