Hey everyone,

I'm going to be scuba diving in Florida next week, so I might not be able
to update the Cansecometer and send out updates for a little while. I'm
taking my laptop with me, of course, but I don't know how often I'll be
able to get connected. Just wanted to let you know.

Jose hit his first home run since joining the White Sox on Tuesday. After
6 games (and hitting safely in the first 5), Jose is batting .231 with 1
homer and 6 RBIs.

I added some more new photos to the photo galleries - check em out. All
the latest news is below.

Take it easy,
Mark

==========
From the Chicago Sun Times:

CANSECO WATCH: Designated hitter Jose Canseco has a hit in each of his four
games. He went 2-for-5 with two RBI Sunday. He has five RBI in 18 at-bats,
compared with former DH Harold Baines' six RBI in 83 at-bats.

"I'm not saying I'm happy with what I've done," Canseco said. "I think they
brought me here to hit home runs, but that will come eventually, I hope."

==========
From the Chicago Tribune:

Jose Canseco went 2-for-5 with two RBIs, giving him five RBIs in four games
since joining the team in Baltimore. Sox DHs failed to drive in a single
run in their previous five games before Canseco's arrival.

Canseco's run-scoring single off rookie Josh Towers gave the Sox a
first-inning lead for the fifth straight game, and they never trailed. They
led 3-0 in the second before Baldwin served up back-to-back home runs to
Melvin Mora and Delino DeShields, but Baldwin closed the door thereafter.

==========
From the Sporting News:
White Sox Team Report
By Scot Gregor/The Daily Herald
Early returns on Canseco show he's a bargain
JUNE 24, 2001

At the prorated price of the major-league minimum salary ($200,000), the
team didn't make much of a financial investment when they decided to sign
37-year-old DH Jose Canseco.

But early signs indicate they might have landed quite a bargain. In his
first three games with the team, Canseco had three doubles and three RBIs.
He also showed he still has some serious power during batting practice
sessions.

The team would be thrilled if Canseco hit 54 home runs the rest of the way
to reach the coveted 500 plateau. But they know that's not realistic. The
team will be more than satisfied if Canseco stays healthy and builds off an
impressive start.

Canseco, who was playing with the Newark Bears in the independent Atlantic
League, is batting fifth in the lineup and his bat speed has been better
than expected. Canseco insists that he can still run a 4.4 in the 40-yard
dash and he also volunteered to play all three outfield spots.

But the team signed him for one reason -- to DH and help spark an offense
that has been up-and-down since DH Frank Thomas was lost for the season
with a torn right triceps on May 10. . . .

==========
From the Chicago Sun TImes:

BAINES UPDATE: Designated hitter Harold Baines traveled to Baltimore over
the weekend, despite being on the 15-day disabled list, because he has a
home in nearby St. Michael's, Md. Baines continued to get treatment for a
pulled left quadriceps that put him on the disabled list June 14.

"I can't say how serious it is," Baines said. "I'm just taking it day by day."

His value to the Sox is in question.

The acquisition of Jose Canseco gives the Sox another veteran who won't be
asked to play defense. It's unlikely the roster could support Canseco and
Baines. And with the emergence of Jeff Liefer, who can play the corner
spots in the outfield and infield, the Sox have a quality left-handed bat
off the bench. Liefer has six home runs in 109 at-bats.

Asked if he expects to play again this season, Baines said, "I hope so."

==========
From the Chicago Tribune:
Canseco out to bash myths

Jose Canseco says any negative perceptions about him are wrong, and he just
wants to help the Sox win.

When the White Sox lost Frank Thomas to his season-ending triceps injury,
it took a while for the team to learn how to win without him.

Thomas may have been off to a slow start, but he still was an imposing
figure in the middle of the lineup and a threat to bust out on one of his
patented home run streaks at any time.

No one was able to replace Thomas in the DH slot and when the offense
looked pathetic after the first week of a 12-game trip in late May, it
eventually cost hitting coach Von Joshua his job. But now the Sox have
discovered a way to win without the Big Hurt. They were just beginning to
make some noise when general manager Ken Williams delivered the surprising
news last Wednesday.

