This is not a pit thread, so please keep it from degenerating into one. Also - I don’t follow sports at all, so if I bungle something major, understand that I’m an outsider.
Why is everyone ridiculing Jose Canseco for naming names and telling all about steroid use in MLB? Isn’t it blatantly clear to most people that these guys have been using steroids? When two or three guys start simultaneously doubling recent all-time records, doesn’t anyone get suspicious? I don’t even follow the sport, but when Barry Bonds goes from looking like Urkel to looking like the Black Incredible Hulk at the age that he should be retiring, doesn’t ANYONE notice the incongruity?
I understand that sports fans tend to be a fanatical, indiscriminate bunch - we’re talking about people that still follow and support the sport after their “heroes” go on strike because making millions of dollars isn’t enough. But why all of this ridicule for Canseco for having the guts to say what nobody else is willing to?
I haven’t read Canseco’s book, but based on reviews I’ve read the gist seems to be that a lot of the overt insinuations (as opposed to direct accusations) he’s making are based on a standard of proof that amounts to “Well look at him! He’s gotta be on 'roids! I should know! I’m the godfather of steroids!”
Even if true, making those claims is pretty obnoxious if that’s all he has to go on.
Canseco has had numerous financial problems, so much of what he writes is viewed as a quick way for him to get out of debt
His book has numerous factual errors about events not dealing with steroids
His book is supposed to be a “tell all” and he really doesn’t tell much of anything
Canseco attributes many of his problems to baseball’s institutional prejudice against Latino players, which many find hard to believe. He also thinks that baseball doesn’t like Cubans. Even though Major League Baseball would love to sign more Cuban players, but there’s this Castro guy …
Canseco rails against Washington Post writer Thomas Boswell for accusing him of using steroids back in 1988. Claims that Boswell was out to get him. Of course, Boswell was right, but that doesn’t matter to Canseco.
Those are the major arguments I’ve read in various reviews of the book.
Personally I think it centers around a few things:
Canseco is lying/fabricating a lot of the specifics. But he is indeed very right that steroids are rampant and were rampant for about 12-15 years.
I think a lot of the fans want to deal with the steroids problem like we were prior to Canseco’s book. Basically MLB is a bit quiet on it, we make some new regulations, a few players make teary confessions, Barry Bonds is ridiculed et cetera. Canseco is trying to make it an explosion, where every player is suspected of steroids constantly.
Basically Canseco in one fell swoop gave everyone that opening to go after anyone. He’s made so many ludicrous accusations that now any accusations made won’t seem as crazy as Canseco’s. And eventually we’ll come to a point where we reach a “Salem witch trials” atmosphere.
Canseco is just simply hated by a lot of fans. I personally loved watching him play, and think he could have been one of the best, but he had a few problems that really held him back. He was one of the great Cuban players, and showed almost total all-around skill. But he was arrogant, cocky, and gave off the “sleezebal” feel all the time.
Basically he was Pedro Martinez of the late 80s/early 90s.
You need to pay attention instead of accusing sports fans, because they’re not going after him for naming names. BobT has pretty much nailed it if you ask me. Canseco is not an easy guy to trust in the first place, and he has what seem to be some very obvious ulterior motives on top of that. He got things wrong and I get the general impression he named as many famous players as he could because he knew that would get a reaction. Guts are not involved any more than they were involved when Pete Rose admitted he gambled on baseball. Both men saw an opportunity to make a buck and took it.