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Giambi key to steroids saga
Giambi key to steroids saga, By: Joseph A. Reaves
June 17, 2007
Here's hoping Commissioner Bud Selig had a nice, relaxing Father's Day.
He has a big week ahead.
Sometime today or Tuesday, attorneys for Yankees slugger Jason Giambi will let the commissioner know if their client intends to comply with an order to cooperate with former Senate leader George Mitchell and his long-stalled steroids investigation.
The Major League Baseball Players Association, the union, urged its members to refuse to talk to Mitchell and offered to provide attorneys for any player approached by Mitchell.
Apparently the players are holding fast.
That could change this week.
Attorneys representing Giambi, the union and Selig's office met through the weekend trying to find a face-saving way for Giambi to cooperate with Mitchell without turning rat on his fellow players.
Giambi has been at the center of the steroids scandal since it began casting a shadow over the game nearly five years ago.
In December 2003, Giambi admitted to a federal grand jury that he used steroids and human growth hormone, according to leaked grand jury testimony.
On the eve of spring training in 2005, Giambi made a veiled apology, without specifically saying what he was apologizing for.
Last month, he told USA Today that he was "wrong for doing that stuff" and urged all of baseball to admit "we made a mistake."
Selig used those comments as leverage against Giambi. The commissioner essentially said: OK, you're saying a mistake was made. You're saying all of baseball needs to apologize. Well, tell Mitchell exactly what was done and what was wrong or you'll be suspended.
Giambi is being singled out for two reasons: 1) he admitted privately and publicly that he was part of the steroids problem - although it should be noted that baseball did not ban steroids until late 2002 and did not institute penalties until 2005; and 2) his career is basically over.
Selig will have trouble threatening other players with suspensions. The union will fight that. And it likely would win.
But if those attorneys who spent Father's Day weekend scrambling for a compromise come up with some way for Giambi to talk to Mitchell and shed light without naming names, maybe - just maybe - we'll all come a little closer to finally putting all this steroids talk behind us.
Whatever happens, the commissioner has a big week ahead.
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