NY Times - Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman angrily took issue Thursday night with an anecdote about him and Jason Giambi that is contained in a new book about Roger Clemens.. The book, "The Rocket That Fell to Earth,” (Harper Collins) by Jeff Pearlman, is to be released later this month... The book said that when Giambi went through a slump in the 2002 season, his first with the Yankees, Cashman was heard yelling at a television in the Yankees’ clubhouse during a game. Citing “one New York player,” the book said that Cashman screamed, “Jason, whatever you were taking in Oakland,” get back on it. The book said that Cashman then added, “Please!”... “That is completely false,” Cashman said.... Before the 2002 season, the Yankees signed Giambi to a seven-year, $120 million contract... the Yankees, when they signed Giambi, had agreed to a request from Giambi to have all references to steroids removed from the guarantee language of the contract. The Yankees, however, maintained that they had no knowledge of Giambi’s use of steroids when they signed him.

To be fair... and I don't know why I would... maybe Brian Cashman is telling the truth here. But frankly Pearlman's story just sounds a lot more credible than Cashman's denials. And even if Cashman doesn't remember saying it, why bother denying it? Why are the Yankees still trying to perpetuate this myth that they were shocked shocked! when Giambi admitted to using two years after they signed him. Remember that ridiculous fiction the Peter Gammons always touted that Joe Torre wanted Giambi in the Bronx because he's such "a good character guy" and not because of his freakish power numbers? When was the last time anybody bought that? So I don't get why Cashman wouldn't just say "Of course I wanted him on whatever he was taking in Oakland. What do you think we gave him $120 million for? Who wouldn't want that?" It's the lesson of Watergate and the Lewinsky scandal: the coverup is always worse than the crime.

PS Any book that chronicles Clemens disgrace and humiliation is one I have to read. I'll be camping outside Barnes & Noble the night before this one goes on sale.