OAKLAND, Calif. -- Jason Giambi was five hours early for his return to Oakland.

	Giambi

The former AL MVP arrived at the Coliseum in the early afternoon for Tuesday night's game between the Yankees and the Athletics. It was his first trip back to Oakland since leaving the A's for New York in the offseason.

"I got here early to say hi to all the guys," he said. "I knew it would be a circus act."

It was. After a pregame news conference, Giambi took the field with the rest of the Yankees for warmups. He was greeted by a bevy of photographers and reporters, and a considerable crowd had gathered in the seats down around the dugout.

Reaction from the fans was mixed, but mostly negative. When Giambi ran out to man first base in the bottom of the first inning, a smattering of applause accompanied the boos.

Giambi finished 2-for-4, including a double in the seventh inning before Jorge Posada homered to give the Yankees a 2-1 victory.

For his first at-bat, the crowd cheered when Oakland starter Tim Hudson threw a first-pitch strike. The fans booed the whole time Giambi was at the plate, and he grounded out.

Signs posted in the outfield seats were especially harsh. "Money can't buy you love," read one. Another, with a nod to A's outfielder and Giambi's younger brother, Jeremy, read: "Our Giambi is better."

And it might have simply been a typo, but the video scoreboard spelled his last name "Jiambi" when lineups were posted before the game.

Giambi, the eternal optimist even when the A's were at their worst, said the boos were OK.

"I've always had a special place in my heart for this place," he said. "I grew up in this organization. Last year, I had 25 guys who were my brothers."

Besides, he's getting used to the boos with his new team. Yankees' fans can be a lot more demanding than the fairly passive Oakland crowd.

On the Yankees' recent homestand, Giambi went 6-for-24. He had just seven hits in his last 27 at-bats.

	“	I've always had a special place in my heart for this place. I grew up in this organization. Last year, I had 25 guys who were my brothers. ”
		— Jason Giambi

"They just like to make you earn your pinstripes," he explained. "They want big things and I guess I'm the big guy coming in."

Giambi accepted a $120 million, seven-year contract with the Yankees in December, leaving behind the team that gave him his start.

The A's could have kept their All-Star first baseman, the 2000 AL MVP, for $91 million over six years. But Oakland refused to give him the no-trade clause he wanted.

"It was never personal about anything," Giambi said. "I enjoyed being out here. The decision I made I felt was best for my career."

Giambi was an MVP runner-up last season after hitting .342 with 38 homers and 120 RBI for Oakland, Jason also led the league in on-base percentage (.477) and slugging (.660) last season.

When he moved to the Yankees, Giambi couldn't wear his old No. 16 that was so familiar to A's fans because that jersey was retired. So he picked No. 25 because the numbers add up to seven -- the number worn by his favorite player, Mickey Mantle.

And that's not all that changed. Giambi said he's getting used to all the attention.

"The Yankees are the closest thing to being a rock star," he said. "Whenever we go to a hotel, hundreds of people will be milling about in the lobby hoping to catch a glimpse of us."