Report: Giambi confronted slumping A-Rod
Since it appears everyone else in the greater New York area has ripped Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, why should his teammates be the exception?
According to a report in this week's Sports Illustrated, A-Rod's struggles earlier this season prompted Jason Giambi to encourage Yankees manager Joe Torre "to stop coddling (Rodriguez)."
Giambi also was quoted saying Rodriguez was displaying "a false confidence" during his mid-season slump.
According to the report, Giambi approached Rodriguez prior to speaking to Torre. During that conversation — following a 13-5 win in Boston on Aug. 19 — Giambi says he told A-Rod, "We're all rooting for you and we're behind 100 percent, but you've got to get the big hit."
Rodriguez told S.I. he could not remember what was specifically discussed during Giambi's pep talk, but said, "I'm sure we had a conversation."
Torre also reportedly had a conversation with Rodriguez during a road trip to Seattle shortly after Giambi expressed his concerns. During this meeting, Torre told Rodriguez, "This is all about honesty. And it's not about anybody else but you. You can't pretend everything is O.K. when it's not. You have to face the reality that you're going through a tough time, and then work from there."
When Torre asked A-Rod if he understood what he just told him, Rodriguez replied, "Yes, 100 percent."
Rodriguez would later decribe the meeting as "the toughest he's (Torre) been on me."
But in trying to defend himself, Rodriguez may make matters worse for himself, as he invoked several Yankees teammates who don't receive the same level of cricitism.
"Mussina doesn't get hammered at all," Rodriguez said. "He's making a boatload of money. Giambi's making ($20.4 million), which is fine and dandy, but it seems those guys get a pass. When people write (bad things) about me, I don't know if it's (because) I'm good-looking, I'm biracial, I make the most money, I play on the most popular team."
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