I like the mustache.  I like the effort he’s put in to being a Yankee.  I like the fact that he came clean about his use of PEDs and I like the fact that he’s cleaned up his act.  You can call him a disappointment if you want to.  Many people will.  But I like the man. 

I ran down the street and jumped on the bandwagon when he was signed to the club 7 years ago.  I liked that move from the very first day.  But since then, though the Bombers have gone to the playoffs every year, we’ve gotten no championships.  No trips down the Canyon of Heroes.  Is it his fault?  No, not all of it, but he certainly shares the guilt with everyone else, including those in pinstripes and those wearing the ties. 

Giambi’s defense isn’t the greatest.  I will grant you that.  His bat quiets down considerably sometimes.  I’ll grant you that, too.  No protection for A-Rod?  Maybe.  But despite those evident deficiencies, there’s just something about him that I like. 

I wish the Yankees would pick up his option, but they probably won’t.  They’ll go after Mark Texeira, who would be a considerable upgrade at first base.  But I think Giambi now has Yankee-blue blood, just like some of my other favorites, like Jeter, Jorge and Andy.  To just let someone like that go is a shame to me.  Hey, I’m a sentimentalist.  What am I going to do?

He’s gone through a lot in the last five or six years, but he seems to have come out on top and even made himself a better man.  And that’s what life should be all about, anyway, isn’t it?  Making yourself a better man.  If he’s learned from his mistakes I respect him all the more.  I think it’s a shame that he won’t be back next year.  I will miss you, Jason.  Thanks for some very good years.  I hope they were good for you, too.