Kudos to Giambi!!

Here's the story.

I forgave Jason Giambi for taking steroids a long time ago, because he came out and apologized like a man. Some people actually hold this against him. His apology differs from a certain MLB hit-king in two ways: 1. He had the courage to apologize while still playing, and 2. He didn't use a book to make money off of his apology.

The truth is, Giambi can see the big picture much better than most fans.

When I posted a week ago about getting off Bonds' back, my point wasn't that I was fine with steroids. I'm not; they are cheating. My point is that we are all pointing the wrong fingers at the wrong people.

Getting mad at Giambi and Bonds and McGwire, etc., is dumb because they are some of the greatest baseball players of our time. They probably used steroids, but so did a ton of other players who aren't nearly as good at hitting a baseball as them. They are suspected (or caught, in some cases), because they are under a microscope for being so successful.

I think a lot of fans actually think that the only players who use steroids and HGH are the guys who hit 40+ home runs in a year. This is inaccurate; MANY players have used them that haven't hit 40+ home runs. Good God, freaking MATT LAWTON got caught using them a couple years ago. (I rest my case there.)

But not only is the sentiment inaccurate, it's DANGEROUS. Because the reverse logic begins to be believed as well, that all big home run hitters must be using steroids. Certainly not true!

Giambi goes as far as to say that steroids didn't help him win home runs. The only time I've taken steroids was when they were prescribed, so I can't say for sure, but I'd guess Giambi is wrong, and that steroids do help the occasional ball get that extra oomph it needs to exit the ballpark. However, I'd also guess they are a bit overrated by the media and fans.

But HERE is why Giambi can see the big picture:

"I was wrong for doing that stuff," Giambi said Wednesday before the Yankees played the Chicago White Sox. "What we should have done a long time ago was stand up -- players, ownership, everybody -- and said, 'We made a mistake.'

"We should have apologized back then and made sure we had a rule in place and gone forward."

PLAYERS.

OWNERSHIP.

EVERYBODY.

So true, Jason, so true. Players, ownership, managers, GMs, and most of all, Bud Selig. They have stained baseball. They have tainted records. Don't blame Barry. He cheated, but he's still probably the greatest home run hitter of all time. He just isn't nice to the media. Celebrate the moment he hits #756! But if you don't celebrate, curse BASEBALL itself, not Barry.

Bud Selig might not go to the game to watch Barry beat the record. COULD THIS BE ANY MORE HYPOCRITICAL???!! I haven't heard HIS apology about steroids yet. Why don't we hear about how hypocritical Selig is from talking heads? Because the media pins all of baseball's problems on one man, Barry Bonds, because he's not very nice, and YES, it's worth saying, because he's black.

When asked, "So why did you take steroids?" Giambi told the newspaper "Maybe one day I'll talk about it, but not now."

Well, that couldn't be any easier to read. Of course he can't talk about it now. Know why? Because this is what he would say:

BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE WAS DOING IT! BECAUSE MANAGERS AND OWNERS AND SELIG LOOKED THE OTHER WAY! BECAUSE MLB DIDN'T DO A THING ABOUT IT UNTIL THE GOVERNMENT STEPPED IN AND FORCED THEM!!

And now Mark McGwire's not in the Hall of Fame?? What a Goddamn shame.