This column originally ran in The Standard-Times on Feb. 11, 2005.

By Nick Tavares

Jason Giambi is still going in circles.

Yesterday, on the heels of BALCO hearings, new steroid policies and Jose Canseco's new book, Giambi finally agreed to speak up and address what everyone with a slight interest in baseball wanted him to address -- his steroid use.

And he did — kind of.

"There's been a lot of distraction, definitely, over the last year, and I'm sorry for that, I really am," Giambi told The Associated Press. "I accept full responsibility for that. I'm sorry, but I'm trying to go forward now. Most of all, to the fans, I'm sorry. I know it's going to be hard, and I understand how they feel."

Legal matters held Giambi up from actually saying what he did or why he was so sorry to his teammates, but it wasn't necessary. When asked directly about it, he told the press that "when I went into that grand jury, I told the truth," in reference to his BALCO subpoena.

But, otherwise, did he really say anything worthwhile?

There were two reasons that Giambi addressed the media yesterday. First, because the Yankees wanted to show the baseball world that they are committed to him next season, and second because the Yankees wanted Giambi to apologize and rebuild his public image.

Well, the team hasn't cut him, and he apologized, so I guess technically the event was a success. But if it was, it certainly felt like a hollow one.

I'm sure Jason Giambi is a nice guy when you get to know him, and he's never done anything else off the field to bring his character into question. But his career since signing with New York in 2002 has taken a significant downturn, first because of the pressure that the Big Apple commands and later because of this steroid mess.

Does Giambi feel genuinely sorry about how the events in his life have unfolded the last four years? I don't doubt that for a second.

But this is the path he chose. He knew the substances he put in his body were the ultimate dance with the devil. It was fame and stardom and dominance, all at a seemingly small price.

That price keeps going up and up every day.

He has a 50/50 shot at best of actually finishing out his contract in 2007. He's not an All-Star anymore. His past success will never be taken seriously again, forever tainted by the cream and the clear.

He's not even guaranteed a starting spot in the lineup. Tino Martinez and Ruben Sierra, two aging veterans whose best days are long past, are more likely to get penciled in at first base and DH, respectively. The two players will cost the Yankees a mere fraction of what they'll pay Giambi in 2005.

So this is the position Giambi is left in. A former MVP, he's forced to address the rabid New York media weeks before he is to report to spring training, all in an attempt to make everything right again.

With every press conference, leaked testimonial, book deal and, ultimately, failed drug test, one fact becomes clearer and clearer -- this mess is not going away, and no one involved in it will get away clean.

Nick Tavares is a columnist for the Standard-Times. E-mail him at ntavares@s-t.com

This story appeared on Page C1 of The Standard-Times on February 11, 2005.