Jose Canseco was joining the White Sox.

The reaction to the announcement in the Sox's clubhouse was rather subdued.
Canseco is a large presence in more ways than one and no one really knew
how the slugger would affect the delicate clubhouse chemistry.

Without Thomas, the rest of the Sox stars were on a relatively equal plane,
with no single player head and shoulders above any of his teammates on or
off the field. They had endured the painful eight-game losing streak
together, they endured the incessant trade rumors together and, for the
first time all season, the Sox were playing the way they did during their
breakthrough season in 2000.

Did they really need to add a high-maintenance superstar to the mix and
risk messing things up?

But any questions about Canseco's demeanor were answered quickly during
last weekend's four-game series in Baltimore. He came in, did his work,
shagged flies and practiced playing the outfield despite the fact the Sox
don't want him anywhere near a glove. Canseco also drove in five runs in
the four games, while Magglio Ordonez benefited from having a true power
hitter protect him in the lineup.

It's still early, but all the concerns about Canseco either asking for or
receiving star treatment appear to have been buried.

"My star days are over," Canseco said. "I'm just one of the guys trying to
help out."

The one-time Bash Brother is one of the rare baseball players whose name
has been in headlines in supermarket tabloids almost as much as it has been
in the sports section. Dating Madonna will do that to a career.

But asked if there were any misconceptions about him that he would like to
clear up, Canseco raised his eyebrows and questioned the question.

"I don't know what the perceptions are about me, so I have no idea," he
replied. "What are they?"

Aloof . Pampered . Difficult to deal with .

"I thought I've been pretty easy to deal with in the past," he said. "I
don't know if people perceive certain things about you or stereotype you. I
have no idea about that."

In his fourth season as manager of the Sox, Jerry Manuel has had to
accommodate a disparate group of individuals including Thomas, Albert
Belle, Jaime Navarro and Royce Clayton. Manuel insists he never felt the
acquisition of a player with Canseco's checkered past would disrupt the
atmosphere in the clubhouse.

"That hasn't been a problem at all," Manuel said. "Once you reach a level
as a team, when you have the maturity in that area, you feel that you can
handle different things. If it's somebody of an independent spirit, which
is fine, or somebody who wants to come in and try to conform with what is
going on, that's fine too."

Of course, Manuel has heard the Canseco myth, as has anyone who has
followed baseball for the last two decades. Manuel did speak with Tony
Graffanino, a former teammate of Canseco's with Tampa Bay, and got the
answer he wanted.

"I really don't try to deal with preconceived pictures of somebody," Manuel
said. "I try to give them the benefit of the doubt, until they prove
otherwise. When I asked Graf, I said 'How is he in the clubhouse?' Graf
said 'You don't have to worry at all.' Graf is somebody I trust, so that
was all I needed to hear."

Chicago may be a last chance for Canseco to prove he still can hit and
remain injury-free for an extended period of time. After hitting 80 home
runs with Toronto and Tampa Bay in '98 and '99, he hit only 15 with the
Devils Rays and Yankees last season. When the Angels released him at the
end of spring training and no one else wanted him, Canseco swallowed his
pride and signed with the independent Atlantic League team in Newark, N.J.

In a low-risk gamble, at least financially speaking, the Sox signed Canseco
last week for a pro-rated portion of the major-league minimum, or around
$135,000. Why didn't Canseco wait for a better offer?

"Because I wanted to get back up to the major-league level," he said.
"Obviously I've made a lot of money in this game already. My main concern
was getting up to this level, seeing major-league pitching, helping the
team win and obviously, I'm only 54 home runs short of 500. Hopefully that
gives me a chance to get inducted into the Hall of Fame."

After failing to cash in on the team's division title with capacity crowds
at Comiskey Park, Sox management also hopes Canseco can help out at the box
office. The organization didn't market David Wells when he was acquired
from Toronto and has yet to showcase emerging stars such as Mark Buehrle
and Carlos Lee.

