Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and the Battle to Save Baseball by Jose Canseco
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Book Reviews of Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and the Battle to Save Baseball
Book Review: Jose Canseco is a liar
Summary: 2 Stars
This book is chock full of lies. Jose Conseco is simply broke. This is a guy that mismanages his money that he has to lie and turn in people that he once called friends. Don't bother supporting this loser of a former player. He is only writing books because Book Review: Like him or not, he's credible
Summary: 5 Stars
When I watch Jose Canseco give interviews, I don't like the guy. He strikes me as slimy and manipulative in almost all of his statements. But you know what? None of that matters. When "Juiced" came out, I heard and read everyone panning the guy (including myself) as someone who just wanted to make a buck. Slowly, he became the only one in the whole ordeal telling the truth. Palmeiro went from a strong a trustworthy guy to the biggest bold-faced liar in all of baseball. McGwire and Sosa went from lovable first-ballot Hall of Famers to jokes overnight. Canseco came out looking great, despite all of the doubt that first circled around him.
Therefore, when this new book came out, I wanted to read it right away. I still don't like the guy, but I don't doubt that every word in here is also true and will eventually be proven as such. I don't necessarily agree with his motives on some things, but his first-hand knowledge has been credible so far, and having transcripts of polygraph tests in there seal the deal for me.
I don't know how MLB will respond to the information in this book, but flat denials from accused players shouldn't be enough for the public anymore. Jose calls himself "The Godfather of Steroids" in the book, and like him or not, I agree with all of his assessments. The book is a good and fast read, and if you like the game of baseball at all, you'll get a lot out of it.
Book Review: RICK
Summary: 3 Stars
I live about five minutes away from where Jose lived during his heyday with the Oakland A's and knew a person very close to him before any of the official announcements about steroid use came out. Because of this I had pretty good information that Jose was using steroids before he ever owned up to it. So when "Juiced" was released in 2005 I wholeheartedly believed everything Canseco said in the book and on the air. The fact that he became "honest" in "Juiced" despite denying his steroid use earlier in his career did not make him a saint. As former A's pitching ace Dave Stewart said after the release of "Juiced" to the best of my recollection: "There's things I may not like about Jose, but he always told the truth." As time has passed since Canseco's first book was released many things have happened regarding Jose's claims: Congressional hearings, mea culpa's, the Mitchell Report, more Congressional hearings, etc. If you are a sports fan that has followed all the aforementioned drug investigations, confessions and reports, there isn't a whole lot of new information in this book, and please rest assured Jose's ghost writer is definitely not going to win any Pulitzer Prize.
Jose names names: but haven't we heard the accusations against Mark McGwire, (who Jose mercilessly denigrates during his playing days and especially regarding his Congressional embarrassment, with torments such as "THERE'S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!"), Jason Giambi, Rafael Palmeiro, Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Wilson Alvarez, Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Tejada, Sammy Sosa, etc. What stands out more than the famous names in this book, unfortunately is the authors unabashed "LOVE-AFFAIR-WITH-HIMSELF"! Jose cannot go more than five minutes without telling you how big he is, or how other people can't believe how big he is, or the fact that he was the first player with 40 homeruns and 40 stolen based in the same season (40-40), (I stopped counting the fifth time he mentioned it.), he tells us twice that Barry Bonds was so aghast after seeing Jose with his shirt off before a homerun contest that he kept pestering Jose for all the information he had about steroids, and the reader is led to believe that Canseco's physique is what led Bonds to steroids. Towards the end of this biographical love affair between Jose and himself, he unloads every last bit of ammunition in his arsenal against Alex Rodriguez. Once again, just like with Barry Bonds, the road to alleged steroids for Alex started when he was working out with Jose and marveled at Jose's physique (and Jose's wife's beauty) and started grilling Jose about steroid use. "So, Alex said. The "roid's" do they "EXPLETIVE" you up?" "Do I look like I'm "EXPLETIVE'd" up?" At their next training session Jose writes: "He looked at me. I could see him checking out the definition; the way my veins popped with every curl."Alex said: "Man, you are kicking ass, he said. That stuff is unreal." That later, according to Jose, led to Alex asking where he could get steroids, and Jose put him in touch with a trainer who Jose knew supplied such things. Did Jose ever see him inject? No. Towards the very end of this chapter Canseco openly states to A-Rod: "So A-Rod, if you're reading this book, and if I'm not getting through to you, let's get clear on one thing: I hate your "EXPLETIVE" guts."
