The Strange Silence Around Jason Giambi

We've been hearing and saying it for years. It's been on the radio, television, in print and argued in bars and living rooms across North America. Why doesn't just one athlete come out and admit they used steroids. The reasoning is that people will understand, forgive the person and move on. It's understood that some would not be forgiving but by and large people just want to hear an admission.

Well, we finally got one. Jason Giambi came clean on his steroid use in a straight forward and nearly honest manner, not the comical "I'm sorry" interview given a few years back where he never actually said what he was apologizing for. He then went on to say it was time baseball cleaned itself up. And then....nothing. Nothing has happened. No glowing articles, praise for above and below, cheers from the average fan and high-fives from sports reporters. Worse, I'm not hearing any outrage either.

What the hell is this? Barry Bonds has admitted nothing and has had nothing proven against him(despite my beliefs he did cheat, I have no proof) yet he is still vilified. Sammy Sosa is closing in on 600 home runs and yet flies under the radar, Roger Clemens is preparing to return to the bigs in his mid-forties and no one is raising an eye-brow and now Gimboid admits what we all suspected and gets off free and clear.

I won't say this is racial because of the lack of press surrounding Sammy Sosa and his tainted numbers. Instead this smacks of bitterness. Fans and media don't want Giambi to go down in flames, they don't want to string up Sosa anymore, they want Bonds and only Bonds. He's the biggest target in pro- sports right now because of the record he is closing in on, yet the second highest paid baseball player on the planet just admitted he's been shooting up all these years. Can people please pull their heads out of their asses on this one?

For crying out loud, there was more press about Giambi's failed amphetamines test then his mea culpa about steroids. The New York Yankees are considering trying to revoke his contract based on his admission but that in itself is apolitical move to try and separate themselves from the former AL MVP they've paid tens of millions of dollars to. This story deserves more than a passing reference on a sports ticker or the opening monologue on a sports radio show, yet that is all it is getting.

This lip service to the story everyone has wanted for the better part of this decade in baseball is a travesty. We all wanted to hear about this, we all wanted one of the big names to come forward, admit their crimes and call for their fellow players to fix the problem. Worse yet, there has been no word from the MLB Players Association, they don't even want to hear about this.

I wrote earlier that everyone from the owners to the fans had a hand in the steroid scandal. It was a bitter and angry entry, and this latest outrage merely confirms my most cynical beliefs.