TAMPA – Joe Torre isn’t wasting any time tossing Jason Giambi into the deep end of the pool. And while Giambi won’t be the only big-name Yankee to make tonight’s sojourn to Ft. Myers to face the Red Sox and their zealous fans, Torre is leaving Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Gary Sheffield behind in Tampa, where they will play the Indians in the afternoon.
“I love it, that’s what it’s all about,” Giambi said of making the two-hour trip that will lead to verbal abuse from Sox fans centering on Giambi’s steroid history.
Giambi, who went 0-for-2 as the DH in yesterday’s 6-5 loss to the Reds at Legends Field, has played two tilts at fan-friendly Legends and one on the road in Lakeland, where at least half the crowd was Yankee supporters. So far the reception for baseball’s face of steroids has been positive. However, that will change tonight when Giambi expects to hear a stream of foul language.
“They aren’t going to say anything I haven’t heard before or said myself,” Giambi, who will join regulars Bernie Williams, Hideki Matsui and Tony Womack on the trip to face the defending World Champs.
The anticipation surrounding the first spring meeting of the blood rivals isn’t what it was a year ago, when A-Rod was the focus. Then, tickets were being scalped for $500. Yesterday’s high bid on eBay was $101.50.
Still, Giambi’s presence will likely stir the emotions that never cool when the Red Sox and Yankees gather. They meet March 29 at Legends before colliding on Opening Day April 3 at Yankee Stadium.
Yet, Giambi won’t shy from anything and plans to sign autographs along the foul lines before the game.
“I want to go play, I am not worried about it,” said Giambi, who is 1-for-7 with an RBI in three exhibition games.
When camp opened, Torre promised not to coddle Giambi and he isn’t.
“We have to send somebody,” said Torre, who has to send four regulars to every road game. “A big part of it was Posada being the DH here [today] because otherwise he would be catching four days in a row. I think [Giambi] will be all right. We are not doing anything out of the ordinary. We are not consciously trying to avoid it.”
Given a choice, something he wasn’t, Williams would have opted to avoid the 120-minute trek south.
“No, I wish I did,” Williams said when asked if Torre gave him an option. “It’s two hours away and a night game. It’s not the trip you want to have. It’s a seven o’clock game, a two-hour trip. The game will end at 10 and you will get home at 12:30. That’s not the kind of schedule you want in spring training.”
As for the reception the Yankees receive, Williams is ready.
“They will be waiting for us,” Williams said of Bosox fans. “It will be fun.”
Despite the reduced scalper prices, Torre is bracing for more of the same from a year ago.
“I assume [tonight] will be the same thing,” Torre said. “Last year I didn’t understand it but this year I understand it because it happened last year. People from Boston go to Ft. Myers and people from New York come here. It gives them a chance to howl. The most important thing is you don’t want to do something stupid like play somebody too long.”
