Leaks leave Giambi in tricky waters

But at age 34, the safe landings are far less certain than they were as a child for Giambi, a marked man in baseball's steroid scandal who is also coming off the worst season of his career, something perhaps more egregious in the eyes of indiscriminate fans who expect their superstars to perform on demand, regardless of the means they employ to do so.

When Giambi signed a seven-year, $120 million contract with the New York Yankees in December 2001, he was arguably the most devastating hitter in the American League: MVP with the Oakland A's in 2000, runner-up in 2001, a man whose batting average had risen six straight seasons to .342 in '01, a slugger who projected a devil-may-care biker lifestyle while showing a watchmaker's eye at the plate. He cut his hair and cleaned up his look for George Steinbrenner's Yankees, and while he didn't deliver a World Series title in either of his first two seasons, and his surgically repaired left knee was a source of concern, he became just the fourth Yankee to have multiple 40-homer seasons, joining Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Mickey Mantle.

All he needed, it seemed, was to add a ring or two to his resume, and Giambi would take his place among the pinstripes' finest.

But then came BALCO, and a shrunken Giambi showing up in camp last spring, claiming he was smaller because he'd chosen to lay off the In-n-Out burgers. It would only get worse. Giambi sprained an ankle and landed on the disabled list. He was diagnosed with a mysterious intestinal parasite, sidelining him again. Then an even greater mystery, finally confirmed as a benign tumor in his pituitary gland, causing another prolonged absence.

Giambi made a cameo appearance in September but was a pathetic imitation of himself, going 0 for 32 before mercifully hitting a home run. He finished the season with a .208 average in 80 games, with just 12 home runs and 40 RBIs, and was not on the Yankees' postseason roster.