Sacks Of Silver ...

Jose Canseco ... "The Bad Boy of Baseball" ... "The Godfather of Steroids" ... one of the infamous "Bash Brothers" ... in his 2005 book entitled, "Juiced," Canseco claimed widespread use of steroids in Major League Baseball, and he named names, some of them superstar players. He also discussed Alex Rodriguez, saying that the perception that A-Rod was "the clean boy" was false, referring to his politically correct personality with reporters as being "insincere" ... Canseco wrote of Rodriguez: "He's not the saint he's perceived to be. Eventually the media will find something nasty to write about Alex Rodriguez, because trust me, they're looking for it." More than 80 players were named in one capacity or another in the Mitchell Report, one of which was Jose Canseco, who was surprised not to see A-Rod's name included in the report. "All I can say is the Mitchell Report is incomplete," Canseco said. "I could not believe that Alex Rodriguez was not mentioned in the report."

"Juiced" has put it's author and Major League Baseball on the hot seat ... Canseco writes about his 16-year career as a Major League Baseball player, and says that from his first season, to his last in 2001, he continuously used illegal anabolic steroids and human growth hormone ... those illegal drugs helped fuel a larger-than-life career for Jose Canseco, whose many home runs were "monster shots" ... in 1988, he hit 42 home runs and stole 40 bases ... a feat never before seen ... by age 37, Canseco's career wound down, he had played for seven different teams, and hit a total of 462 career home runs ... many of which were likely due to his being "juiced" ... does he have any shame that illegal drugs fueled his career? ... "That's a tough question. Because I tried everything possible to become the best player in the world," said Canseco. "Do I believe steroids and growth hormones helped me achieve that? Yes. Were there a lot of other players doing it that I had to compete against? Yes." Canseco claims he knows more about steroids than most trained physicians, and that he actively counseled other players about using anabolic steroids and human growth hormone.

But Jose, what were your intentions when you were detained for more than nine hours at a San Diego Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in October of 2008 after border agents caught you trying to bring human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) across the border from Mexico? ... a drug that helps produce testosterone in athletes who are cycling off steroids. According to anti-doping expert Dr. Gary Wadler, a prescription is required to use hCG, and Canseco did not have a prescription. HCG is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency in males only, and is considered a Schedule-III controlled substance in New York ... so Jose,were you intending to use those illegal drugs in some sort of anti-doping, educational presentation during your many counseling sessions with other wayward cheaters and illegal drug users and abusers such as yourself?

Just recently, Jose Canseco's attorney Greg Emerson said that not only does the Alex Rodriguez steroid report act as "substantial confirmation" of Canseco's past claims--but that there are going to be future revelations regarding A-Rod and others. "According to Jose, there's a lot more that will be forthcoming," added Emerson, who said that he had spoken to Canseco following the recent revelations concerning A-Rod, and that Canseco reiterated that his claim of steroid use by Rodriguez was "pretty clear to him [Canseco]. " In Canseco's second book, "Vindicated," he indicated that he had introduced Rodriguez to a steroid dealer late in the 1990s. "Obviously it's something that is substantial confirmation of what Jose has said in the past," Emerson said. "It was pretty clear to him that A-Rod was taking them. Of course, A-Rod denied it on 60 Minutes." Emerson added that Canseco continues to look more and more reliable. "And certainly each time these revelations come out, it just provides more vindication for him just in terms of what he said, and the veracity of what he said. I think he has tremendous credibility."

Among Jose Canseco's other prolific accomplishments is a 1989 arrest in California for carrying a loaded semi-automatic pistol in his vehicle ... a 1992 charge for aggravated battery for allegedly ramming his then-wife Esther's BMW with his Porsche ... a November 1997 arrest and subsequent jailing for allegedly smacking his estranged bride of one year ... a November 2001 arrest with his brother after a fight in a Miami Beach nightclub in which he attacked two tourists, leaving one with a broken nose, and the other with 20 stitches in his lip ... and the beat goes on ... thanks to the "juice?"

