Canseco - 5 years later

[VT Yankee]

Baseball was ready to turn its back on Jose Canseco. His book was thought of as sensational and money-grabbing if not outright lies.

Yet 5 years later he can be seen as the major factor in baseball's cleanup of the steroid use and performance enhancing drugs use. He told the truth.

Say what you will about him personally, or his personality, yet, his integrity is in his truth about what has stained baseball and its records for the last 15 years.

Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmero were the squeeky clean stars of baseball who testified before congress. Now baseball has shunned them for shunning the truth.

Both Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds are under the scope of law enforcement and their reputation may just be tarnished for good.

If Bonds and Clemens can have artifacts in the Hall of Fame (and they already do) so should Jose Canseco and Jason Giambi and Andy Pettite if they are deemed statistically worthy.

Even more importantly, as admirers of the game, we can now cast an even greater admiration for Hank Aaron and Nolan Ryan who achieved their feats on sheer skill, honing and determination.

That is not to say that McGwire, Bonds or Clemens never worked hard - it just means the line between effort and artificial assitance is blurred.

Pointing the finger of blame is less important now than the pointing the finger of direction - which should be forward and not backward.

Good Luck baseball.

[Old Sweater]

Well written but your timelines is off. As some of your hearsay.

Canseco - 5 years later

Baseball was ready to turn its back on Jose Canseco. His book was thought of as sensational and money-grabbing if not outright lies.

The book was for money and he was more or less washed up in baseball in 2000 or 8 years ago. The book Juiced came out in 2005 or 4 years ago.

Steroids
In 2005, Canseco admitted to using anabolic steroids in a tell-all book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big. Canseco also claimed that up to 85% of major league players took steroids, a figure disputed by many in the game. In the book, Canseco specifically identified former teammates Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, Rafael Palmeiro, Iván Rodríguez, and Juan González as fellow steroid users, and claimed that he injected them. Most of the players named in the book have denied steroid use. Giambi has admitted to steroid use in testimony before a grand jury investigating the BALCO case.

Canseco did have a productive season again in 1998, when he hit 46 home runs and stole 29 bases, the most he had stolen since the 40 he stole in 1988. He was a Blue Jay that year, but his comeback was missed by most fans because of the home run race in the National League between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Canseco then went to Tampa Bay, where he was having a tremendous season (34 homers in 114 games; and was voted an All-Star) when he injured his back and was lost for the season. He was claimed off waivers by the New York Yankees down the stretch in 2000, but was not a factor at all in the postseason, making only a token appearance in one game of the World Series against the New York Mets.

Jose played sparingly with the Chicago White Sox in 2001, after being cut by the Anaheim Angels in spring training and spending half of the season with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League. In 2002, Canseco was signed by the Montreal Expos but was released prior to the regular season. Canseco retired in May of that 2002. He made a brief comeback attempt in 2004, but was not offered a spot with the Los Angeles Dodgers after a spring tryout. His 462 career home runs rank him 26th on the all-time list. Canseco was at one time the all-time leader in home runs among Latino players; he was later surpassed by Rafael Palmeiro and Sammy Sosa. Canseco has been distinguished four times with the Silver Slugger award: three times as an AL outfielder in 1988, 1990, and 1991, and once as a Designated Hitter in 1998.

In 2007, he received 6 Hall of Fame votes. This accounted for 1.1% of the ballots, failing to reach the 5% threshold necessary to stay on the ballot for another year. He is, however, permanently eligible for induction on the Committee of Baseball Veterans ballot.

Yet 5 years later he can be seen as the major factor in baseball's cleanup of the steroid use and performance enhancing drugs use. He told the truth.

He told some lies IMO also. And it was Ken Caminiti that first brought the steroid use to the public's attention.

Canseco also claimed that up to 85% of major league players took steroids, a figure disputed by many in the game.

IMO a lie or really guessing or stretching the truth.

Caminiti struggled with substance abuse throughout his career. He admitted in 1994 to having a problem with alcohol and checked himself into a rehabilitation center in 2000. In a Sports Illustrated cover story in 2002, a year after his retirement, he admitted that he had used steroids during his MVP 1996 season, and for several seasons afterwards.[1]. It was the first public admission of steroid use by any professional baseball player. Caminiti's announcement sent shockwaves through the sport: players became recalcitrant at being exposed, and reporters were embarrassed that no one had bothered, in the post-strike era when home runs exploded, to suspect steroid use by the players. Caminiti's revelation contributed to Congressional inquiries and a league-wide steroids scandal.

Caminiti brought it to the public's attention 3 years before Canseco decided to turn rat for profit in a book.

Pointing the finger of blame is less important now than the pointing the finger of direction - which should be forward and not backward.

MLB and the owners were 40 years to late in the pointing of any fingers. It's also hard to go forward when you don't have a 3rd party doing the investigations or conducting the PED tests.

