OAKLAND, Calif. — Jeremy Giambi thinks it's going to be a little weird for everyone when his big brother mans first base at the Coliseum wearing a gray Yankees uniform rather than green and gold.

        In his six years with the Oakland Athletics, Jason Giambi became a fixture both on the field and in the clubhouse.

        But tonight he'll return to Oakland with the team that has won four of the last six World Series and knocked the A's out of the playoffs for two straight years.

        “The fans here will probably boo him when he appears. It's their right. They paid for their tickets and they can do anything they want,” Jeremy said. “But I think they should respect him for what he did, he gave the team here a lot of a great years.

        “It would probably be different if he wasn't a Yankee now. That team is always the team to beat for any team to get to the playoffs.”

        Jason, known for his eternal optimism with the A's, expects a mixed reaction.

        “There's going to be people who are happy to see me. The nice thing is there are Yankees fans all over the world,” he said. “There will be people who are disappointed. It will be real emotional, for sure.”

        INDIANS: Outfielder Wil Cordero, a major disappointment the past three seasons, was designated for assignment.

        Cordero was batting .222 (4-for-18) with one RBI in six games this season for the Indians, who have been reluctant to play the 30-year-old because of his lack of productivity.

        He's in the final year of a contract that will pay him $4 million this season.

        LABOR TALKS: Union lawyers answered questions from the owners' lawyers Monday on why they don't want a luxury tax or vastly increased revenue sharing.

        The slow-moving labor talks resumed last week and were scheduled to continue today before recessing until May 2.

        “They made a response to some more of the questions we had asked last week, more on the core sort of issues,” management negotiator Rob Manfred said. “How does this deal with disparity? How does this deal with the economic situation?”

        BRAVES: Atlanta placed starting pitcher Jason Marquis on the 15-day disabled list because of tendinitis in his right shoulder. Marquis, who is 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA, said the shoulder has been bothering him for 3 1/2 weeks.

White the specialist Reds need Reds vs. Rockies series preview MLB notes: Giambi returning to Oakland Twins, Expos alive and well

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