The organization already has killed its initial 2001 marketing slogan
("It's Time") and currently is selling "fun at the ballpark" rather than
the Sox players.

"I thought I was just brought here to help the team win," Canseco said.
"Hopefully I can do that. Hopefully I can get hot, hit some home runs like
I have in the past, and just be me. And sure, I'm going to get the fans to
come out."

Canseco has been banging some long ones in batting practice, but was
homer-free in Camden Yards. It may take a while to get his stroke back, but
he said on Sunday that he feels it's coming with every at-bat.

For now, Canseco is comfortable just blending into the background, trying
to throw off all the trappings that come along with being a
larger-than-life character.

"Well, I am large," he said with a laugh. "That's for sure. I guess maybe
because of my size-I'm 6-4, 245-whatever I've accomplished in my career, I
may be an intimidating person to some people. But I think those people who
know me know that I'm completely the opposite of that."

==========
A chat transcript from BigLeaguers.com:
Jose Canseco: Happy to be back

Back in the majors for four games and riding a four-game hitting streak,
Jose Canseco told a Bigleaguers.com chat audience on Tuesday that he can
help the White Sox win this season, play another three or four years and
reach 500 home runs.

Canseco, who turns 37 next week, said he didn't understand the reasoning
behind his spring-training release by the Angels and didn't appreciate that
the club labeled him as being injured, which made it more difficult to get
back.

After proving he was fit and healthy during a two-month stint with the
independent Newark bears of the Atlantic League, Canseco signed last week
with the White Sox.

Here is the transcript from the chat:

mlbpa_host: Welcome to the Jose Canseco chat with Bigleaguers.com ....
powered by Yahoo!
mlbpa_jose_canseco: Let's get the chat started!
mlbpa_jose_canseco: I'm glad to be here, and I'm glad to be back at the
Major League level.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: Hopefully, I can stay here long enough to get to 500 HRs.

collins44: Jose: Glad to see you back in the "bigs", How has the transition
been to Chicago? Has any one particular player made it easy for you to adjust ?
mlbpa_jose_canseco: The whole team has really.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: I've played with a few guys on the team before.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: They have been great and accepting of me, the entire
transition has been excellent.

ejgiang: Jose, how does your brother Ozzie compare to you?
mlbpa_jose_canseco: We're twins and we're two minutes apart.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: Last year he had an excellent season, and he's
definitely talented.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: We are very similar in some ways, and very different in
others.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: We played together at the Newark Bears this year, and
we live about 40 minutes away from each other in the off season.

kirk077: Jose -- you're at a point where a lot of big leaguers would have
hung it up. What keeps you going? The fun of playing ball? Something to
prove? The money? :-)
mlbpa_jose_canseco: My love for the game.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: I'd love to help another team win a championship.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: I think I have a lot of years in me.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: On a personal note, I am chasing 500 home runs though...
mlbpa_jose_canseco: My first few at bats, I was a little nervous.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: I thought I could hit some of those fastballs out of
the park!
mlbpa_jose_canseco: I'm feeling healthy thought and I think after some time
the numbers will speak for themselves.

Marty2634: Hello Jose, Describe what it was like Hitting 40 Home Runs and
having 40 Stolen Bases in one Season?
mlbpa_jose_canseco: That was a long time ago!
mlbpa_jose_canseco: It was very nerve wracking at the same because no one
had accomplished that.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: I hit the 40th HR off of Saberhagen.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: It was really exciting when I slid in for the 40th SB,
and I asked the umpire (John Hirschbeck) if I could take the base with me.

athorty: You had the best year of your career in 1988. The A's dominated
that year winning 104 games. Do you think that A's team was one of the best
teams of all-time ?
mlbpa_jose_canseco: They probably were because our team was so strong in
every category.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: Batting, defense, and pitching were great.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: Eckersley was incredible.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: Our combination of all the skills needed to win were
excellent.

all_country23: What was your favorite team growing up?
mlbpa_jose_canseco: My favorite was the Cincinnati Reds.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: The first time I played organized ball ... we had a
Reds uniform. It was white with red striping.

stockton111: Do you think Barry Bonds will eclipse your bash brother Mark
McGwire's all-time HR record
mlbpa_jose_canseco: He definitely has a great chance at it.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: It's just going to depend on whether they will keep
pitching to him.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: When he plays teams that are contending, I think
pitchers will pitch around him.