I cannot in good conscience end this review without sharing a couple of statements by Jose with you that are not only egotistical, but create a new definition of narcissism! On page 23 Jose writes: "When someone gets around to writing the REAL history of baseball, I'm going to be remembered as the guy who did more to change the game than any other player. And I did it TWICE. I fundamentally changed the way the sport is played." SO MR. CANSECO... do I understand you correctly, that you changed the game of baseball more than a guy named BABE RUTH?... UH? MR. CANSECO... I guess that also means you made a bigger impact on baseball than a gentleman by the name of JACKIE ROBINSON?...
One more humble comment by the author regarding another Hall of Fame Legend, Cal Ripken Jr.: "And I'm happy for Iron Man Cal. But Cal played for like a thousand years, and did he hit more homeruns than me? I don't think so." The author and this book belong in the self-absorption hall of fame.
Book Review: wow I'm the first review of Canseco's redemption!
Summary: 4 Stars
I happened to be at Barnes and Noble the day it came out and I just finished reading it during a 5 and 1/2 hour train ride to Boston. As the first to review this, I will be careful to write a fair and honest review.
I reasd Juiced and eventually began to believe Canseco only recently. As the title and one chapter suggests he is vindicated and what he says is now taken very seriously.
Because of the Mitchell report and live congression investigation with McNamee and Clemens, I think this book was rushed to press and it includes information from events that are only a few weeks old at the time of publication. It is not a long book but of course it is absorbing and hard to put down. Canseco starts out reviewing the events that took place around the time Juiced came out. The most interesting part of the book is what he says about Roger Clemens and Alex Rodiguez. Much of this came out in the media before the book hit teh presses and will undoubtably make it another best seller.
On Clemens and the Mitchell report Canseco thinks things are not as they appear. He feels that the Mitchell report although good for describing the severity of the problem and naming some names missed quite a bit and was biased in favor of the Red Sox. Also the story by McNamee that Clemens was at Canseco's party Jose asserts is false Interestingly he tells us in this book that he originally named Clemens in Juiced and in his 60 minutes interview but Clemens name was the only one removed from the book and cut from the interview. Canseco speculates about it.
Also canseco had no direct proof with regard to Clemens and after meeting with Clemens and his attorney recently he actually was persuaded to sign apetition saying that he did not think Clemens took steroids. But at the time of the publication he actually is unsure what to believe.
Regarding Alex Rodriguez, Canseco talks about this near the end of the book. He had direct knowledge related to ARod's possible steriod use at the time of the publication of Juiced but he left ARod out because he felt that his strong distaste for the man would have led the readers and reviewers to disbelieve him because of this. In Vindicated Canseco talks about their personal connection and how ARod trained at Canseco's house, learned about steroids from Jose who also hooked him up with a trainer. Canseco says that ARod flirted with canseco's wife when he visited and in Canseco's mind ARod wanted to have an affair with her.
This time he is better prepared for the critics. He is very prideful of his complete truthfulness in these books and with regard to every statement that could be challenged he took lie detector tests from two very reputable testers and passed with flying colors!
Canseco definitely is in it for the money whether he admits it or not and his speculation about Clemens and Rodriguez is in there to sell copies more than anything else. So take his waffling about Clemens and his accusations toward ARod with a grain of salt. I am sure that Rodriguez flirted with Canseco's wife and he may have even been looking for a sexual affair but that could be just part of Jose's wild imagination also. At least he admits when he is speculating and tells you when he has hard facts. ARod surely asked Canseco about steroids. He also must have been introduced to a supplier and he may have used steroids. But whether he went through with it and actually took the drugs is still speculation and Rodriguez has not failed a drug test yet.