Today, New York Yankee stalwarts Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera issued support for their beleaguered teammate, Jason Giambi. Jeter’s comments were fairly run-of-the-mill, but Rivera’s were interesting: “I always support all of my teammates. He made a mistake, but he was man enough to admit it.”
Man enough to admit it? This is the same Jason Giambi who, in February, was asked if he had ever taken performance-enhancing drugs and replied thusly, “Are you talking steroids? No.”
In recent weeks, some of the details regarding Giambi’s drug regimen have been leaked to the public. Among other things, he reportedly injected HGH into his abdomen and steroids into his buttocks. In light of this of these revelations, perhaps Mariano Rivera should have said something like this: “I always support all of my teammates. He made a mistake and lied about it repeatedly, deceiving the media, the fans, and his teammates. However, he was man enough to realize that perjuring himself in front of a grand jury was not a good idea, so he told the truth rather than face the possibility of prison.” Clunky, huh? I guess that’s why Mariano opted for the shortened version.