Alex Rodriguez may never again be viewed as a "saint" or "the clean boy" ... and there may be much truth to Jose Canseco's many allegations as far as naming players who most likely are guilty of using illegal anabolic steroids or human growth hormone is concerned, and maybe that truth should have rightfully been exposed ... but what gives a person such as Jose Canseco the right to blow that whistle and ultimately ruin the lives of countless individuals, even if some are deserving of such? ... his entire career has been based exclusively upon cheating to gain as much money and notoriety as he possibly could ... he has profited immensely from the use of illegal performance-enhancing substances ... now that his baseball career is over, he continues to profit handsomely, albeit indirectly, from that very same thing ... what Jose Canseco has done has absolutely nothing to do with helping to eliminate illegal drug use, at any level, from the game of baseball ... it's all about the cash and the fame, both of which clearly motivate Jose's actions ... but perhaps somewhere down the line, when the sacks are riddled with holes and the silver lies scattered upon the temple floor, when the dusty books no longer sell, when the eager media no longer comes calling with fists full of dollars, when the good looks no longer cast their reflection in the mirror and he's left sitting all alone in the darkness--Jose may then regret those actions ... Jose Canseco may be overflowing with "tremendous credibility"--but he has nary an ounce of trust .. reliability .. honor .. loyalty .. dignity .. or respect ... Jose said he tried everything possible to become the best player in the world ... but did he simply end up being one of the most despised .. narcissistic .. opportunistic .. self-serving snitches of our time? ... a far cry from those who expose wrongdoing for no purpose other than the welfare and preservation of their fellow man.

--sja

Wise Up Wise Guy ...

Word is that Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) intends on recommending to the congressional committee, which has previously hosted current and past MLB baseball players, that Alex Rodriguez receive an invite to testify about his use of steroids. "I think we're going to have to see what Rodriguez will tell us," Cummings said in a phone interview with Newsday. "He is in a confessing mode, so maybe he needs to put his apology into some meaningful action by cooperating with the committee so we can see if there are things we need to reopen to make sure baseball is doing all that it can to rid itself of this kind of practice."

But Rep. Cummings, hasn't Congress already wasted too much valuable time and taxpayer dollars on this issue? If Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association were serious about ridding the sport of illegal performance-enhancing substances, all that would require is an all-inclusive and panoptic testing program, of which the consequence of any player's clear and definite positive test would result in that player's permanent, lifetime ban from professional baseball ... period. However, we're all aware that when foxes are allowed to guard the henhouse, the outcome can be easily foreseen and expected. The fact is, neither MLB nor the MLBPA have yet to get serious concerning this issue, although the majority of the blame for it lies squarely upon their obviously narrow shoulders. That being a well established fact, along with the evident reality that many of these professional athletes possess neither the morals nor the character to refrain from committing such unlawful or licentious acts under their own volition, some entity somewhere must assume the responsibility of policing them. That entity should be Major League Baseball.

Rep. Cummings, how many more congressional hearings and oversight committees will be needed before Congress simply passes legislation that would essentially force MLB and MLBPA to clean up their acts and forever end the steroid era? It has been irrefutably evidenced that they are not yet willing to accomplish that, and this shameful mess has been permitted to continue far too long. What more could a now proven liar such as Alex Rodriguez possibly tell Congress that would be of any positive value? Anything he might say would merely serve to add to the endless pages of testimony from other cheats and liars already at your disposal. It's time for Congress to either move swiftly and with firmness to resolve this issue, or get off the pot! ... Don't waste another minute or another dollar, for our country is presently facing far too many serious and pressing problems for that. The economy is in shambles, folks are losing their jobs, their pensions, their savings and their homes ... unemployment is rising, the dollar is falling ... folks have to choose between a bottle of medicine or a month's worth of food ... thieves in government and on Wall Street are robbing us blind ... more than a trillion tax dollars are being given to God-knows-who with little to no oversight ... ridiculous rules and regulations are being forced down our throats until common sense no longer has a place in our society ... the list is endless ... the point is, this is not the time for Congress to be wasting time on MLB or steroids, you've had sufficient information and plenty of opportunities to have already dealt with it ... either enact and enforce laws that would compel MLB to wholly get rid of illegal performance-enhancing substances, or drop the subject altogether and move on to solving our country's real problems ... our nation needs your undivided attention ... by the way, Rep. Elijah Cummings, you've been in Congress for several years now, maybe you are one of the many that should be apologizing for the poor condition our country is in today.

