A year removed from suffering his worst year as a professional baseball player, Jason Giambi is slamming home runs and flashing smiles, playing so well he’s being mentioned as the possible Comeback Player of the Year. “It’s an inspirational story, it really is,” said a choked up Tim Kurkijan during a SportsCenter feature on the Yankees DH. “Here you have a ball player who had to come all the way back from an injury-plagued year brought on by rampant steroid abuse. He could have packed it in, But he didn’t. He scratched and clawed his way back by refusing to continue taking banned supplements. Now that he’s returned to glory by hitting .271, we should applaud him. No seriously, fucking clap. Put your hands together for Giambi, for America, for freedom.”

”Success stories like these kind of puts everything in perspective,” wrote Buster Olney on ESPN.com Wednesday. “What those illegal drugs put him through is a hell no man should have to endure. But here he is, a year later, posting his lowest RBI total in six years. It makes me want to go home and stare at my baby girl in her crib and smile, because everything’s going to be OK. Jason, if you reading this, thank you. Thank you for showing me that heroes still walk our streets.”

ORIGINALY PUBLISHED ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2005 IN VOLUME 3 ISSUE 27