(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Two former Yankees are in the Bay area this year with new teams. Jason Giambi has rejoined the Oakland A's, and Randy Johnson is now with the San Francisco Giants. Both expressed their views on New York and being a Yankee to SF Chronicle writer John Shea, and it's no wonder that their former team's fans have such different opinions on the two.
"If you don't win the World Series, it's considered a failing year," said (Randy) Johnson, who's working near his Livermore roots after signing a one-year, $8 million contract with the Giants. "Those are extremely high expectations. It's not that easy, though. I don't think you should be measured on whether you won a World Series or not because the best team doesn't always win the World Series."
And now for the more beloved of the former Yankees, Jason Giambi:
"I loved having that pressure on you," said Giambi, who returned to the A's for a $5.25 million guarantee. "If you're an athlete and really love the game, it's pretty incredible. The expectation level from the media to the fans, it's awesome, an incredible environment to play in. I know some people don't thrive in it, but I enjoyed it."
"I think I did all right. I had my ups and downs, but I played hard for Yankees fans. I was honest," said Giambi, obviously referring to fessing up to steroid use. "I did all I could for them. David Cone came to me on Mustache Day and said, 'You know what, it's pretty incredible, you got 'em all back.' I'm pretty proud of that."
Once again, it's no wonder that these two are looked at so differently by Yankees fans.
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