The finish line for a seeming public relations victory is in sight for commissioner Bud Selig. He is putting the squeeze on Jason Giambi, and no matter what happens before next Wednesday -- his deadline for Giambi to decide whether to cooperate with the Mitchell investigators or face the repercussions -- he could conceivably declare a measure of victory.
If the negotiations for Giambi's testimony continue to progress and Giambi meets with the Mitchell people -- a management official on Thursday placed the odds of that happening at 50-50 -- the union's wall of silence will be breached, Giambi's steroid use may be confirmed for the record and the final report delivered by Mitchell will have additional credibility.
And if Giambi refuses to talk to the Mitchell people and Selig suspends Giambi, and that suspension is eventually overturned by an arbitrator, Selig will at least be able to say to baseball's fan base, and more importantly, to Congress: Hey, we tried. Within the constraints of our labor agreement, we did the absolute best we could, and if Henry Waxman and John McCain want more answers, then they can call Don Fehr and ask him.
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Buster Olney
