The Yankees' signing of Jason Giambi is just another example of what is wrong with baseball. Giambi is portrayed as one of the nicest guys in baseball. He is also one of the players you love to cheer for, but who wants to cheer for him in Yankee pinstripes?

The fact that the Yankees can go out and sign anyone that George Steinbrenner wants is just what is pushing fans away from the game. Every team in the American League outside of Seatle or maybe Boston know that, barring injury, they have very little chance of making the Fall Classic.

Christopher W. VanNostrand
Gloversville, N.Y.

	Giambi

Following the A's I have learned a few things:

1. Jason Giambi loves the Oakland A's
2. Jason Giambi loves the city of Oakland
3. Jason Giambi loves playing with his brother
4. Jason Giambi wants to do what is right for baseball
5. Jason Giambi is full of it

Jeff De Rosa
Bath, Maine

It's a sad, sad day here in the Bay Area for A's fans. This past season started off badly, but the A's righted themselves and made it to the playoffs. And Jason Giambi was the major cog in the drive for the wild card. I can still vividly remember "Big G" hitting the game-winning homer off Mike Stanton as 45,000-plus fans fans roared in ecstasy one a Sunday afternoon last season. Bill King called Jason "the man." Well, he may still be ... just not in Oakland.

Andrew Viloria
Fremont, Calif.

I'm sick. Jason had a great thing going for him in Oakland. With all of that young talent signed for the next few years, he had the opportunity to lead his young team to a championship, along with playing on the same team as his brother, in a state that he loves, close to his family. I don't know if I'm more disappointed in Jason leaving Oakland, or that he chose to play for the enemy. I hate the Yanks. I've lost a lot of respect for Jason.

Randy Bennis
New York

	“	Jason Giambi is a sell-out. I hope the Yankees flop this upcoming year. ”
		—  Greg Colaizzi, San Jose, Calif.

Another good person succumbs to the dark side. This is so depressing. If all the good players want to play for the Yankees, and the Yankees always sign whomever they want, why should the rest of the teams even try?

Ryan Luiten
Yakima, Wash.

It's disgusting. It further proves that the Yankees can open their checkbook and ruin baseball. They can sign Giambi and Alou, and still have money left? What happened to Nick Johnson? This is why baseball needs a salary cap.

J.P. Miller
Moscow, Idaho

I think this will put the Yankees over the top. I have been a diehard Yankee fan for the past 15 years and the Yanks have never really had a pure power hitter, such as a player like Jason Giambi. With his durability and power the Yanks will surely again be World Champs.

Adam J. Stegman
McPherson, Kan.

	“	Welcome aboard, Jason. A new era has begun. ”
		—  Matt Pomara, New York

Just when I started to believe again that ba$eball was not only about money, Giambi goes and messes it up. He had an opportunity to make a difference in the game for the fans sake, and instead he now has $125-plus million more dollars than he will never spend. Instantly, now he will go from one of the most loved players to just another greedy chump!

Tony Pusateri
Las Vegas

Plain and simple the A's blew it by allowing the Yankees to sign Giambi. He's the franchise player for Oakland and the undisputed team leader. It will take a while for A's players to deal with his departure. Good luck A's ... you're going to need it!

Tim Tidball
Medford, Ore.

Giambi is a competitor, but he obviously doesn't have enough competitive drive or he'd stay with Oakland. He seems to have taken the philosophy "If you can't beat 'em -- join 'em," philosophy, which is unfortunate. The A's have been my favorite team since I was five years old. This one really hurts.

Jason McLatchie
Ames, Iowa

	“	I look at the signing as a slap in the face of baseball fans. This again is a clear-cut case of overspending by the large-market Yankees simply because they can and the small-market A's can't. ”
		—  Brian Griffin, North Adams, Mass.

There is not a bigger Giambi hater on the planet than me right now. I can't believe he did it. The A's were not throwing a shabby offer out there. His family is close by. His fiance is from the Bay Area. The A's did all of the nurturing to make him the player he is today. I just thought he was a little better than that. But's that's OK, he'll get his when Uncle George makes him shave and get a haircut.

Jon Stream
Santa Clara, Calif.

The Yankees will finally have a man who can hit 50 to 60 home runs at Yankee Stadium. I think Giambi will fit right in in the Bronx.

Allan Weinberg
Bath, Pa.

As an A's fan, this result has left me numb. I have decided to box all my A's paraphernalia and store it in my basement until baseball comes up with a salary cap. I will no longer actively follow my team or invest any more emotional energy into them when I know my favorite players will just be purchased by the Yankees in the future.

Dan O'Neil
Boston

Hey, it's Steinbrenner's money! He has all the right in the world to do whatever he wants with it. If he wants to spend all his money on a baseball team, I'm all for it. It's not his problem that all the other teams don't have the money, maybe they're just doing it all wrong.

Baseball is a business, get over it!

Stephen Waters
Pineville, La.

This is horrible for baseball. For crying out loud, when is this ever going to end. Although I was more than happy to see the Yankees lose in the World Series, it probably was for the worst. That ticked Steinbrenner off enough that he figured he would throw millions of dollars right into the cream of this year's free-agent crop. As a long-time A's fan and huge supporter of Jason Giambi, I hope it all works out for him. He built the Oakland organization back up when nobody gave them a chance. He was a great Athletic, and I will truly miss him. It saddens me to think that teams like the A's just can't compete with big-market franchises, and it really frustrates me that Steinbrenner always gets what he wants.

Geoff Bonn
Walnut Creek, Calif.

I say thank you to the Yankees for giving us Yankee fans something real exciting to get ready for next season. I will, however, miss Tino Martinez very much. He was a great Yankee.

Peter Klinger
New City, N.Y.

As of today, I think I have lost all interest in baseball. I'm so tired of seeing the Yankees get everything they want. Of course, I am a Red Sox fan and am dreading next year already. Seriously, if the Yanks get Moises Alou as well I will boycott this game.

Dan Kroeber
Storrs, Conn.