Hey Canseco fans...

As I'm sure you know, Jose has not had a single at bat in the post
season. Joe Torre actually dropped Jose from the roster for the Seattle
series, but he's back on there now for the World Series. Not only has Jose
not started a game for about a month now, but he hasn't even had a single
at bat. I watched Saturday night's game and there were NUMEROUS
opportunities where Jose could have pinch hit (the game went well into
extra innings), but he didn't. Oh well... Torre says he will use him more
(as a pinch hitter) over the next few games in the NL park. I'll be
interested to see how that goes. I'm not expecting much from a guy who
hasn't seen live pitching since September.

I can't wait for Jose to get out of New York next year and get back to a
team who appreciates him. You guys know how I feel about the Yankees (God
knows I get enough hate mail from Stankee fans every time I question the
decision making of the all mighty Joe Torre).

Here's hoping for a pinch hit home run. Or single. Or walk. Or
anything. OK, I'll be happy with just an at bat. Even a powerful
strikeout would be better than nothing!

-Mark

==========
From Billy-Ball Daily (www.billy-ball.com)
10/20/00
(Yes, this was a submission sent in by yours truly)

Bottom of the 9th
WHO ARE YOU, WHO, WHO?
I really want to know. This season Billy-Ball has been accused of being a
Red Sox, Yankee, Mets, Braves, A's, Giants, Mariners fan. Good. That only
means I'm doing my job talking baseball, bringing up issues and
perspectives and trying as hard as I can to make fun of as many as I can.

But, who do you root for? Drop me an e-mail, bill@... and tell
me your favorite team and why and we'll publish the responses.

From the Canseco Man:
My favorite team is whoever is playing the Yankees.

Since he broke into the majors, Jose Canseco has been my favorite player,
and I've always rooted for whatever team he is playing for. That all
changed a couple of months ago when Jose was traded to the Stankees. I
gave them a chance, but watching them bench Jose in favor of Knoblauch,
Sojo, Polonia, Hill, etc day after day is truly painful. Keep in mind,
this is a guy who hit 31 injury-free homers before the All Star break a
year and a half ago. He may not be the player he once was (I concede that
he is one dimensional now), but he's still got talent. He's a smart hitter
and he's got plenty of pop in his bat. Even if he doesn't fit into the
Yankees lineup as an every day starter, dropping him from the 25 man roster
is just crazy. Would you really rather have a hurt Jason Grimsley in the
bullpen than Jose Canseco on the bench? Please..."

==========
From ESPN.com:
ALCS notebook: Canseco off roster
By Wayne Drehs

NEW YORK -- When Yankees manager Joe Torre finalized his 25-man roster for
the ALCS early Tuesday, Jose Canseco was out and Jason Grimsley in.

Canseco, who was surprisingly claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay in early
August, did not appear in the Division Series against Oakland and struggled
in 37 regular-season games with New York, batting .243 with six home runs
and 19 RBI.

With the designated hitter limiting the need for numerous pinch-hitters in
the AL, Torre found Canseco, who ranks third behind Mark McGwire and Barry
Bonds for career homers by an active player, expendable.

"It wasn't easy to do," Torre said. "We talked about it the other day. He
feels that he could help the club, and you know, I agree with him. But
here, it was tough to try to get him in there consistently because of all
the people we use in the designated hitter role."

The Yankees already have Glenallen Hill suited for that role and like
Canseco he swings right-handed. And with Chuck Knoblauch's fielding
problems, Torre has been playing Luis Sojo at second base and using
Knoblauch at DH.

In Canseco's place is right-hander Grimsley, who had been struggling with
an inflamed muscle in his right forearm and a bone spur in his right elbow.
Though arthroscopic surgery will be a necessity in the offseason, Torre is
confident that Grimsley is ready to pitch now. He said Grimsley had been
throwing on the side for the past few days with little to no pain at all.

"I think we have a healthy Grimsley," Torre said. "I just wanted,
especially taking (Denny) Neagle out of the bullpen, to have that extra arm."

The demotion of Canseco probably foreshadows the end of his extremely brief
Yankee career. When New York claimed Canseco in August, many were shocked,
as few thought the Yankees needed another free-swinging bat with a hefty
paycheck. At the time, there were rumors that Torre was unhappy with
management's decision to acquire the slugger, though Torre said Tuesday
that managing Canseco has been anything but uncomfortable.

"I thought it would be, but not at all," Torre said. "He has been truly a
professional. The only uncomfortable part was that he was used to playing
and I couldn't make that promise to him when he came over here. But he
hasn't been a problem in any way. He does all of his work, does what he
needs to and our relationship is one of respect."

