Jason Giambi on Torre's book: 'It's hurtful.'

A reporter described Torre's tone as often 'casually insulting',*** Giambi's handling a good example of that. Totally unnecessary and mean spirited. When did it become common practice for radio hosts like WFAN's Richard Neer to emotionally tell listeners to 'read the book,' which means BUY the book (as I heard him do last night)?

• No one should buy the book. It's an obvious PR sham to manipulate mass emotions in a mean way in a sneaky format including someone who had privileged access to what used to be known as a players' clubhouse. If you want to write a history of a certain period of time, that's one thing. This was a media stunt. (Those who simply view baseball as an escape don't want to consider any of these issues).

(LA Times blog, Guerrero, 2/5): "While Joe Torre continues to plug his book, "The Yankee Years," in New York as the Dodgers winter caravan continues without him, feedback is still rolling in, this time from one of the players mentioned in the tell-all.

• I spoke Wednesday with Jason Giambi, who certainly had mixed feelings about his former manager's decision to write it, something he's known about for quite a while because of

• a phone call he received from the publisher's fact-checker. These are his first public comments about the book.

"It's definitely hurtful," he told me.

• "When you play together that long, you're family. There's a certain trust involved.

• We were always like 'keep everything in-house, especially in New York with that media.'

I was surprised to hear that he was writing a book ... he meant so much to that town. But from his point of view you can respect it. He had to get things off his chest," referring to Torre's bitter exit from the Yankees.

When I asked if writing the book violated the trust of his former team, Giambi said, "That's hard to answer.

• We were all going in the same direction, we were a family.
• I can see how other guys will be hurt by it."

Then Giambi offers, "It's hard to know what came from Verducci and what came from Torre," referring to Tom Verducci, who co-authored the book.

• "That guy was always hanging around."

In fact, while Torre writes that he was against signing Giambi

• because he saw him as a "defensive liability,"

• it is Verducci who recounts his issue of performance-enhancing drugs that the five-time All-Star later apologized for.

Giambi doesn't seemed bothered by Torre's comments about him. "I'm OK with it. I knew what my job was. I came to New York to drive in runs."...

• Giambi signed a one-year, $5.25-million contract this offseason with the Oakland Athletics, bringing him back to the team he played for from 1995 to 2001, winning the American League MVP along the way. He says the move brings him "full circle."...

"Look, he's a great manager, he really is. I haven't talked to Joe about the book yet ... someday.""...via BTF

• ***Bob Klapisch on the Torre book, Boston Herald:

"Each one of these depictions reveals a casual, insulting quality to Torre’s personality that seems almost incomprehensible.

• For more than a decade, Torre won over the public not because he was a great manager, but because he was a good man.

But now we ask: Is this the same man who embraced Paul O’Neill as the slugger wept in his arms after the 1999 World Series?"

• Addendum: Commenter at Dugout Central thinks it hurts the Dodgers more than the Yankees:

Hossrex, 2/6/09: "A book with Torre’s name, and face on the cover is giving away privileged clubhouse information. Torre is still managing, and he has an issue of trust to uphold with his players. They have to know they can come to him with problems, or concerns, without becoming another chapter in his next book.

• Joe Torre hasn’t hurt the Yankees. They don’t give a hoot.
• Joe hurt the Dodgers, because now I honestly don’t see how he can be an effective leader.

Could you ever open up to your boss if he has a reputation of going around and turning everything you say into gossip? Seriously. Think about it as if it were happening to you. Would you respect that that person as a leader?

• I can’t imagine anyone would be okay with that out of their own boss."

PHOTO ABOVE: 6/5/08, GIAMBI HITS WALK-OFF HOMERUN, 2 OUTS, BOTTOM of the 9th, YANKEES LOSING 8-7, BJ RYAN PITCHING. Final score, 9-8 Yankees. Newsday photo.

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