Meanwhile not much else has changed, the offense is still scuffling. Bobby Kielty is still hot, Eric Byrnes has joined him, otherwise, what I wrote last time still applies:

https://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/174962.html

Note that the A's have finally shuffled their line-up to take advantage of their hot hitters, now going with something approximating:

L - Kotsay
R -Kendall
L - Chavez
L - Durazo
S - Kielty
L - Hatteberg
R - Ginter/Ellis
R - Byrnes
R - Scutaro

Also, they have again shuffled their rotation, using yesterday's day off to skip Kirk Saarloos and get their three young bucks in against the Yanks. The Yankees, meanwhile, are using the off-day to give an extra day of rest to their aging starters after a week of excellent, but long outings.

Could we use this philosophy against Hardin and other top-of-the-line pitchers?

Thanks for the great analysis!

Yanks rule!

Alex, you rule!

"It's frustrating to me to see him struggle," Chavez said. "But I'd love to have him back here. I don't know if it's what he needs, but I still believe in him. If he was a dirt bag, then I could care less about the guy. But knowing how he treated people here, from the clubhouse guys to myself and all of his teammates, I'll always be his biggest fan…."Regardless of whatever mistakes he's made," Chavez said, "it doesn't diminish the amount of respect I have for him. No matter what he's done, he's the coolest guy I've ever met." You hear that a lot from Giambi's former teammates here, where he played for seven years. He was the beloved, hell-raising leader of a young team on the verge of a championship it never won…"

I am still so hoping for a Jason comeback because of comments like this and others. There was a suggestion made elsewhere that the true upside (and the real cheat) to steroids is the psychological edge they give to the user, not so much the physical stimulus (which could be duplicated through longer harder work and diet). This was always a question I had watching some 260lb meat mass of a linebacker launch himself for a "hit": how they could do this after seeing guys with their spines cracked or severed. So much of baseball is in the eye and "seeing the ball" and "being in the zone"; so I think steroids can be an enormous edge pyschologically.

I really don't want our sports heroes to become chemically created automatons or, worse yet, these godless materialists that pose as bb players here in Boston. I can't even get a fucking cup of iced coffee these days without having to relive the "miracle at Fenway." I'm beginning to see why these dufeless losers only win one every 86 years -- they create enough hype and mindless chatter to last that long. Give the universe a rest, will ya.

But I digress. The question is, can an admitted user now clean, recapture the magic he once had. There's not a day I don't pray for the guy to make it. He's a fragile guy, like the Mick, and can make himself a true Yankee hero for the ages. It's a great story that needs a Yankee ending. If Giambi doesn't make it, the loss is greater than an $81 million payroll hit.

Excuse me now while I get back to Theo and Johnny Damon… Dude, they are so cool!