If by chance baseball missed him, or had forgotten him entirely, Jose Canseco has turned up again on its doorstep.
For the moment, it knows not whether he brings truth or spite, only that his reluctant retirement has wrought arrests, jail time, empty-the-trophy-case garage sales and, most notably, an autobiography he claims to be a work of nonfiction.
One of the extraordinary ballplayers of his generation, Canseco never was able to handle idle time, as the divorces, gun charge, speeding tickets, steroid use and random violence would imply.
He believes, though, that the game deserted him before he was through, that he was blackballed by authorities he so far has not identified, and that his book, "Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits and How Baseball Got Big" is something more than retribution for it all.
The tell-all-and-then-some is due out Monday, and he sat for Mike Wallace on "60 Minutes," a first-strike interview airing tonight during which Canseco is expected to detail his steroid use and allege the same of several high-profile former teammates.
Canseco's book accuses Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmeiro and Ivan Rodriguez of using illegal performance-enhancing drugs. As the self-proclaimed "godfather of the steroid revolution in baseball," Canseco casts accusatory paragraphs at Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Miguel Tejada and Bret Boone, and claims to have personally injected Wilson Alvarez and Dave Martinez when they were teammates in Tampa Bay.
Since last weekend's report, most of the players have denied taking steroids and questioned Canseco's credibility. Agent Arn Tellem, who represents Giambi, issued a statement, observing that Canseco "has appeared on more police blotters than lineup cards in recent years."
Giambi has his own steroid entanglements. He reportedly testified before a federal grand jury investigating the BALCO scandal that he'd used performance-enhancing drugs, reports he has not denied.
Canseco, who lives in the hills above the San Fernando Valley, and his agent, Doug Ames, have put off interviews, other than for "60 Minutes," until after the book is released.
Ames, asked Friday if he would like to clarify or correct any of the news reports based on book manuscripts and interview transcripts, said, "There's been so much written so far. Who cares? Who knows what's right and what's wrong anymore? They'll have to find out next week when they read the book."