==========
From the NY Times:
Canseco Playoff Role Is Now No Role at All
By BUSTER OLNEY

Jose Canseco, whose 446 career homers would have been the most for any
player in the American League Championship Series, was dropped from the
Yankees' active roster yesterday and replaced by Jason Grimsley.

With Chuck Knoblauch entrenched as the designated hitter, Canseco had no
role in the way Manager Joe Torre has been using his players. The Yankees
have only one or two regulars for whom Torre might pinch-hit, third baseman
Scott Brosius and second baseman Luis Sojo. The Yankees' two most effective
pinch-hitters are Glenallen Hill and Luis Polonia.

Canseco spoke with Torre behind the batting cage before Game 4 of the
division series to discuss the situation, and when Canseco arrived at the
ballpark yesterday, Torre called him into his office and informed him of
the decision. Canseco said he was not surprised.

"I've never been in this position before," Canseco said, "but it's probably
the right move. I think you always want to be a part of the team, even if
sometimes you're playing daily and you don't produce."

Canseco has not consistently produced for the Yankees after being claimed
on waivers from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Aug. 7. Torre was initially
leery of the move because he was not sure he would be able to incorporate
Canseco and keep him comfortable at the plate. The veteran initially hit
well, drawing walks and presenting a power threat, but unlike Polonia and
Hill, Canseco is not accustomed to sporadic playing time, and he finished
poorly.

The Yankees were so desperate for offense in the last two weeks of the
regular season that if Canseco had gotten hot, he would have stayed in the
lineup into the postseason. But Canseco had only 5 hits in 35 at-bats in
his last 10 games, with no homers.

"It was tough to try to get him in there consistently because of all the
people we have used in the designated-hitter role," Torre said. "He has not
been a problem in any way. He has been as quiet as can be. He does all of
his work. He does what he needs to do and he's worked very hard at trying
to get his arm in shape because he didn't do a whole lot of playing other
than D.H."

But Torre is settled, for now, on starting Luis Sojo at second base and
eeping Knoblauch as his leadoff batter. "Right now, Knoblauch will be my
D.H. because I think that's more of the type of club that I'm used to
having," Torre said.

Grimsley began feeling pain in his elbow about two months ago and tried to
pitch with it, without informing the Yankees' trainers. But his elbow began
to swell Sept. 29, and Grimsley's problem was diagnosed as a bone chip and
bone spur in the joint. He will need surgery after the season. But with
Denny Neagle moving into the rotation for at least one game in this series,
Torre felt that he needed to add another pitcher for middle relief. This is
the first time Torre has carried 11 pitchers on his postseason roster.

If the Yankees advance to the World Series, Torre said, then Canseco could
be added to the roster. The Yankees would have more need for him in the
middle three games of the World Series, in the National League city, where
the designated hitter is not used.

==========
From the NY Times:
Canseco Takes News Like a Professional
By MURRAY CHASS
What, me work?

Those words, at least that sentiment, did not emerge from Jose Canseco's
lips yesterday. Upon hearing that the Yankees would not require his
services for the next four to seven games, Canseco did not go into a funk.
In other words, he did not echo Chuck Knoblauch or borrow his position on
how to behave if the manager decides he wants to use someone else.

Joe Torre told Canseco when he arrived at Yankee Stadium for the opening
game against the Seattle Mariners that he would not be on the 25-man roster
for the American League Championship Series. A 36-year-old veteran of 15
major league seasons and 446 home runs, Canseco did not throw a temper
tantrum. He did not tell Torre he didn't know what he was doing. He did not
go out and tell reporters he was getting a raw deal. He did not sulk in a
corner of the dugout.

"It's probably a smart move, to tell you the truth," Canseco said as soon
as he appeared on the field for pregame batting practice. "You definitely
have to get Grimsley back in that lineup. He's pretty devastating when his
arm is right."

Canseco was the victim of Torre's decision to add a pitcher for the
four-of-seven-game series. Jason Grimsley has had arm trouble but was
deemed healthy enough to be available for bullpen duty.

"I wanted that extra arm in the bullpen," Torre said. "I thought it was
important, especially in the American League, where you have the D.H. and
don't need as many pinch-hitters."

Among the Yankees' multitude of designated hitters/pinch-hitters, Torre
explained, Canseco became the odd man out because he is not as accustomed
as Glenallen Hill to coming off the bench during a game and hitting for
someone.

"We talked about it the other day," Torre said. "He feels that he could
help the club, and I agree with him. But it's tough to try to get him in
there consistently because of all the people we have for the D.H. role."

