By Andrew Krumme
Everyone always wonders if the big leaguers are really playing with steroids, and Jose Canseco isn’t afraid to tell all.
“I was hands down the best player in the world. No one even came close. I was created by the media. Back in the 1980s, I was like a rock star. Everywhere I went, I had to have bodyguards. I had it all: the body, the personality, everything. I was Hollywood.”
Canseco has been pushing his book, “Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits and How Baseball Got Big,” for the past two weeks. It seems like he’s running a little short on the dough and is spilling his guts in order to make a profit, and he’s dragging down some ballplayers along the way.
What is interesting about the whole ordeal is that Canseco has basically ratted on every teammate he ever played with about their steroid usage: Juan Gonzalez, Pudge Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire. He goes even further to say that with his “trained eye” he is 100 percent sure that both Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa are, or used to be, on ‘roids. This situation seems incredibly perplexing; Major League Baseball is like an exclusive club, almost like a brotherhood, and the cardinal sin is to let those outside the circle know about the little secrets of what goes on in the clubhouse.
Of course, all of Canseco’s former teammates strongly deny the allegations while much of the media seems to think the book is some big joke.
It is evident why Canseco is exposing the league’s little dark secret. Several years ago, the league essentially blackballed him, and his chance for the 500 home run plateau came to a halt. Now he’s getting his revenge, getting back at the league that wouldn’t give him another shot, even hitting the well-rounded respectable guys where it hurts. He’s letting the world know that even the good guys look for an edge.
And as sad as it may seem, no matter how many MLB officials or players come out and deny knowing about steroid use, I will still believe every word out of Canseco’s mouth. There are too many coincidences to disregard it.
Andrew Krumme is a sophomore pursuing a Finance major, and is Assistant Sports Editor for The Louisville Cardinal. E-mail him at:
akrumme@louisvillecardinal.com
