Two days before the curtain was raised on Gary Matthews Jr., the villain in the latest act of baseball's critically acclaimed steroid drama, Jason Giambi was catching bouquets at Yankees camp for his new role as the hero.

Giambi's soliloquy in Monday's papers - he's "gone through some tough times," but is "definitely stronger," and how he "might have come (to New York) as a boy, but I'm a man now," - was greeted with column inches of applause and admiration.

Almost nowhere was it noted that Giambi had hurled himself into the steroids spotlight by choosing to cheat in order to improve his performance and, in turn, sign a bigger contract. So here's a refresher on the reality of the situation: Giambi did not "find" himself embroiled in a steroids scandal - he created one.

Enter Matthews, 48 hours later, stage left.

According to Albany County district attorney P. David Soares, Matthews, along with former Rangers teammate Jerry Hairston Jr., received human growth hormone from an illegal online pharmacutical ring. Because there is not a reliable test for HGH, it is nearly impossible to prove that either player used the drug. But remember this: Nobody is making abstract art out of this stuff. You either use it as a performance enhancer or sell it to someone who will.

Why?

Because the stuff works. It makes you a better player for a lot longer. If you are a below-average player, it will make you average. If you are a journeyman, it will turn you into a good player - see Matthews. If you are a good player, it will elevate you to greatness - see Giambi. If you are a great player, it will make you an other-worldly player - see Barry Bonds.

Giambi knew it, and is reminded of it every time he spends some of the nearly $70 million he's made since 2002.

Is it just a coincidence, then, that Matthews posts career highs in home runs, hits and batting average with the Rangers last season, is rewarded with a $50 million deal with the Angels during the offseason and then his name pops up as a valued customer for the online equivalent of Performance Enhancers R Us?

If so, it's amazing how these guys keep "finding" themselves in the same situations.

It's a cycle that the modern athlete has perfected: use, produce, get caught, then try to be excused.

Giambi has mastered the whole scam and parlayed it into a new market: the little steroid user that could.

"It makes you get back to why you play this game, which is to have fun," Giambi said about all the perceived sacrifices he feels he has made over these past couple of years. "I know you can make a lot of money, but at the same time, all I ever wanted to be was a ballplayer."

He actually said this with a straight face.

The next day we read what a resilient, admirable guy Jason Giambi is.

Maybe if Gary Matthews keeps hitting home runs, he'll end up being a hero, too.

The Score hears...

BY MICHAEL O'KEEFFE

IFL eyed Urbanski

Bas Rutten, the legendary mixed-martial arts fighter who now coaches the Los Angeles Anacondas of the International Fight League, was teaching a class at his Las Vegas gym earlier this year when a big man caught his eye.

"He had some talent," Rutten says. "We were looking for a heavyweight. I thought, 'Maybe I can do something with him for the IFL.'"

The big man was Tommy Urbanski, the former professional wrestler who was shot Feb. 19 after a brawl at a Las Vegas strip club police say was sparked by Tennessee Titans' cornerback Adam (Pacman) Jones. "We went with another heavyweight we had worked with in the past, but I was very impressed with Tom," Rutten says. "He seemed like a very nice guy. This is all so insane. All these fights and shootings in the street - it's all so pointless."

Friends and family from around the country are rallying around Urbanski, who remains in critical condition at University Medical Center in Las Vegas. Urbanski's doctors say he'll probably be paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life, and his pals are raising the money to offset the millions of dollars he'll incur in medical bills and rehabilitation.

Minxx Gentleman's Club and Lounge, where Urbanski was working as a manager when he was shot last month, raised $10,000 Wednesday night for the Commack, L.I., product and Aaron Cudworth, another employee injured in the shooting. Rob Schneider, the owner of Lighthouse Harley-Davidson in Huntington Station, L.I. - and Urbanski's longtime friend - is planning a fundraiser in the near future. So is the Las Vegas bar Hogs & Heifers, where Urbanski once worked as a bouncer.

A fund has also been established for Urbanski. Donations can be sent to the Tommy Urbanski Fund, Silver State Bank, 400 Green Valley Parkway, Henderson, NV 89407.

Humane Society blitzes NFL

The NFL, already under fire thanks to the antics of Jones and the Cincinnati Bengals, now has another looming public relations nightmare to worry about: The Humane Society of the United States asked commissioner Roger Goodell to suspend Atlanta Falcons defensive tacke Jonathan Babineaux, who was charged with felony animal cruelty last month after the death of his girlfriend's dog, a 11/2-year-old pit bull mix named Kilo.

According to police in Gwinnett County, Ga., Babineaux's girlfriend Blair Anderson went to the movies after they had an argument at their home. When she returned, she found the dog had been injured. She took Kilo to an animal emergency center, which reported him dead on arrival. Police believe Kilo died from blunt force trauma to the head.

Human Society president Wayne Pacelle notes in his letter to Goodell that animal cruelty and domestic violence are often linked.

"We urge you to make a public statment on behalf of the NFL denouncing cruelty to animals as cowardly and malicious," Pacelle added.

Running hot and cold, but mostly cold

The New York Marathon will be a piece of cake for Carol Young, a 59-year-old nurse from Houston: Young and almost 200 other runners competed last week in the Antarctica Marathon, a 26.2-mile race on King George Island, 44 miles off the coast of the Great White South.

"It was like running the penguin Olympics," Young tells The Score. "There weren't any people watching, but there were thousands of penguins. We were so close to a whale you could smell the oil on its breath. There were also seals. I thought they were beautiful until I saw one catch and eat a penguin. That was not a pretty sight."

The race was sponsored by Capella University, the online school where Young earned a doctorate. Young has entered and completed 15 other marathons, but she didn't finish this race due to brutal weather. "It was well below zero, and the wind was blowing 40 mph and harder," she says. "Snow was blowing so hard you could not see in front of you."

Everyone out of the pool!

Here's why The Score doesn't hang out at supermodel parites: Guests at Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue party last month may have been exposed to Hepatitis A, which was diagnosed in an employee of Wolfgang Puck Catering.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health urged anyone who ate raw food at the Sports Illustrated event, held at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, to receive an immune globulin shot last week.

Sports Illustrated said in a statement that it was taking the situation very seriously and was working directly with county health authorities.

Say What?

"Go back to the kitchen. Go in there and make me some bacon and eggs, would you?"

­ Boston Celtics radio analyst Cedric Maxwell about female referee Violet Palmer after disagreeing with one of her calls.

What's Up

TOMORROW

BASEBALL: It doesn't count, but the Yankees get their first shot at the Tigers - featuring ex-Bombers slugger, Gary Sheffield - since their loss to Detroit in the ALDS. 1:15 p.m., YES & ESPN

TUESDAY

BASKETBALL: The Knicks and Nets continue to battle for that eighth playoff spot. While Isiah Thomas' crew is home to face the woeful Sonics, Jason Kidd and the Nets are in Dallas visiting the NBA's best team. Knicks: 7:30 p.m., MSG; Nets: 8:30 p.m., YES

THURSDAY

HOCKEY: The Rangers and Islanders meet for the second time in four days, this time at Nassau Coliseum after tomorrow's matchup at the Garden. The Devils, meanwhile, skate in Pittsburgh in the second leg of a three-game road trip. Rangers/Isles: 7:30 p.m., MSG & FSN; Devils: 7:30 p.m., FSN2

FRIDAY

BASEBALL: They've already seen the defending World Series champs twice, and now the Mets get their second spring training look at the AL champion Tigers. 1:10 p.m., SNY