Of course, Canseco wanted to play in the series against the Mariners. What
player wouldn't want to play in a postseason series?

"You want to be an everyday player," he said. "Obviously when you're
healthy, I'm a guy with a lot of ability. I can help the team. But it's not
my decision. I'll just be ready when I'm called for."

Indeed, Canseco walked onto the field bat in hand. He was ready to do his
daily work, even if he would not get to work during the game.

"I'll be in the same routine," he said. "I'll be here with the team,
pulling for the guys. I'll do my regular work, hitting, running my sprints,
keeping myself ready for when I'm activated. Nothing is going to change.
Everything will be the same."

Canseco said Torre's message to him came as no surprise.

"I kind of figured it would possibly happen," he said. "I had some pretty
good indications. In Baltimore they had a left-handed starter, and I didn't
play there. They had a left-hander in Oakland, and I didn't play there.
I've been around this game for a very long time. I've seen a lot of things,
and I knew this probably was going to happen."

Canseco did not play in the division series against the Athletics, and Hill
played in all four games but got only 1 hit in 12 at-bats for a .183
average. But Hill will serve primarily as a pinch-hitter in this series
because Knoblauch got his job back, at least his designated hitter job,
with two hits in the six-run first-inning surge in Oakland in Game 5.

"I'm probably one of the worst pinch-hitters anyone has ever seen," Canseco
said. "Like I said, it's probably a pretty good move right now."

Knoblauch, who used to be a second baseman, has regained his spot in the
batting order because he is the team's only pure leadoff hitter, the type
of hitter, the manager said, who contributes to "the type of club that I'm
used to having."

"We put the ball in play and we do some things," he said.

In three previous league series, all with Oakland in 1988, '89 and '90,
Canseco hit 4 home runs in 13 games. He hit one home run in each of three
World Series. "I've never been in this position before," he said.

And he very likely will not be in this position if the Yankees reach the
World Series. Torre indicated that Canseco would make that roster. Torre
made similar moves with Jim Leyritz last year, dropping him from the league
series roster but adding him to the World Series roster.

"I'll be ready when they call on me," Canseco said. "My legs are pretty
much almost ready right now. I've been doing sprints in the outfield,
getting some pretty good times out there."

Canseco said he asked Torre what he wanted him to do, and said he was told
he would travel with the team to Seattle for the middle three games of the
series. What did he plan to do during games?

"Tonight sit there and freeze," he said. "It's going to be very cold out here."

==========
From the NY Post:

Even though the Yankees still have to get to the World Series, they are
formulating plans on how to get Jose Canseco back on the roster. After
being active but not used in the ALDS, Canseco was loped off the roster for
the ALCS when Joe Torre opted for an 11th pitcher, Jason Grimsley.

With three World Series games played in NL parks where the DH won't be
used, Torre would likely want another bat on the bench. Especially since
Glenallen Hill is 1-for-14 and 0-for-3 as a pinch-hitter in the postseason.

If Grimsley's right elbow, which is slated for off-season surgery, is well
enough for him to work, lefty reliever Randy Choate is the most likely
victim to be axed.

==========
From the NY Post:

...Canseco said he's only 90 percent healthy because of lingering calf and
foot soreness -- but he recently was timed between 4.4 and 4.6 seconds in
the 40-yard dash. He said he can post 4.2s when fully healthy.

The timing Canseco needs to worry about the most is his timing at the
plate. He was inactive for the AL Championship Series and has yet to bat in
the postseason....

==========
From the NY Post:

FRIENDLY FIRE: Canseco was a teammate of Clemens in Boston, as well as now
with the Yankees. And he said he knows from being on both sides that
Clemens is going to pitch up and in on hitters, a style that created a
controversy during the regular season when a Clemens pitch hit Mets catcher
Mike Piazza in the head.

``He came up-and-in on me one time and I started laughing,'' said Canseco.
``In order to be an intimidating pitcher, to established that part of the
play, you have to throw that pitch.

``As an opponent at the time, our team saw that he had done that to me, and
they were thinking, 'If he does that to his friend, he can do it to any of
us.' That kind of sends an indirect message.''

SEATED SLUGGER: Jose Canseco didn't make the Yankees' roster for the
American League Championship Series against Seattle, but manager Joe Torre
included him on the team for the World Series, sensing that he'd need an
extra right-handed bat.

Still, that doesn't mean Canseco definitely will play in the Series. That
leaves the man with 446 lifetime home runs feeling a little strange.

"It's extremely difficult," Canseco said. "Obviously, it's a great thing to
be in the World Series. ... I'm healthier than I've been in a long time.
It's definitely tough (not playing), knowing how much impact I can have on
a game."