[SamtheBravesFan]

Canseco waited until a time where it was advantageous to himself for whatever reason to let a skeleton out of a closet by throwing other people under the bus along with himself. He looks better for it and he gets money out of it by putting it in a book? Those things are not the actions of a man with integrity.

I will admit that in a perverse way, he probably got the ball rolling, but I will never say Jose Canseco had any integrity.

[Old Sweater]

Canseco waited until a time where it was advantageous to himself for whatever reason to let a skeleton out of a closet by throwing other people under the bus along with himself. He looks better for it and he gets money out of it by putting it in a book? Those things are not the actions of a man with integrity.

I will admit that in a perverse way, he probably got the ball rolling, but I will never say Jose Canseco had any integrity.

Well put Sam. I think he more or less started rolling the ball that Caminiti had put in play.

[Brian McKenna]

Integrity or not - whatever his motives were - that's for you guys to pontificate on - history will bear his influence in this matter. To me, he did a positive service to the fans and others that feel defrauded by the users - whether he was one of them or not.

Who did you expect to blow that whistle - someone who was complicit or an innocent?

[stejay]

I sorta in a way, admire Canseco. He stood up, and he admitted taking roids. Not many players have the balls to do that.

[SamtheBravesFan]

Integrity or not - whatever his motives were - that's for you guys to pontificate on - history will bear his influence in this matter. To me, he did a positive service to the fans and others that feel defrauded by the users - whether he was one of them or not.

Who did you expect to blow that whistle - someone who was complicit or an innocent?

Well, I would have expected him to not make money off of something so negative and important on principle.

Besides, when you get right down to it, it should have been as explosive had he, say, conducted an interview with someone on ESPN.

At worst, it's probably on a case-by-case basis with revealing damaging information in a book.

[Old Sweater]

Integrity or not - whatever his motives were - that's for you guys to pontificate on - history will bear his influence in this matter. To me, he did a positive service to the fans and others that feel defrauded by the users - whether he was one of them or not.

Who did you expect to blow that whistle - someone who was complicit or an innocent?

MLB knew the PED problem was going on, long before the book Juiced came out in 2005. Canseco just decided to make some money off the info, since he was retired.

The list of PED users isn't no where near the 85% that Canseco said in his book with only a chosen few getting their hand slapped and even less top names being used as scapegoats by MLB, to fool the public into thinking they actually care about PED use.


Selig, so far, is just sweeping the players under the rug, that was in the Mitchell Report without one player being prevented from playing, or receiving the 50 game penalty for 1st offense of steroid use. MLB and the owners are only concerned over attendance and all this scandal seems to be increasing attendance every year.


If MLB is going to open the lid on their can of worms they should use 3rd party investigations and 3rd party testing, or just do like the NFL and keep the lid sealed tight. IMO<<<<<<<<<<<<<

[Skin & Bones]

I sorta in a way, admire Canseco. He stood up, and he admitted taking roids. Not many players have the balls to do that.

After denying it for his entire career.

[placount]

After denying it for his entire career.

whatever, he realizes that he was wrong, and has come very clean about it


as a side note, that picture that was posted here with something over his face has to be the lamest thing ive ever seen

[leecemark]

--Canseco had nothing to lose by the time he "came clean" with his book. His career was over and he'd already burned alot of bridges in the game. He is not a guy who saw the light and is trying to solve a problem. He is just a low life trying to make a buck.

[steve rogers]

whatever, he realizes that he was wrong, and has come very clean about it

I'm not really interested in getting involved in a debate about Jose Canseco. However, Canseco has never said he was wrong for taking steroids. In fact he brags about still taking them. His only criticism of using steroids is that most of the people that are taking them are just taking them in the wrong way. He more or less encourages people to use them. I have an interview he did with WEEI radio in Boston if you'd like to hear it come from his mouth.

Oh and just for fun he has signed baseballs for sale with the insciption "the chemist". Classy.

There is nothing to admire about Jose Canseco. NOTHING.

Scott

[stejay]

Steve Rogers
Yet, you are entering a debate on Canseco lol:noidea

[Phish]

I am now reading his book Juiced! and it's not a half bad book. People may have the thought that the book is throwing people under the bus, but it really isn't. It's a lot more about his career. The one thing that did pop out at me were his allegations on McGwire. I don't have the exact quote on me right now and im far too lazy but it stats that McGwire had the largest biceps and forearms in baseball. Canseco also stated Mark had the biggest growth from steriods after his rookie season. Just a few tidbits....

[SamtheBravesFan]

I am now reading his book Juiced! and it's not a half bad book. People may have the thought that the book is throwing people under the bus, but it really isn't. It's a lot more about his career. The one thing that did pop out at me were his allegations on McGwire. I don't have the exact quote on me right now and im far too lazy but it stats that McGwire had the largest biceps and forearms in baseball. Canseco also stated Mark had the biggest growth from steriods after his rookie season. Just a few tidbits....

We're specifically referring to those parts.