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Now, let’s talk about baseball. Yes baseball. That game when you pitch the ball, you hit the ball and you throw the ball as it was so elegantly explained in the movie Bull Durham. I know every guy out there can remember the first baseball game they ever went to with their father. I had my first beer at a baseball game. I was able to bond with my father for nine innings (whenever he would stay for them), which was a stretch because there was never any other time. My first game was at Comiskey Park in 1984 when the White Sox took a dive to the Toronto Blue Jays 8 to 4.
As the years went on, these superhuman players came out from nowhere. I can remember when heroes like Harold Baines, Carlton Fisk, Greg “The Bull” Luzinski, Ron Kittle, and ofcourse Tony LaRussa as their manager. And then on the other side of the city, those useless Cubs. Ryne Sandberg, Gary Matthews, Leon Durham, blah, blah. All these guys were awesome players. But then in the late 80’s, we saw a new breed of superstar come through. Players like Mark Mcgwire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemmens, Sammy Sosa, and ofcourse, Jose Canseco.
Now Canseco was considered one of baseballs next big things. He helped the Oakland A’s get to the World Series in 1988 while he brought home an American League MVP award. As years went on Canseco was always in the spotlight, from getting speeding tickets to his hitting sprees of terror. However, Canseco was also known as a troublemaker. He was in the tabloids due to his fling with Madonna. He was given a 5 year $23 million deal, which led to the monster salaries players make nowadays. His 1-900 number pissed off teammates and once in New York, Canseco almost fought with a fan who was mocking his relationship with Madonna. He was becoming more and more cocky by each season. He made a comment that he was traded to Ethopia for a box of Fruit Loops and a camel to be named later when he was traded to Texas during a playoff run in 1992. He snapped his head against the wall, and pitched! It is obvious to me that this guy was addicted to fame. He unfortunately had a stint with the White Sox in 2001, but he contributed nothing.
As many people know, Jose Canseco just published a book entitled “Juiced.” In it and during his 60 minutes interview this past weekend, Canseco talks about how he used steroids. He says he would never have been the player he was without the roids. Back in the day, people were saying that he was using, but it was nowhere near the heat players take now. Concerns elevated when he was caught with a handgun and of course the speeding we talked about earlier. He attacked fans, tourists, and even his own wife. All of these can be considered examples of “roid rage.” He also talked about how he injects growth hormones and steroids into Mark Mcgwire and Jason Giambi when he rejoined the A’s later in his career. Sounds like a hell of a life.
As many know, steroids have plagued the league for the last 10 years or so. People doing superhuman things like hitting 70 home runs. But with all this comes a price. Think about how many times Canseco was injured in his career. Think about the infamous sneeze when Sammy Sosa was out for a while. Barry Bonds does seem angry a lot doesn’t he? It is a shame that many of the records by people back in the day are being broken by players who cheat. To some it may not be a big deal. It is just baseball, right? However, like I said earlier. Think about the fact that baseball is such a past time for so many people growing up. Is a message being sent to them that it is OK to cheat?
But let’s take a look at the real story here. Canseco. Is he lying? Although I can admire him for having the stones to call out most of the league, is this another publicity stunt going wrong? Tony LaRussa, his former manager told 60 minutes, "I don't think there's any doubt that it's a fabrication. The product of our good play and the size and strength of our players -- Mark was a great example. What we saw was a lot of hard work. And hard work will produce strength gains and size gains.(1)" In other words, I guess what baseball is saying is “consider the source.” Canseco was addicted to the fame. He lived in the spotlight. He was one of baseballs villains back in the late 80’s and early 90’s. He was a tabloid darling. This could all be a publicity stunt to make his star shine brighter, and considering that he is such an asshole, this comment may be true.
I never was a big fan of Canseco, or the A’s for that matter, but I cheered for Mcgwire in ’98 when he beat Sosa for the home run title that Roger Marris had. But was one of the most exciting times in baseball, which was the shot in the arm they needed after a vicious strike, which alienated many baseball fans. Yet, this could have all of been a lie. A very evil lie if what Canseco says is true. We have already seen people like Jason Giambi and Barry Bonds lose weight and become tragedies of the game, but it is going to take more than some piece of fodder that some shithead who thought he was all that back in the day wrote to convince people that the game was tainted now and will change forever in the future.
MJ
Sources
1. “Steroid User Canseco Names Names” CBS News February 13, 2005.
2. Baseball Library.com; Jose Canseco
