Hey Cansecoites,

Finally, some news! Jose is NOT going to be playing for a major league
team - at least not yet. He's also decided to not take any minor league
offers, so as to not be tied to any one organization. Instead, he's going
to play with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League. This is
where his twin brother Ozzie hit a record 48 homers last year. The Bears
web site can be found at http://www.newarkbears.com/main.html

I think this is the best decision Jose could make right now. He'll get a
chance to prove he's healthy and is still capable of playing good baseball,
he'll get to stay in shape, he'll get to hang out with his brother, and
he'll still have all his options open. The Bears spring training starts
this weekend and their season starts on May 4. Jose even wants to play
some First Base in hopes of sparking some NL interest.

Before I wrap this up and let you get to the articles below, I have to
point out this quote I found earlier this week that pissed me off:

-----
DH Glenallen Hill went into Monday hitting .162 with one homer and one
RBI. "Glenallen's a guy we're going to be patient with until he finds his
stroke," manager Mike Scioscia said. "Because when he's on, he can be a big
part of our lineup."
-----

Now hold on a second. What's up with that? Scioscia can be patient with
sucky Glenallen Hill who is playing TERRIBLE baseball (he's down to .156
now), but won't even give Jose Canseco a chance? What, Jose couldn't be a
"big part" of their lineup "when he's on???" Please. That really irks
me. I don't know if any of you Californians get to any Anaheim games, but
if you do, I encourage you to boo Hill and especially Scioscia and make
signs that say "Bring back Canseco," etc.

I'll keep you posted...
Mark

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From NJ Record:
Canseco's hit his last Hall run
Sunday, April 15, 2001

While Jose Canseco sits at home, wondering if there's any major league team
willing to take a chance on his creaky bones, it might be time to seriously
ask if the game's first 40/40 man is worthy of induction into the Hall of Fame.

Oh, we loved Jose's flair, his ability to make news, which was practically
written into his DNA coding, and all those long home runs. But none of that
may be enough for Cooperstown.

First thing's first, however: Is Canseco's career really over?

If the sorry Orioles aren't interested, and the best offer he can get is a
minor league deal from the Blue Jays -- which general manager Gord Ash now
says is off the table -- it's probably time for Canseco to take the hint.

If he does, Canseco will rue the series of injuries that kept him from
reaching 500 homers, which is still the closest Cooperstown has to an
automatic ticket -- especially since 300 victories is no longer a realistic
number for starting pitchers.

Canseco is stuck at 446 homers, and with a .266 career average, it's
probably -- but not definitely -- going to leave him short of induction.

There is a compelling argument that can be made on Canseco's behalf, since
his at-bats to home run ratio (15.25) is virtually the same as Jimmie
Foxx's (15.23) and Mike Schmidt's (15.24), both of whom are on the all-time
top 10 home run list, and both are in the Hall.

Canseco's productivity as a home run hitter rivals Mickey Mantle's (15.12)
and is better than Hank Aaron's (16.376), Willie Mays' (16.47), and Reggie
Jackson's (17.52). Of course, there's more to being a Hall of Famer than
simple percentages, but since he's so close to 500 homers, the real
question is whether Canseco deserves the benefit of the doubt from voters.

Just how good would Canseco have been, had it not been for the bad back
which cost him years off his career and prompted the Angels to release him
in the final week of spring training? It's a catch-22, actually, because
Canseco's extraordinary strength allowed him to hit so many home runs, but
ultimately, his over-developed muscles eroded the disks in his lower back.

Canseco steadfastly denies ever using steroids, although there are baseball
people who, to this day, remain convinced he synthetically thickened his
body. That could hurt him in the voting, but regardless of the reason for
his breakdown, Canseco was so weakened that he didn't hit any homers in 39
March at-bats, and missed 10 straight games with a series of nagging injuries.

That's why Canseco is finding it so difficult to get a job, evidenced by
the Orioles' lack of interest and the offer from the Blue Jays, which
mysteriously vanished. Ash confirmed that he'd spoken to Canseco's agent,
Jeff Borris, recently, but when asked about the status of the talks, the GM
said, "You won't be hearing from Canseco anymore."

That comes as a surprise to Yankees GM Brian Cashman, who said, "I have a
feeling sooner or later someone is going to sign Jose. If anyone asks me,
I'd tell them Jose is a total professional who was a positive influence in
our clubhouse."

Cashman's endorsement has so far failed to sway the Orioles, who had an
initial interest in Canseco, but have since told Borris to look elsewhere.
O's manager Mike Hargrove spoke for an entire organization when he said,
"[Canseco] might do something for us in the short term, but it wouldn't be
good in the long term.

"We don't want to bring in a player who's going to block one of our younger
kids -- a Jay Gibbons, a Mike Kinkade or a Chris Richard. It just didn't
make sense."

==========
(More stuff to make you mad)
From the Orange County Register:
Hill remains confident
He and Scioscia are not letting his slow start worry them.
April 18, 2001
By ART THOMPSON III

ANAHEIM Glenallen Hill's .171 batting average with one home run and two
RBIs would seem to indicate a player who is struggling mightily. And the
circumstances that brought Hill to the Angels would seem to suggest a
player feeling pressure to produce.

