Let's just get this out of the way right now. I don't like Jose Canseco. I don't respect how he went about trying to bring down baseball in some sort of personal vendetta/money-making scheme. He might try to sell us on the fact that he just wanted baseball clean, but I don't believe those were his original motives. He needed money and he was angry with baseball for allegedly black-balling him. We can call Canseco any number of names -- rat, snitch, crybaby, cheater -- but one thing he's not is a liar. With the announcement that Manny Ramirez has been suspended 50 games for a drug violation, Canseco has been vindicated for what seems like the hundredth time.
When his first book came out, we doubted many of his assertions and passed them off as the ramblings of a madman with an ax to grind. We saw the performance of Rafeal Palmeiro on Capital Hill and reassured ourselves that Canseco was just throwing darts and he hit a few -- Mark McGwire, for example -- but missed on Palmeiro and others.
Then Palmeiro tested positive.
We heard tales about Roger Clemens and shrugged them off. This idiot doesn't know how to quit when he's ahead, we'd say.
Enter the Mitchell Report, and Rocket personally burying himself in a clinic on how to not clear your own name.
Next up? Canseco claimed he had some "stuff" on Alex Rodriguez and that he was 90 percent sure Manny Ramirez was a user.
Check and checkmate.
At this point, I think it's safe to say that we have to believe pretty much everything Canseco tells us when it comes to performance-enhancers and baseball. Hell, if he said I was a 'roid distributor to current major league players, I'd be packing up and skipping town to parts unknown in fear that the federal authorities would kick down my door in the next few days. And I'm 100 percent clean. Can you imagine how some of Canseco's former teammates feel? You know there are more out there who partook in nefarious activities and have yet to be outed for one reason or another.
So, yeah, Canseco might be a clown who needs money and attention. Otherwise why fight a circus-like MMA bout, box Vai Sikahema, appear on a sleazy reality show (not all are, but this one is), or appear on The Surreal Life (possible redundant to the previous clause)? Again, though, in none of those instances can we claim Canseco is a liar.
As much as it pains me to say it, due to the events of the last three years or so, I believe more of what Canseco says than the commissioner of baseball. Whether we like it or not -- and I really, seriously, don't -- we have to take Canseco seriously.
Maybe that actually was ketchup on Curt Schilling's sock?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-07-2009 @ 4:37PM
NLUmp42 said...
Really
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5-07-2009 @ 5:01PM
wdfisher57 said...
I am glad Canseco pulled the veil of deceit away from MLB who had condoned if not supported these epeople drug use either by turning their heqads whe the eidence was right in front of them or acting like a bullwork against tougher drug testing . That its the big city markets that have the most violations tells me how much moneyis behind the snails pace efforts from Bud Selig's commisioners office. That man is a disgrace. All these players should be stripped of their records and the ones in the HOF that are also suspect shoud have asterisks placed next to their names. This whole era should be treated as the cheats that they are being proven every day to have been all along. Thanks Jose, you were part of the problem, but a least you did not let all the fake personal critisism end with them trying to paint you only, with the tar brush.
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5-07-2009 @ 5:51PM
Michael said...
Yeah, when you say that half of players are on something, you're gonna be right at least half the time.
Yawn.
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5-07-2009 @ 6:46PM
Garza1097 said...
I couldn't agree with author of this article more. I'm just as big a fan of baseball as Snyder and I can't stand what Canseco did to the sport that once (for a couple of years anyway) was good to him. It wasn't until Canseco became a "homerun off the head" joke of an athlete that he lost his notoriety and became hard up for money. Yes it's obvious that most of what he has claimed has been proven true, but the problem that I have with book and accusations is it brings all the focus and negativity to the sport of baseball. I guarantee that steroid use is just as common is practically every other sport. All they need is a sellout like Canseco to have the balls to call them out. Baseball players have become the stepchildren of professional sports (deservingly) because they got caught. And now that steroid testing is done 4 times more in baseball than any other sport, it is going to seem like baseball athletes are doing that much more. But it is a known fact that steroid use is prevalent in ALL sports and all levels including College and High School. Congratulations on your best seller Jose, at least you were successful at something.
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