Jose Canseco Truly Is Vindicated
A-Rod Confession Adds Credence To Canseco's Steroid Claims
In his 2005 best-selling book, "Juiced," Jose Canseco exposed the rampant use of steroids in major league baseball. In it, he accuses several big names of using steroids, including Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, Rafael Palmeiro, Juan Gonzalez, and Ivan Rodriguez. He went on to write a subsequent book, "Vindicated," where he shared his suspicions of other players' steroid use, most notably, Alex Rodriguez. At the time, many labeled him a rat, a snitch, a bitter ex-ballplayer, and a liar. They said he did it for the money. Well, he may have been a rat, a snitch, and a bitter ex-ballplayer, but one thing he was not, is a liar.
Jose Canseco is Blackballed
First, it is important to understand why Canseco wrote these books. In recent years, Canseco seemingly will do anything for a buck. So, obviously money was a factor. However, the biggest reason he wrote the books is because he feels he was blackballed from the game. The evidence seems to support his theory. In 2002, Canseco was not the great all-around player he was in his prime, but when healthy, he was still a feared slugger. Yet, for some reason, not a single team would offer him a contract, not even a minimum-based, incentive-laden one. Baseball wanted to make an example out of him, keep him from 500 home runs, and out of the Hall of Fame. Naturally, this made him bitter and he vowed revenge.
Mark McGwire and Steroids
The most prominent name Canseco disclosed in his first book was Mark McGwire. Canseco states, "In 1988, Mark and I talked about steroids again, and soon we started using them together" (Juiced pg. 74). Mcgwire went from a skinny rookie to a huge mountain of a man, so the physical evidence seems to support Canseco's claims. From there, Mcgwire's pathetic display in front of Congress made it painfully obvious that he had something to hide.
According to Canseco, McGwire introduced Jason Giambi to steroids and the two injected each other when he was their teammate in 1997. Chapter 15 in his book is titled, "Giambi, The Most Obvious Juicer in the Game" (pg. 165). Giambi's appearance supported his claims and when the grand jury testimony leaked, it seemed clear, Canseco was telling the truth.
Everything's Bigger in Texas
During his time in Texas, Canseco states, "I sat down with Rafael Palmeiro, Juan Gonzalez, and Ivan Rodriguez, and educated them about steroids. Soon, I was injecting all three of them" (pg.133). Shortly after baseball's ban on steroids, Palmeiro failed a test, Rodriguez got much smaller and lost his power, and Gonzalez was soon out of the majors all together. Once again, Canseco's claims have some validity.
Alex Rodriguez and Steroids
In his second book, "Vindicated," Canseco goes after perhaps the biggest fish in the pond, Alex Rodriguez. Canseco says, "he asked me point-blank, where one would go to get steriods if one wanted them" (Vindicated pg. 185). Canseco then put him in contact with "Max." This past Saturday, Sports Illustrated reported that A-Rod had failed a drug test in 2003. On Monday, he confessed that he used steroids from 2001-03. Canseco had pegged another one.
The conclusion here is that Jose Canseco was truthful in his books. He even passed two lie-detector tests. Whether it was his intent or not, his books led to the congressional hearings, more stringent testing, and harsher penalties. Baseball is now trying to clean up the game he helped corrupt, and in the end, that may be his true vindication.
What do you think about this article?
Comments
Latest Articles