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MLB History: Jose Canseco’s Book Juiced Hits the Shelves

By David Hill

Sep 3, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics former player Jose Canseco throws out the first pitch of the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics former player Jose Canseco throws out the first pitch of the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jose Canseco certainly made sure he was not forgotten in MLB circles after his playing days were done. On this day in 2005, his book, Juiced, hit the shelves in select markets.

Depending on who you are, or maybe even how old you are, Jose Canseco is remembered in one of two ways. He was an exciting player for the Oakland Athletics in his youth, the first player in MLB history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a season. Then, his career went downhill in Texas, when he ruined his arm pitching in a mopup situation and was never quite the same.

Then there is what Canseco became afterwards. His Twitter account is great for a laugh, but he became bitter after feeling he was blackballed from the game. In his desire for revenge, Canseco became one of the more important people in the recent history of baseball, as he blew the lid off of PED usage within the game.

Naturally, Canseco did so for his own profit. The book was released on this day in 2005, in order to coincide with an appearance on 60 Minutes. As Canseco not only outed himself for his steroid usage, but also went after quite a few former teammates and other players in the game, his book was dismissed as the delusional ravings of a bitter former player who could not understand that his services were no longer needed.

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Instead, something strange happened. Canseco proved to be right. Players like Rafael Palmeiro and Miguel Tejada, who adamantly denied Canseco’s allegations, failed PED tests and were suspended. Mark McGwire maintained his innocence for years before finally confessing to his own PED transgressions. And somewhere, Sammy Sosa is still claiming that he cannot speak English.

Canseco’s book, even before it was proven correct, made a profound impact upon the game. Due to the subsequent Congressional hearings, the MLB implemented the most stringent penalties of any sport for PED use. We have already seen a player, Jennry Mejia, banned for life after failing three PED tests. There is no question that the game has taken their responsibility seriously when it comes to cleaning up the league.

No one wanted to take Jose Canseco seriously. Perhaps this was due to the person he proved to be, an egomaniacal, self-serving, delusional buffoon. However, in this case, he was correct, making Juiced the most important baseball book since Jim Bouton‘s Ball Four.

Next: Can Drury handle second?

Of all people, it was Jose Canseco who, on this day in 2005, showed PED usage in baseball for what it was. Who knew he would have been the one to do so?

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