Lastly, although he deserves whatever he gets for his use of illegal drugs .. cheating .. lying .. and theft ... I have a piece of advice for Alex Rodriguez ... Alex, when and if you receive that invitation from Rep. Cummings to come before a congressional committee to tell your story ... you should respectfully decline, but if not, by all means keep your mouth shut when you get there ... because if the government can't get you any other way, they will resort to setting you up for a federal perjury charge ... just ask Miguel Tejada, Barry Bonds and soon to be Roger Clemens ... so A-Rod, you need to find a cure for stupid real fast ... so wise up.

--sja

Not So Shiny Now ...

Congratulations Alex Rodriguez! ... you've just been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Shame! ... along with the infamous likes of Barry "Barroid" Bonds, Roger "Never Happened" Clemens, Rafael "Finger Pointer" Palmeiro, Mark "Don't Want To Talk About The Past" McGuire, Andy "Pretty Boy" Pettitte, Jason "Mustache Man" Giambi ... and the list seems to grow longer by the minute ... isn't it interesting how some of our most lilliputian of indiscretions seem to always come back to haunt us in Brobdingnagian ways?

Now don't you fret none A-Rod ... you're no stranger to controversy, and quite adept at squirming out of close situations ... I'm sure you'll find a way to skirt around these latest embarrassing "false allegations" with the greatest of ease ... that's what high-priced lawyers and unions are for, right? ... after all, none of the names of the 104 players who tested positive for performance enhancing substances in Major League Baseball's 2003 testing "survey" were to ever be revealed to the public, including Alex Rodriguez, who tested positive for two anabolic steroids (testosterone and Primobolan) during his 2003 American League MVP season with the Texas Rangers, and that after allegedly being tipped off by officials of the MLB Player's Association that tests were forthcoming ... tests conducted to determine if MLB should impose random drug testing for the 2004 season ... when asked if there was any explanation for his positive test results ... A-Rod's reply was to be expected, "You'll have to talk to the union" ... "I'm not saying anything."

Although there were no penalties for a positive test in 2003, MLB's drug policy had expressly prohibited the use of steroids without a valid prescription since 1991 ... testosterone can be taken legally with an appropriate medical prescription ... however, Primobolan is not an approved prescription drug in the United States, nor was it in 2003 ... a drug popular with baseball players because it could help to improve strength and build lean muscle without creating an exaggeratedly bulky appearance, and with fewer side effects than other steroids ... the drug is also detectable for a shorter period of time.

So Alex, don't get too upset ... there's not much that law enforcement officials, Bud Selig and Major League Baseball or the New York Yankees can do about those positive drug tests at this juncture ... the cash will continue to flow into your pockets, maybe not as much as you've been accustomed to (somewhere in the neighborhood of $200+ million thus far), but cash will flow ... and there will always be that certain type of fan that will continue to pay good money to watch you strut your stuff for the camera, and buy merchandise and memorabilia with your name printed all over it ... but the thing that will eat away at your soul more than anything else is the knowledge that your image, your most delicate and treasured asset, has been forever tarnished and irreparably damaged in the eyes of true and honest baseball fans worldwide ... the man most likely to surpass MLB's all-time home run record currently held by Barry Bonds, and restore integrity and honor to that record, and to the sport ... what a joke! ... what A-Fraud!

Slide over Barry, you've got company!

BREAKING NEWS: February 9, 2009--Alex Rodriguez admits to using performance-enhancing drugs to ESPN's Peter Gammoms.

--sja