BALTIMORE – There are very few athletes built to control New York. Many try but few make New York work for them, not reduce them to goo.
Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle handled it like 2-0 fastballs. Joe Namath owned Manhattan. Ditto Reggie Jackson. Walt Frazier turned the city into his crib. Mike Piazza has done well. If he wanted, Derek Jeter could have New York eating out of his hand.
Now, here comes Jason Giambi, a 31-year-old Southern California guy with big muscles, a great rep and a colossal thirst for New York.
“Tell him to take small bites. Nobody can eat the whole apple in one bite,” advises Dwight Gooden, somebody who knows New York can devour its celebrities.
The popular question is can Giambi handle New York? But is New York ready for a superstar who enjoys the nightlife, never backs down from a question and will be seen in his Upper East Side neighborhood?
“I am sure it’s going to be the other way around, is Jason ready for New York because that town has had a ton of personalities go through it,” Giambi said. “I am going to have fun with it. They have been incredible so far how they have taken me in. Just the positive things I have heard. You know I am taking over for a great Yankee in Tino [Martinez]. There could have been backlash but people have been unbelievable.”
With $120 million spread over seven years, Giambi and his lovely bride, Kristian, could have lived anywhere in the tri-state area. They bought on Lexington Avenue.
“If I am going to experience it, I am going to experience it all the way. There is no doubt about it,” said Giambi, a China Club regular. “Southern Cal is going to try and fit in and be an East Coast guy.”
When Giambi wants to lay in the weeds off the field, he will do it easily because the city is so large. Blend in on the field? No chance. Jackson is right when he says Giambi’s contract automatically puts a bull’s-eye on the first baseman’s back.
As soon as the Yankees’ World Series run ended in Phoenix, the club made Giambi its No. 1 priority to improve a paltry lineup. By the time he signed on Dec. 13, Yankee fans were in a frenzy over the first legitimate home-run threat since Jackson.
Of course, the expectations went through the roof. With the short right-field porch, Giambi will hit 50 homers. Or win a batting title.
“To be honest with you, I haven’t really thought about it,” Giambi said. “The biggest thing is to do the same things that got me here. That’s the best I can do. The way I am looking at it, it still comes down to wins and losses and trying to help the team win by doing what I do best.”
That’s hitting and getting on base. He led the AL in walks (129) and on-base percentage (.477) last year with the A’s.
Friday will be Giambi’s Stadium debut as a Yankee. He doesn’t know what to expect.
“I don’t know if I can be prepared for it, the only thing I can do is guess,” Giambi said. “I think it will be a different world when I get there in an exciting way. There is nothing like being in Yankee Stadium, even as a visiting player. That’s what baseball is all about, to be in Yankee Stadium.”
What’s he like?
Here are some little-known facts about the Yankees’ one-of-a-kind slugger, Jason Giambi:
Favorite bands: Creed, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock
Favorite food: Italian
Favorite motorcycle: Harley-Davidson, Ron Simms model
Favorite car: Ferrari 360
Favorite ballpark: Yankee Stadium
Favorite vacation spot: Cabo San Lucas or Hawaii
Tattoos: Dragon on left arm, skull on right arm
Shares birthday with: Elvis Presley (Jan. 8)
Resides: Upper East Side