Thursday, August 25, 2005

And Now A Real Question

Ok...July saw one Jason Giambi's "hard work and determination" finally payoff. He hit 14 HRs, had a .355 BA and 1.498 OPS! That's ridiculous.

What then has become of Mr. Giambi's "hard work and determination" since Palmeiro was busted for steroid use? Let's take a look...

August
.207 BA
2 HRs
.722 OPS

Now why could it be that the same hard work and determination that got him back in to form is now not working at all? That's strange...

6 comments:

  1. Wow. That is awesome. He must not be working hard, and now lacks determination.

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  2. The Giambi situation is strange. That July sure stands out - August is still like April/May - he is getting on base a lot, just not hitting.

    Is it likely that steroids are involved? Can they come and go that quickly?

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  3. Before I had posted something like this...

    If you can put on 30 pounds in 3 months (an offseason) with roids, then 10 pounds in 1 month is certainly reasonable.

    Now, if you look at the fact that Giambi hit a bunch of his homers just over the short porch in the Bronx, then yes, I think it makes a big difference.

    I went to school with a bunch of roiders...Two went on to the NFL (nice testing they have)...These guys gained sooooooo much confidence and size in a very short time it was ridiculous.

    I think that confidence from juicing has a lot to do with it, as well.

    I don't think that roids give you an eye. Giambi has always been able to walk a lot...

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  4. I think the question is - is it likely that he used the roids and wnet on the July explosion (Yes) but then boom all of a sudden the effects are gone (i.e., why has Aug been such a bust) presumably the roids and muscle are still in effect.

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  5. This is just a stab in the dark, but it's possible that withdrawal effects could lead to a collapse. Sure, the muscle mass is still there, but if eyesight, concentration, reflexes, etc. are at all affected, then the player could suddenly become much worse. Giambi's BA and OBP are way down this month; but his K and BB rates are the same as in July; so it's hard to tell.

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  6. Also, I'd like to add that if roids can make overall homers go up by a bunch in an offseason (see Sosa and McGwire home run race followed by Bonds crushing that record) then 1 month could definitely have an effect.

    I would also add that if baseball did his random testing and then his mandatory up front (while he was terrible) then we could be looking at two months of juicing...That would make a big difference.

    And in the midst of his tear he has to quit cold turkey. Now I've never done the stuff but I have lifted. When you work out and build muscle you get way more confident. Then if you stop for even two weeks your muscle mass goes away quickly. Of course, pumping a ton of testosterone in to your system would make you more confident and aggressive. Then, again, you stop...A few weeks is all it takes.

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