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Jason Giambi
In poignant contrast to Giambi's nice-guy reputation with both fans and players, the Yankee power slugger's grand jury testimony last season - to the use of steroid and human growth hormones (also see: Rafael Palmeiro) has made him the latest poster boy for pointing out all that's wrong with professional sports.
The Harley-loving and charismatic Yankee was born in the Los Angeles suburb of West Covina on January 8, 1971.
Inspired by their father's lifelong admiration of Yankee great Mickey Mantle, Giambi and brother Jeremy (with whom Giambi played alongside on the Oakland A's after Jeremy joined the team in 2000) competed side by side in various sports throughout their early years and into college.
After a stint in the minors, Giambi joined the big leagues with the Oakland A's in 1996, and the following year took Mark McGwire's position at first base when Big Mac was traded to the Cardinals. Although defensive was not his strong suit, Giambi went on to establish a reputation as a power slugger.
By 2000, his career high record included a .333 batting average, 43 homers and 137 RBIs. Giambi was runner-up in AL MVP voting in 2001, his last season with the A's, and again the following year in his first year with the New York Yankees.
In his last complete season with the Yankees in 2003, Jason hit 41 homers and drove in 107 runs. Most recently, Giambi spent the 2004 season plagued by injuries - including a sprained ankle, a pulled groin muscle and an intestinal parasite. A benign tumor was later found in Giambi's pituatary gland, a fact not lost on sports scribes and the tabloids, hinting at a possible connection between the diagnosis and his self-confessed use of steroids. Baseball's 2004 doping scandal also incuded Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield, among others.
Despite the odds, Giambi has returned triumphant over the taunts of some unforgiving baseball crowds in exhibition games, and most recently homered in a 2005 pre-season 9-2 Yankee win against the Boston Red Sox.
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