Canseco Making Waves

MajorLeagueBaseball.com ^ | May 18th, 2002

[Sabertooth]

	Jose Canseco at the plate in 1990. (Otto Greule/Allsport)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Jose Canseco claimed -- possibly with a straight face -- on Fox Sports Net this week that 85 percent of Major League Baseball players are taking steroids.

"It's completely restructured the game as we know it," said Canseco, who has announced plans to write -- and apparently promote -- a tell-all book. "That's why guys are hitting 50 or 60 or 75 home runs."

Canseco, who announced his retirement earlier in the week, would not disclose whether he took steroids. He promised that details about steroid use would be made available in his book.

"Basically what it's going to be is the true story of my life -- good and bad, the ups and downs," Canseco told The Associated Press on Friday. "I'll name names and discuss basically everything and everybody involved in it. There are a million things I could talk about."

That includes fast cars, Madonna, failed marriages and his suspicion that he was "exiled" from baseball.

Canseco announced his retirement Monday, leaving the game with 462 home runs, 1,407 RBIs and a .266 batting average in 1,887 games with seven teams. He was hitting .172 with five homers and nine RBIs in 18 games for Triple-A Charlotte when he quit.

[Sabertooth]

[Sabertooth]

(((ping))))

[martin_fierro]

"Basically what it's going to be is the true story of my life -- good and bad, the ups and downs...."

I, for one, anticipate re-hearing about all his wife-beating incidents.

[T. Jefferson]

I bet 10% are. At the top of the list is Barry Bonds. He put on 25-30 pounds of muscle the year before he broke the record. It was blatantly obvious. You don't need size to hit homeruns. Look at Luis Rodriquez, Rafael Palmiero...you need great eyes and timing. Excess size reduces flexibility, which is detrimental if anything. The avg. baseball player is now football player size. People just don't realize how big the players naturally are. Ripken is 6'4 230 pounds all muscle.

[majordivit]

All you need to do is compare what the reigning 'home run king' Barry Bonds looks like today versus what he looked liked just a few years ago. His knew 'physique' is all due to roids.

[majordivit]

T.Jefferson,

I was too quick to reply. You already mentioned Barry Bonds new roid look.

[VOA]

Look at Luis Rodriquez, Rafael Palmiero...you need great eyes and timing.

and in the case of Palmiero, a little Viagra doesn't seem to hurt!
Viagra's makers must be paying Palmiero a zillion dollars to do those Viagra ads!
I bet his teammates give him some good zingers over that!

[MeekOneGOP]

Ex-Texas Ranger bump!

[wheezer]

You don't need size to hit homeruns.

Wasn't Hank Aaron pretty much a regular sized guy?...about 5'11 -175 or so?

[TommyDale]

Bonds' home run record could very well be related to the use of steroids, just as Mark McGwire's. However, with new baseballs being made of new materials, and they even FLOAT now, for Pete's sake. There are many contributing factors other than the use of "medications". Poor pitching might just have a little to do with it!

All that said, I remember Canseco from his days in Oakland, running other cars off the road doing 90 mph up to his condo above San Ramon and flying through the security gate in total disrespect of others' safety. He was (and still is) nothing more than a punk. I would take anything he says with a huge block of salt.

[Sabertooth]

Wasn't Hank Aaron pretty much a regular sized guy?...about 5'11 -175 or so?

That would be Willie Mays. Aaron was 6'1" and weighed a bit more.

Only a couple of the 500 HR Club were under 6' tall. Mel Ott was another. Not sure about Ernie Banks.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

While Canseco may expose some of the particular people on steroids in Baseball and quite a bit of other trash going on in the game, all you need to know about Canseco's intelligence, credibility, and mind is summed up in the statement he made about 10 years ago.

He said there was conspiracy to keep hispanics out of baseball. HA HA HA HA! At the time he said that about 40% of his team was made up of players of Hispanic background.

Look down the roster of every major league club and you will see about every third name is Hispanic.

Ballplayers are some of the dumbest people to walk the face of the planet.

[martin_fierro]

Whoa -- check out the size difference between 1990 (l) and 2001:

[Sabertooth]

Whoa -- check out the size difference between 1990 (l) and 2001:

You're also looking at the difference between age 27 and age 38... not to mention weights. We'll see with Bonds.

What do you think about Sammy Sosa and Luis Gonzales?

[Sabertooth]

Canseco has always seemed to me to be a big, talented goof who was probably enhanced. He never bugged me though, like he has others. Not sure why.

Perhaps it's his tendency to just blurt things.

[floriduh voter]

I met Jose Canseco when he was a Devil Ray on a rope line at the Trop and he talked to me for a minute. He was surprised at how many people were waiting to get their picture taken with him. Of course, my picture of Canseco and I by a stranger didn't turn out. He looked just fine but I was all blurry which is an accurate depiction. At least he didn't have "red eye". He's not conceited IMO. He'd just rather talk to girls or kids than to guys looking to sell his autograph.

He loves his daughter Josie and missed her. His financial mgmt company in S. Fla. is doing well; better than Arthur Andersen.

He probably has a conceal carry permit in Florida. He may need it for self defense and hopefully, he won't ever have a fender bender with O.J.

[strela]

In Jose Canseco's case, you have to wonder if his recent idiotic public statements have something to do with that fly ball that bounced off his noggin in the outfield for a home run in 1993. Maybe a delayed-onset concussion?

[LouD]

Some players may be on 'roids, but training, nutrition, and legal supplementation can account for significant size increases.

Don't forget that weight training for athletes, with the exception of some football positions, was really frowned upon by trainers until relatively recently. Creatine, protein supplements, testosterone precursors (DHEA, Andro, etc) can account for substantial mass gains, without steroid use.