Knuckle Curve » jose canseco

Kirk Gibson Homerun – Becoming a Fan

Stephen Kersey — Tue, 13 May 2008 06:12:09 +0000

The bloggers for the b5media sports channel were asked to write a blog entry about a childhood sports memory. For me, when I think of childhood sports memories, there’s really only one that stands out.

I really started following baseball in the 1988 season. Both of my parents are Los Angeles Dodgers fans after growing up in Los Angeles. They’d watch Dodgers games here and there and I’d join them on the coach. I really didn’t understand much at first but I asked a lot of questions, and by the end of the year I had a pretty good understanding of what was happening.

Fast forward to the first game of the World Series between the Dodgers and the Oakland Athletics. The big, strong and powerful A’s were supposed to destroy the pesky Dodgers, who most people said lucked out even making it to the World Series.

(As an interesting side-story, I remember asking my dad about why Jose Canseco always twitches when he’s on the plate. My dad told me it was because he was on steroids. If it was that obvious then, why’d it take so long to unravel that mystery? Then again, that’s probably a memory for a different day.)

With the Dodgers down by a run, I remember thinking it was over when Dennis Eckersley entered the game. They flashed his stats and I had advanced far enough in my baseball knowledge to know that chances were slim that the Dodgers could make a comeback.

With two outs and a runner of first base, I remember Kirk Gibson limping to the batter’s box. He worked the count full. Each swing he took seemed to take years off of his life. Then it happened. The homerun. The Kirk Gibson homerun.

I remember celebrating around the house. I couldn’t believe what I just saw. The Dodgers were the winners of the World Series!!! Or so I thought at the time. My parents then explained that was only the first game of the World Series. Only the first game?

Since that time, I’ve been hooked.

10 minutes of unedited Kirk Gibson homerun video:

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Jose Canseco Homeless? Canseco Loses House

Stephen Kersey — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:24:50 +0000

Jose Canseco, the man arguably most responsible for the steroid talk over the past few years, told Inside Edition that he lost his Californian mansion to foreclosure. The mansion, which is valued at approximately $2.5 million, is located in Los Angeles.

“I do have a judgment on my home and it to me is very strange because it didn’t make financial sense for me to keep paying a mortgage on a home that was basically owned by someone else,” said Canseco to Inside Edition.

So what happened to all of the millions Canseco has made over the years?

“You know my life, this financial thing, is a very complicated issue. Obviously, when you make all that money, people think, `OK, let’s assume it is $35 million.’ People have to understand that $35 million, you’re paying the government 41 percent. That leaves you with about $17 or $18 million, not even. Then you’re taking care of your whole family.”

Poor, Jose. Trying to take care of his family on only $17 or $18 million. How does he do it? Somewhere, Latrell Sprewell sheds a tear. Somewhere else, the Roger Clemens sex scandal is happy to be off the front page.

To keep this baseball related, let’s take a look at the best seasons of his career:

1988 – With the A’s as a 23-year-old, Canseco hit .307 with 42 homers, 124 RBIs, 120 runs scored and 40 stolen bases.

1991 – With the A’s as a 26-year-old, Canseco hit .266 with 44 homers, 122 RBIs, 115 runs scored and 26 stolen bases.

1998 – With the Blue Jays as a 33-year-old, Canseco hit .237 with 46 homers, 107 RBIs, 97 runs scored and 29 stolen bases.

Photo: Newscom

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Clemens Speaks for Everyone?

Geoff Young — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:09:16 +0000

Roger Clemens is at it again. I’d like to stop talking about him, but he just won’t let me. According to published reports, Clemens snapped at a photographer on Tuesday for — get this — taking pictures.

I know, what was the guy thinking? Well, aside from the fact that his job is to take pictures.

Although I don’t envy Clemens’ position, I also imagine that a different decision-making process over the past 20-25 years might have helped him avoid all this. Like, I sympathize but not too much, you know?

Anyway, he’s got some good quotes here, mostly about steroids and the Mitchell Report:

Everything’s been said that needs to be said on that. We’re moving forward. It’s baseball time… I think you ought to be asking baseball questions. I think it’s time to move on and get on with baseball.

I’m picking up two things from this:

Clemens doesn’t talk to the same people I talk to, because I haven’t found anyone who shares his opinion that “everything’s been said that needs to be said.” I know a lot of people (myself included) who are sick of the situation, and sick about it, but that’s not quite the same thing.
Clemens knows more about baseball reporting than baseball reporters do. Only ask questions that he deems appropriate. It’s the New World Order, yo.

In other news, Congress agrees more with the people I talk to than with Clemens. Seems pictures have surfaced (ah, now we see why he snapped at the photographer!) that place him at Jose Canseco’s party. Clemens, you recall, swore under oath that he didn’t attend said party.

Oh, that Jose Canseco. [Pregnant pause. Nervous laughter.] All I can say is that must’ve been one heckuva party.

Of course, there is a simple solution: Judge Alex.

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