ChicagoJaso: Are you given the green light for stealing bases by Manuel?
mlbpa_jose_canseco: In Newark I had the green light.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: In the big leagues, we haven't spoken about that. It
will probably be on a situational basis.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: Once you are playing outfield everyday it's different,
your legs are always warm.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: As a DH it is more difficult to steal bases.

southside_sox_worshiper: I saw a little about you on a segment on Fox
Sports the other day, and they talked about your days with Newark, what was
it really like being out of the majors and with an independent team like that?
mlbpa_jose_canseco: It was completely different, ballparks, clubhouses
everything.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: A lot of big leaguers don't see what those guys go through.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: You tend to take things for granted when you are in the
big leagues, and they don't know what it's like down there.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: I even put in a refridgerator with drinks and food in
the clubhouse for the team.

BEAUZACK: WHAT IS THE KEY TO HITTING FOR BOTH AVERAGE AND POWER
mlbpa_jose_canseco: You have to be lucky.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: Even if you hit the ball hard, it doesn't guarantee a hit.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: If you can wait as long as possible, then you can
differentiate between the pitches.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: That ... and have quick hands.

cdroberts92: What's the one thing you're proud of that most people wouldn't
know about?
mlbpa_jose_canseco: Having a daughter. Being a father to a four year old.

suncatcher1517: How do you deal with some of the disrespect shown to you by
some in baseball after your stellar career? ( which I am so excited you
have the opportunity to continue, nothing in MLB is as beautiful as a Jose
homerun)
mlbpa_jose_canseco: I felt that I was released for no apparent reason.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: I thought it was unjust.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: I thought it was wrong that there were rumors that I
was injured.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: I signed with Newark because it was important to keep
my free agent status intact.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: I wanted to get back to the MLB as soon as possible.

CastBoy1: What impression do you have about the Sox after your first
complete series with them?
mlbpa_jose_canseco: I have a very positive impression of them.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: Yesterday we got to the .500 level.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: Everyone (rookies and veterans) is really loose in the
clubhouse, I think we are going to be great.

tbrower_99: Will there be a day when someone hits more than 100 homeruns?
mlbpa_jose_canseco: In softball, maybe!
mlbpa_jose_canseco: I don't think so.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: 50, 60, 70 is the pinnacle.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: If it does happen again, it will be incredible.

jeffro33332001: I have been a fan since early 86 and i was wondering how
the game has changed for you
mlbpa_jose_canseco: I think the game has changed a lot because there are a
lot more players shifting from team to team on a yearly basis.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: Expansion has thinned out the pitching a bit.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: Players have DEFINETLY become bigger and stronger.

solracp25: Jose, how do rate your chances at achieving 500 home runs?
mlbpa_jose_canseco: Very confident.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: As long as I feel healthy and stay with a team this
year and next year, I think I can do it.
mlbpa_jose_canseco: Thanks everyone for coming out ... I hope to stay
healthy and I'll remember each one of you.

==========
From the AP:

...Ozzie Canseco, twin brother of Jose, was put on the inactive list by the
Newark Bears because the team was unable to trade him.

The first baseman has struggled with a .207 batting average and recently
asked to be traded.

Canseco set league records with 48 home runs and 129 RBI last season while
hitting .299, and he was voted the league's most valuable player.

==========
From the AP:

...Chicago has won six of its last seven games, including Sunday's 8-2 win
over the Baltimore Orioles. Jose Canseco and Ray Durham each finished 2-
for-5 with two RBI for the ChiSox, who have won 22 of their last 29 contests.

Canseco has been a godsend for the Sox, going 5-for-18 with five RBI in
four games since he joined the club on Thursday.

==========
From the Chicago Sun Times:

...One out later, Canseco chased Santana by launching his first home run
since signing with the Sox last Wednesday. The solo home run put Canseco 53
shy of 500....

