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MLB Is Being Mean To Jose Canseco

I just had to comment on this story in the Globe and Mail by Ronald Blum. Lets look at some of it:

Jose Canseco plans to file a class-action lawsuit against Major League Baseball and the players’ association, saying he’s been ostracized for going public with tales of steroids use in the sport.

Interesting idea, I'm not the local lawyer but I'd have to guess he doesn't have much of a case.

Canseco said Wednesday that he has discussed the suit with lawyers and intends to enlist Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro to join in the suit.

I'm not either of those two but I think if I were I'd be far more likely to want to sue Jose for continuing to bring my name up in stories about steroids.

Canseco said the basis of the suit would be "lost wages — in some cases, defamation of character."

Shouldn't that be definition of character? I think the man has shown us more about his character that we ever really wanted to know.

"Because I used steroids and I came out with a book, I was kicked out of the game, but I have not been inducted into the Hall of Fame," Canseco said in a telephone interview.

"A lot of these players have not been inducted into the Hall of Fame: Mark McGwire and so forth. They’re losing salaries, because obviously when you’re inducted into the Hall of Fame, you get asked to do certain, you know, appearances and shows and so forth, which incorporates income.

I guess I missed the part where baseball guarantees you a place in the Hall after your career is over. Why is he so broke anyway? Didn't he make millions playing and didn't he make some money off those books.

"Not even that, baseball blackballs you from their family, meaning you can’t have a future proper reference from them, a job, no managerial jobs, no coaching jobs, nothing.

Raise your hand if you figured Jose Canseco would get a manager job in the major leagues. Yeah I didn't either.

Whether a judge would think Canseco has a case remains to be seen.

I'm not a judge, nor do I play one on TV but I think I can guess that a judge would just throw it out quickly.

"Always, one individual has to make that stand, which is me," Canseco said. "And then I’ll obviously speak to other players and other individuals, see how far they want to go."

How far they want to go? Likely as far from you as posible, Jose.

"I don’t see why people just don’t get it. I don’t understand the ignorance," he said. "Listen: It was allowed by Major League Baseball. It was endorsed by Major League Baseball.

It was endorsed by MLB? Now there is something I'd like to see proved in court.

"Like I’ve said all along, in my era 80 per cent of the players were using steroids and why would Sammy Sosa be excluded from that?" Canseco said. "I think people are going to be amazed how, you know, extensive that list is that Major League Baseball is holding back right now and who are on it."

If 104 names were on that list of players that tested positive, how do you go from that to 80% of players were using? And no I don't think people are going to be 'amazed' to see who is on the list. I think most people are pretty much over being amazed to hear someone was using.  No one was amazed or even surprised when Sosa's name came out. I think we are all numbed to the whole thing by now.

I do wish that Canseco would have taken better care of the millions he made as a player, because then he could have disappeared into the obscurity he richly deserves.

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Bits Before the Game

Jun 2009 by Tom Dakers - 13 comments

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On come on, let's cut this BS already!

Too bad the league doesn’t have lifetime bans, as it should!

Alex Rodriguez would be out for good, infact!

Manny Ramirez, same stuff! That’s how it should be. Does anyone disagree with me?

This should be the real debate, not whether Canseco has any chance of success……..

by Marco1978 on Jun 18, 2009 12:48 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

if Glaus had gotten a lifetime ban

we wouldn’t have Rolen right now. Just thinking about that makes me sad…

"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman

by hugo on Jun 18, 2009 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

As much as steroids is wrong and all....

retroactive bans are pretty tough to do, ‘not we didn’t have a punishment defined back then, but we’ve decided now to ban you for life’.

by Tom Dakers on Jun 18, 2009 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Simply because these cheaters ruin the best game in all of sports.........

……….and on this point, I’m sure we all agree completely.

by Marco1978 on Jun 18, 2009 12:49 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

It wasn't cheating, but it was (and still is) illegal

I get a bit annoyed with everyone just brushing over this drug abuse as not being against the rules. It may not have been against the rules of baseball because there were no rules, but they were still committing a crime (and the fact that many of them went to great effort to hide it means they knew it was a crime).

by siggian on Jun 19, 2009 10:31 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

It was against the rules of baseball....

just that the rules got defined clearer later. But they always had rules against using illegal substances.

by Tom Dakers on Jun 19, 2009 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Back when Canseco was in his heyday...

it is not to believe that 80% of the players were using. Almost certainly 50%. Anyway, Canseco is a knucklehead, but you have to admit that he was the one to get everyone to pick their heads up out of the sand.

by Chesapeake Ron on Jun 18, 2009 4:28 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I'm not sure I can question Canseco any more..

I’m not fan of Jose, and I’m crying no tears over him… but I have to admit, every time in the past he has said something about who was using and when, he has gotten slammed, and then proven right. I’m too disgusted with the powers that be (MLB and the union) to question him anymore. I’d also note that Canseco’s heyday was in the 90s – widely considered to be the high point for steroid use. He was out of the game in 2001. The random testing you’re citing happened in 2003, after quite a bit of talk that made it clear the winds were changing (the MLB adopted a drug policy in 2002) – and supposedly after many players starting moving to HGH, which isn’t detected (as reported in the Mitchell report). Its also been questioned whether some players were tipped off before the tests. So does the fact that there were only 104 positives disprove anything? Not really. Maybe only 104 of them were too stupid or too arrogant to stop using or switch to HGH. There is also the possibility of false negatives, and the possibility that they tested during an off cycle, or that they suspected testing was coming and they cleaned up for a while. Yeah, 80% seems damn high. But I bet the number was much, much higher than anyone wants to admit.

by skeptical on Jun 18, 2009 7:26 PM EDT up reply actions   1 recs

I agree with you

I don’t know that it was 80% or even close, but I bet it was a lot higher than that 14% or so you get from the 104 positive tests.

rec’d by the way

"Let us go forth awhile, and get better air in our lungs. Let us leave our closed rooms... The game of ball is glorious." - Walt Whitman

by hugo on Jun 18, 2009 7:31 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Canseco - he works hard for the money

Canseco is having money problems and has admitted so publicly. As such, again by his admission, Canseco has been forced to generate money by making celebrity appearances, such as the butt-kicking he recently took in an MMA spectacle. You can just chalk this lawsuit up to the latest initiative by Canseco to put his financial life together. Anyhow, I better end my commentary here, else Canseco will try to sue me to fill his wallet (/sarcasm). Good luck Mr. Canseco and thanks for the memories of your spectacular home runs.

( hey, how about this for an idea? why not get together with some of the old basher types – like Mark McGuire (sp?) and Sosa and do a tour of baseball parks across North America. It can be a home run derby with pitchers serving up some ripe ones that you smash into the upper decks. It will be ok if you juice up, because it is just for show anyway. People might pay $15-$25, maybe more, and fill up a stadium. You could make some money. Just a suggestion)

by aagoodfella on Jun 18, 2009 9:40 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

good idea!

/injects

Prehistoric Hoops - a neat little Raps blog

by boo15749 on Jun 19, 2009 1:50 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

i say thanks as well

but for the spectacular homerun that bounced off his head.

"The NY Mets are my favorite squadron" -- Apu Nahasapeemapetilon

by jessef on Jun 19, 2009 11:23 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

perfomance enhancing drugs

There is a life time ban if you are a repeat offender of using perfomance enhancing drugs. Gettin caught the first time is 50 games – that is pretty steep.

Brian R. Callahan
St. Paul, MN

by Brian Raymond Callahan on Jun 19, 2009 2:01 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

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