Neither is the case, according to Hill and Angels manager Mike Scioscia.
Hill's resume indicates he will hit with power and drive in runs, which is
why the Angels chose to release Jose Canseco in spring training and acquire
Hill from the New York Yankees.

"There is no pressure,'' Hill said. "Mind you, I don't think I'm a .150
hitter. I think everyone wants to get off to a fast start. If this was May
15 and I was hitting .150 then maybe I'd be a little concerned.''

Hill, who ranks second on the active major-league pinch-hit home run list
with 13, hit .333 in 40 games last season for the Yankees. In 132 at-bats,
he had 16 home runs and five doubles.

The year before, Hill hit .300, with 20 home runs and 55 RBIs in just 99
games with the Chicago Cubs. The season before that, he hit .310, with 20
homers, 25 doubles and 56 RBIs in 122 games with Chicago.

"He's going to contribute a lot to help us,'' Scioscia said. "He's a hitter
that, as he's gotten more experience and is understanding his swing, has
become more and more productive in reaching the potential that everyone
talked about when he came in. His statistics last year were really
incredible. That's what we're hoping to see this year. And you can see that
with every game he's becoming more and more comfortable with his swing.
He's getting settled in on where he fits around these guys, and he'll be
very productive for us.''

Hill did not get a lot of at-bats during spring training with the Yankees.
So, in a way he is going through an extended spring training.

"I'm not a guy that makes up excuses,'' Hill said. "I'm going to hit and
I'm going to hit well. It's not the start I imagined for myself, but I'm
fine.''

==========
From the AP:
Jose Canseco joins independent Newark, teams up with twin brother
By BEN WALKER
April 19, 2001

Jose Canseco, hoping to prove he's healthy enough to play again in the
majors, decided Wednesday night to join his twin brother on the Newark
Bears of the independent Atlantic League.

``It's a great situation for me,'' Canseco said from his home in Miami.
``I'm looking forward to getting there.

``I didn't want to get locked into a Triple-A deal where one team
controlled my contract. Now, if a major league team wants me, they can go
ahead and grab me.''

Released by the Anaheim Angels right before opening day, Canseco had an
offer from the Toronto Blue Jays to sign with Triple-A Syracuse. His agent,
Jeff Borris, also had been talking to the New York Yankees about playing
for Triple-A Columbus, though no deal was in place.

Canseco hit 15 home runs with 49 RBIs in a combined 329 at-bats for Tampa
Bay and the Yankees last season. He batted .252 in 98 games, his playing
time cut once he joined the eventual World Series champions in early August.

Now, he'll be playing close to New York, across the Hudson River in New
Jersey.

The minor league Bears, owned by former Yankees catcher Rick Cerone, open
their 140-game season on May 4 at Nashua, N.H. Their first home game is May
11. Newark starts its 10-day spring training this weekend at the Kansas
City Royals' complex in Haines City, Fla.

The 36-year-old slugger ranks 23rd on the career home run list with 446.
The 1988 AL MVP has been picked for six All-Star teams, most recently in
1999 with the Devil Rays.

Last season, Ozzie Canseco set Atlantic League records with 48 home runs
and 129 RBIs. The Cansecos played together briefly for the Oakland
Athletics in 1990.

``It'll be fun playing again with my brother,'' Jose Canseco said. ``We
haven't done that for a while.''

Canseco said he wants to start in center field for the Bears so that he
show that his body can hold up. He also would like to play some games at
first base to help attract interest from NL teams.

``You look around the majors at the teams that need right-handed power and
they're easy to find,'' Borris said. ``If he can prove he's healthy,
there's no reason to doubt that those teams won't come around for him.

``I think it was important that he start playing baseball again,'' he said.
``He didn't want to wait any longer.''

Canseco is eager to dispel the notion that he's too banged-up.

``There's a shadow over me, a doubt about whether I'm OK,'' he said last week.

Signed by the Angels to an incentive-laden, minor league contract in
mid-January to replace injured Mo Vaughn's power, Canseco was cut on March 28.

Canseco was batting .231 without a home run in 39 at-bats in spring
training when Anaheim dropped him and got Glenallen Hill in a trade with
the Yankees.

Canseco did not play in 10 exhibition games because of lower back and
hamstring injuries. Later, he said he easily could have played in more than
half those games, but was encouraged by the Angels to take his time and
prepare for the season.

When he was released, Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia said he had concerns
about Canseco's ``long-term health.''

But Scioscia also said, ``The bottom line is he's healthy now. I told Jose,
'If people ask me, I'll tell them your back is healthy, your hamstring is
healthy.'''

==========
From Billy-Ball Daily 04/19/01
www.billy-ball.com

SPRINGTIME IN NEWARK
If you look at the website of the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic
League you will see this Help Wanted notice:
"BEARS LOOKING TO HIRE SEASONAL STAFF
The Newark Bears are looking for a few good people. Seasonal employment
with the Bears includes positions such as Ushers, Ticket Takers, On-Field
Promotions and Ticket Office Representatives. To get more information on
how to join the Newark Bears seasonal staff and/or full-time staff, click
on the Employment Opportunities button on the right side of your screen."

Well, the button was pushed. Jose Canseco, hoping to prove he's healthy
enough to play again in the majors, decided Wednesday night to join his
twin brother Ozzie with the Newark Bears. It's unclear whether Jose will be
an usher or a ticket taker.