==========
From the Chicago Tribune:

...The Sox had appeared to end their season-long skid thanks to home runs
from Carlos Lee, Ray Durham and Jose Canseco and the stellar pitching of
Rocky Biddle. The Sox rookie pitched 6 2/3 strong innings but was denied
his first victory since April 9.

Durham homered to lead off the first and Lee hit a two-run shot off Johan
Santana in the sixth to put the Sox ahead 3-2. Canseco's homer in the sixth
and run-scoring doubles by Lee and Magglio Ordonez in the seventh made it 6-2.

==========
From the Chicago Daily Southtown:

...Lost in the defeat was a solid outing by Sox starting pitcher Rocky
Biddle, as well as home runs by Ray Durham, Carlos Lee and Jose Canseco....

...Lee belted a two-run shot that traveled an estimated 414 feet over the
wall in left. Two batters later, Canseco smacked a solo shot to left,
giving the Sox a 4-2 edge.

It was Canseco's first home run in a Sox uniform and his first since Sept.
12, 2000, while with the New York Yankees.

==========
From the AP:

...Jose Canseco extended the lead two batters later with a towering
405-foot shot....

==========
From the Star Tribune:
White Sox hope Canseco gives them boost
By Jabari Ritchie

Before White Sox outfielder Chris Singleton was a major league baseball
player, he was just a fan.

And in the summer, the Martinez, Calif., native spent much of his time 25
miles to the west, watching former American League MVP Jose Canseco
terrorize pitchers while playing for the Oakland A's.

Now Singleton finds himself on the same team as Canseco.

"It's pretty interesting to see how life goes around in circles," Singleton
said before Chicago's 4-1 loss to the Twins Wednesday. "Here I am in the
major leagues, a teammate of Jose Canseco, and when I was a kid I used to
admire him and go watch him play."

Canseco, 23rd on the all-time home runs list with 447, ranks third among
active players, trailing Barry Bonds and his former Oakland bash brother
Mark McGwire. He says the milestone is within reach if he is able to "stay
in the big leagues long enough."

Staying in the majors is a reasonable concern for the slugger. After
spending spring training with the Angels, he was waived. The former
All-Star spent most of the first half of the season with the Newark Bears
of the independent Atlantic League.

"It's good to be back, but I hope I can do better," Canseco said. "I know I
can."

Singleton, who made his major league debut in 1999, says he hasn't spent
much time reminiscing with his new teammate.

"It's a little weird," he said about Canseco, who was added to Chicago's
roster June20.

"I mentioned it to him, but I haven't really talked to him about it much.
It's kind of different now, because we're teammates."

Like the rest of the White Sox, Singleton hopes Canseco will help his new
team pass Cleveland and the Twins to defend its division title.

As Twins pitcher Kyle Lohse discovered in his second major league start
Wednesday, facing Canseco from the mound is different than it is from the
dugout.

"He can still swing it," said Lohse, who was born in Chico, Calif. "It's
not like he's old or anything."

But the 22-year-old didn't let Canseco, 36, get in the way of Lohse's first
big league victory. He struck out Canseco twice.

"It was a pretty awesome feeling," Lohse said after the game. "I watched
him back in the '80s with the Oakland A's and he was one of the players
that I liked a lot. He was one of my favorite players."

Despite going 0-for-3 Wednesday, Canseco is working toward becoming a
favorite in Chicago. Until Wednesday, Canseco had a hit in every game he
played for the White Sox. In seven games with Chicago, he has gone 6-for-26
with six RBI and three doubles.

"Obviously, he is very dangerous," said Twins manager Tom Kelly. "He is
intimidating and he can swing the bat. We'll see how it works out for them
in the long run."

He also inched closer to his goal of 500 career home runs with a solo shot
Tuesday.

"We were hoping to see him hit one out of the ballpark and I think he felt
good himself," White Sox manager Jerry Manuel said.

"I am very happy with the performance we have gotten from him. He's given
us a nice presence in the lineup and been a model citizen."

-- Jabari Ritchie is at jritchie@... .