Jason Giambi comes forward...

CEDeoudes59

CEDeoudes59

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The health problems got me wondering, if the designer anabolics played a role...


Weight of 'roids now on Giambi

By Buster Olney
ESPN The Magazine


With the San Francisco Chronicle report of Jason Giambi's grand jury testimony, he becomes the face of baseball's steroid trouble. Giambi, who won the American League Most Valuable Player award in 2000, is the biggest star to date who has acknowledged injecting himself with human growth hormone and steroids.

Jason Giambi
Jason Giambi spent much of last season answering questions about his health.

Giambi batted .314 in 2002, his first season as a Yankee but his average plummeted to .250 in 2003 -- a year that he was affected by patellar tendinitis in his left knee. Doctors say that tendinitis is a common problem for players who use steroids.

Two and a half months after giving his testimony in the BALCO case, Giambi was asked about his court appearance by ESPN's Tim Kurkjian. Giambi said, "It's part of, you know, what I have to do. You know, I'm not looking at it as a big deal, I just went in, and told them what I knew, and you know, go on from there."

Said Kurkjian: "All right ... You have NOT done steroids ... Is that correct?"

"Yeah, I haven't, you know, done anything," Giambi said. "I've worked my butt off, you know, that's the thing that ... I know everybody's seen me, you know, especially from the reporters, everybody else ... I get in the weight room, I work my butt off and, you know, go from there now."

But Giambi reported to spring training noticeably thinner, much more slender in his shoulders and chest. "My weight ... I'm only about 4-pound difference," he said, "to be honest with you."

Subsequent health problems plagued him. First, Giambi was diagnosed with a parasite, and later, doctors reportedly found a benign tumor in his pituitary gland, a condition he refused to discuss.

Early in November, Yankees manager Joe Torre said, "Well, it started in spring training, y'know, questions about the steroids, both he and (Gary) Sheffield had to endure, and then all of a sudden to get to that parasite affect him, and he just -- and then the tumor -- I mean he just had a horrible year. I think the worst part of it, aside from the physical part of it is the emotional scars that he took with that. He really looked beat up."

Giambi batted .208 in 80 games for the Yankees last season, and speculation about steroids has weighed heavily on him.

"I'm sure it would bother anybody," said Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. "But again, you've got to be mentally strong to learn to turn the page and forge ahead, and that's, I think, that's what any professional athlete and I'm sure anybody in celebrity status learns to do -- you have to. If not, you're going to get eaten up and you won't be able to forge ahead and get what you want to accomplish. I know Jason Giambi has Hall of Fame aspirations, he had them before he got here, they remain."

Other Yankees officials privately doubt whether Giambi will ever be great again -- though he is still only 33.

Said Torre: "The one thing Jason is gonna have to do is -- I don't want to say become more determined -- but I think the one thing he has to do right now, and he knows it, is get himself in the best physical shape he can and be a player again."

Cashman says doctors have told him Giambi will be healthy and ready to go for spring training. "As long as he's 100 percent healthy, which all indications are that he is, and I don't anticipate him having a problem returning to the level he was before," said Cashman. "But I certainly recognize and appreciate the doubt and speculation of, can he, will, how's he going to be."

Now, in the aftermath of Giambi's reported admission of using steroids, the speculation about Giambi's performance will grow exponentially.
 
kwyckemynd00

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Parasite...steroids? Don't see the connection there. Nor do I see the connection with the pituitary tumor. Maybe someone with more knowledge can shed some light on this. It's interesting.

I can see the tendonitis though. Hell, I remember when I was growing fast as a newb I had some major tendon aches. My elbows would kill me! I can't imagine what I'll experience on a good cycle. It's got to be horrid!
 
Manu20

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They interviewed someone on espn and he said that they couldn't connect the tumor to anything he was taking but htey said he was taking clomid and that could accelerate the growth of the tumor.
 
kwyckemynd00

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Ahhhhhh...thx for the info. Interesting ;)
 

hognose

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Giambi reported taking "the clear" which is a liquid that is dropped under the tongue and "the cream" which is rubbed into the skin. Anyone have any ideas on what type of stuff this was. His trainer Greg Anderson was giving to him and his little bro, any legal alternatives to this stuff?
 