==========
From the San Francisco Examiner:
A pinch of Canseco is all Yankees want
By JOHN SHEA
Oct. 22, 2000

NEW YORK - How the mighty have fallen. When Jose Canseco played in three
World Series for the A's, he was a star. Maybe not always productive - .156
in 13 games - but always a star.

Now he's on the Yankees' bench, doing very little. He called himself the
"worst pinch-hitter in the world," but there he was in Game 1 of the World
Series, available to pinch hit. He didn't get a chance

"It's difficult to feel like you're part of the team," Canseco said. "I
definitely root for the team, pull for them, give them high-fives when they
get base hits or the pitcher has a great outing. Basically, at this point
in my career, that's all you can do."

Canseco, 36, hasn't appeared in the postseason. He didn't play in the A's
series and wasn't on the roster for the National League Championship
Series. He's on the World Series roster because the Yankees are using a
10-man pitching staff.

The Yankees don't trust Canseco in the outfield. If he starts, it'd be at
designated hitter, possibly in Game 2 against Mets lefty Mike Hampton. If
not, he can pinch hit. But after joining the Yankees in July, he was
1-for-6 in the pinch.

"I have absolutely gotten worse," Canseco said of his pinch-hitting skills.
"I haven't had an at-bat in nearly two weeks. I have done absolutely nothing."

Chuck Knoblauch, a second baseman who can't always throw straight, was the
DH in Game 1. Ex-Giant Jose Vizcaino played second.

"It's extremely difficult," Canseco said. "Obviously, it's great to be in
the World Series, but I've been an everyday player for 15 years. I know
I've had quite a few injuries. I'm healthier than I've been in a long time.
This is tough, knowing what type of player I am and how much impact I could
have on a game."

Canseco had hamstring, calf and foot problems this year. He reported to
spring training at 260 pounds and now vows to improve his offseason
conditioning, hoping he'll be down to 235 to 245.

Asked to compare the Subway Series with the Bay Bridge Series, Canseco
said, "Everything here is under the microscope so much and there's so much
media around. There's no comparison at all."

==========
From USA Today:
Canseco odd man out in Yankees pinstripes

NEW YORK -- Nobody would blame Jose Canseco if he wears a name tag when
he's in the Yankees' clubhouse. In big, bold letters: HELLO, MY NAME IS
JOSE CANSECO.

Pity Canseco. He's almost a stranger among his teammates. When the Yankees
claimed him Aug. 7 off waivers from Tampa Bay, they really didn't expect to
get him. The Devil Rays let the claim go through, and here he is on the
Subway Series ride with the Yanks.

The Yankees are trying to win their fourth World Series in five years, and
Canseco is wearing their pinstripes. The problem is he wonders if they fit,
if he truly belongs or if he's just stopping by for the moment.

Canseco, 36, has 446 career home runs and once was one of baseball's most
dangerous hitters. Age and injuries have slowed him. He hit six homers and
drove in 19 runs in 37 games after joining the Yankees.

He didn't get an at-bat in the Yankees' Division Series against Oakland and
wasn't on the active roster for the American League Championship Series.

Manager Joe Torre put him on the 25-player roster for the World Series, and
there was speculation he'd be the designated hitter in Sunday's game
against the Mets' Mike Hampton. That didn't happen.

These are difficult times for the one-time Oakland All-Star.

''Even when I'm playing, if I don't perform I really don't feel like I'm
part of this team,'' he says. ''Obviously they're giving me the opportunity,
but it's difficult to feel like I'm a part of the team.''

Canseco earns $3 million this season, and the Yankees have a 2001 option
for $4 million that they aren't expected to exercise.

There was a time earlier in the year when George Steinbrenner coveted
Canseco. His baseball lieutenants tried to talk him out of a trade. But
when Canseco appeared on waivers after the July 31 trading deadline,
general manager Brian Cashman put in a claim.

Tampa Bay GM Chuck LaMar didn't intend to pull Canseco back. When he called
Cashman to tell him the claim had gone through, there was a lot of
finger-pointing in the Yankees' executive suite. Apparently, the Yanks made
the claim to keep another team from getting Canseco and the maneuver backfired.

Canseco says his physical condition is about 90%. He's been hampered by a
pulled hamstring, foot problems and a calf injury.

Not getting at-bats bothers him.

''It's extremely difficult,'' he says. ''Obviously, it's a great thing to
be in the World Series. I'm healthier than I've been in a long time. It's
tough right now knowing what type of player I am, how much impact I can
have on a game.''