TheUsual

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Giambi reported taking "the clear" which is a liquid that is dropped under the tongue and "the cream" which is rubbed into the skin. Anyone have any ideas on what type of stuff this was. His trainer Greg Anderson was giving to him and his little bro, any legal alternatives to this stuff?
I highly doubt we will ever know. Maybe if it comes out in a trial we will find out.
 

NPursuit

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Giambi reported taking "the clear" which is a liquid that is dropped under the tongue and "the cream" which is rubbed into the skin. Anyone have any ideas on what type of stuff this was. His trainer Greg Anderson was giving to him and his little bro, any legal alternatives to this stuff?
Clear was the name for THG.
 
jarhead

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Well guys, get ready for another huge media push vilifying steroids and having every chain smoking, highball drinking, coke snorting congressman/senator/representative to be up in arms screaming about how we need to step up the war on drugs.
 
Iron Warrior

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Damm those evil steroids at it again :rolleyes: Imagine how many hundreds of thousands would have had this by now, one isolated case and the media blows everything out of proportion.

BTW, is it just me or does Giambi say "you know" just a little too much, you know LOL
 
jminis

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In all honesty who really cares what the stuff is. They were used to avoid detection, not because they were some miracle drug. We have access to much better things not being subjected to tests. I think it's hilarious how people want THG now. LMAO:rofl:
 
ryansm

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And atleast he had sense enough to do pct.
 

glenihan

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i had heard it was liver pollups not a pituitary tumor ... maybe i heard wrong

he also admitted to using GH, that could have something to do with it

of course if he was using 17aa's then that could explain the liver issue (if that is indeed what it was)
 
CEDeoudes59

CEDeoudes59

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this is big for the steroid-witchhunt, they will destroy Barry Bonds with this.
Headline on ESPN.com right now
"Giambi got steroids from Bonds"
 
jarhead

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And atleast he had sense enough to do pct.
I don't think he ran his pct correctly, otherwise he'd have the BALLS to keep his mouth shut about all this stuff.:D
 
CEDeoudes59

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Here's new stuff:
Apparently he was using transdermals as well...


From ESPN
Jason Giambi described to the grand jury how -- using syringes -- he injected human growth hormone into his stomach and testosterone into his buttocks.

Giambi called the products he obtained from Anderson "undetectable" steroids known as "the clear" and "the cream."

"The clear" is a liquid drug administered under the tongue a few drops at a time. "The cream" was described as a testosterone-based balm rubbed onto the body, the Chronicle reported.

Giambi said he obtained all the drugs -- and syringes -- except human growth hormone from Anderson. Giambi said he got the human growth hormone at a Gold's Gym in Las Vegas.

Jason Giambi
Jason Giambi was the AL MVP in 2000 with the Athletics.

Giambi testified Anderson sent him several different drugs, including testosterone, "the cream" and "the clear." Giambi added Anderson gave him advice on the use of human growth hormone.

"Did Mr. Anderson provide you with actual injectable testosterone?" Assistant U.S. Attorney Nedrow asked Giambi.

"Yes," replied Giambi.

Then, in reference to an alleged steroid calendar from January 2003, Nedrow asked, "OK. And this injectable T, or testosterone, is basically a steroid, correct?"

"Yes," Giambi replied

"And did he talk to you about the fact it was a steroid at the time?" Nedrow asked.

"Yeah, I mean, I -- I don't know if we got into a conversation about it, but we both knew about it, yes," Giambi told the grand jury.

Giambi said Anderson described "the cream" and "the clear" as "an alternative to steroids, but it doesn't show on a steroid test.

"And he started talking about that it would raise your testosterone levels, you know, which would basically make it a steroid ... or maybe he said it's an alternative of taking an injectable steroid. That might be a better way to put it."
 

chasec

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at least he fessed' up. i respect that; however it won't be good for the common people trying to buy a 10ml bottle of cyp.
 
CEDeoudes59

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he was granted immunity for the testimony, the testimony was leaked...
 
jarhead

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Me personally, I don't care if atheletes use drugs. It's almost a given anyway. They always find a way to avoid detection. The only surefire way to even the playing field is to allow everything. Steroids don't make a person a better ATHELETE. They make you bigger and stronger and faster yes, but atheletic ability is something there is no pill for. I could take the best drugs for years and never hit 60 homeruns. Just like all the drugs in the world ain't gonna make me Mr. O. The media (as usual) is placing way to much emphasis and importance on roids. I'm just sick of all this crap being on the tube every time I turn it on.
 

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