Hey Canseco fans...

Once again, I would like to express my condolences and sympathy to everyone
involved in this week's tragic events. The emails some of you sent me with
your first hand accounts were very moving.

As terrible as these cowardly acts of terror have been, we must move on,
and we have been specifically asked by our leaders to do our best to return
to normalcy. So, with that said, here's the latest news about Jose. The
game recaps and news of Jose joining the exclusive 400/200 club are a
little old now, but there is also some speculation about where Jose will be
playing next year, plus the news about the Sox eventful week. I don't know
if you realized this or not, but Jose and the rest of the team were in
their Manhattan hotel (only 25 blocks from the World Trade Center) when the
attacks occurred.

Jose's current stats:
214 ABs, .290 batting average, 15 homers, 45 RBIs, 41 runs scored, 2 stolen
bases, .397 OBP, .542 SLG

-Mark

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

...Jose Canseco could be gone as soon as today, which will seem like
another white flag with the Indians in town. But realistically, the Sox are
out of contention and might as well pick up a couple of prospects for the
muscled bopper. Fans dream of a lineup with Thomas and Canseco, but it
can't work, much as Williams tried. I've sat down and made probably 1,000
lineups out, and it comes down to the same thing,'' he said. Unless I get
some sort of special exemption from the commissioner's office to have two
or three DHs, I can't get all these bats in the lineup.''

==========
From the Daily Southtown:
What about Jose?

Slugger Jose Canseco was not in the lineup Thursday night, but he could get
plenty of at-bats in the big four-game series against Cleveland. He'll be
in the lineup tonight against Indians starter Steve Woodard.

"What I've been trying to do is find him the best matchups," Manuel said.
"(Woodard) is a good matchup for him."

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

Chicago: DH Jose Canseco hopes to be traded this weekend. GM Ken Williams
said the team is not interested in keeping Canseco in 2002. Canseco wants a
trade by tomorrow to be eligible with another team for postseason play.

==========
From the Chicago Tribune:
Canseco hoping to be dealt
Not in team's plans, DH wants to play every day
By Paul Sullivan
August 30, 2001 10:29 PM CDT

DETROIT - After starting the season in Class A Newark, Jose Canseco is long
past the point of being able to demand a trade.

So Canseco simply is crossing his fingers and desperately hoping to be
traded within the next 24 hours.

White Sox general manager Ken Williams declared Wednesday there's no room
for Canseco in 2002 and manager Jerry Manuel is using Jeff Liefer more
often at designated hitter. Canseco believes the Sox would be wise to trade
him now.

"I guess I just don't fit in here, for whatever reason," Canseco said. "I'm
not the everyday kind of guy they're looking for. Who knows? Maybe they'll
trade me to a team that wants me to play every day. I'm hoping that if I
don't play here, I can play somewhere else."

Canseco hasn't spoken to Williams about his desire to be traded. He
believes the organization understands how he feels.

"I think [the Sox] realize it," he said. "I think if they're not going to
use me, at least while I have some value right now and I'm healthy they can
take advantage of it. I think they're smart enough to realize that. It'd
probably be a good move for them to get some younger players or pitching
for me."

Players must be on a team's roster Sept. 1 to be eligible for postseason
play. Since signing as a free agent in late June, Canseco is hitting .280
with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs. Though Canseco has seven RBIs in his last
four starts at DH, Manuel again used Liefer as DH on Thursday against the
Tigers.

Does Canseco regret signing with the Sox?

"I'm definitely glad I was given a chance to get up to the big leagues and
show that I can still play this game like I had in the past," he replied.
"Obviously my stats show that. It has been difficult for me not playing
every day, but there's nothing I can do about that."

Whether Canseco will find a suitor this winter is unknown, so he doesn't
know if September will be his last hurrah.

"I don't take it for granted," he said. "I have no idea what's in store for
me in this game of baseball."

==========
From the AP:
Canseco in elite company after stealing No. 200

CHICAGO -- Jose Canseco of the White Sox stole his 200th career base Monday
night to become the ninth player in major league history to have at least
that many steals and 400 home runs.

The steal came in the third inning of Chicago's game against the Cleveland
Indians.

After Canseco singled to center with two outs off C.C. Sabathia, the
slugger took off for second base and beat the throw by Einar Diaz.

Canseco has 459 career homers, ranking him third among active players and
22nd all-time.

Hank Aaron, Andre Dawson, Reggie Jackson, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Dave
Winfield, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa are also in the 400-homer, 200-steal club.

Canseco, 37, started the year with Newark of the independent Atlantic
League. He has hit .282 with 13 homers for the White Sox since signing June 20.

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

...There was a moment of history in the third when Canseco singled and
stole second. The theft was the 200th of his career, making him the ninth
player in major-league history to have at least 200 steals and 400 home
runs. The others are Hank Aaron, Andre Dawson, Reggie Jackson, Willie Mays,
Frank Robinson, Dave Winfield, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa.

''It felt great,'' Canseco said. ''It finally happened. Unfortunately, it
came at a bad time, in a loss.''

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

Canseco milestone: With his second stolen base of the season in the third
inning Monday night, Jose Canseco became the ninth player in
major-league history to hit 400 home runs and steal 200 bases. Canseco
received a standing ovation from the crowd of 28,135.

The other active players on the 400-200 list are Sammy Sosa and Barry
Bonds. The other six are Hank Aaron, Andre Dawson, Reggie Jackson, Willie
Mays, Frank Robinson and Dave Winfield. All but Dawson are in the Hall of
Fame, and he becomes eligible next year.

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

...The key inning was the fourth, when the Sox led 2-1 and loaded the bases
with no outs against Burba. Royce Clayton hit a routine double-play
grounder to third baseman Travis Fryman, who stepped on third for the force
and threw home in plenty of time to nail Jose Canseco. But catcher Einar
Diaz chose to tag the plate instead of the sliding Canseco, apparently
forgetting that the force was off when Fryman touched third base.

==========
From the Chicago Tribune:
Canseco in Cubs' outfield? He's interested
By Paul Sullivan
September 10, 2001 10:37 PM CDT

CLEVELAND - Jose Canseco has no idea where he'll be next year, but he has
come to love Chicago since joining the White Sox in late June.

Canseco is a realist and understands he's probably a goner. Frank Thomas
will be the everyday designated hitter when he returns from his triceps
injury next spring, and Canseco's pleas to play a corner outfield spot have
fallen upon deaf ears.

Because he won't be able to chase 500 home runs sitting on the bench, one
solution for Canseco's dilemma is to sign a one-year, incentive-laden deal
with the Cubs. It's a long shot, but Canseco said he would be interested.

"I'd love to play in the National League," he said. "Then I'd be playing
outfield. I'd be a 40-40 [home runs and steals] guy for sure if I played
outfield every day. Go ahead and laugh. I'd do it."

Canseco insists he could play left field regularly and there's less ground
to cover in Wrigley than most parks. He could join Sammy Sosa and Fred
McGriff in a lineup built around three sluggers with more than 400 home
runs apiece. Canseco hasn't played outfield semi-regularly since 1998 in
Toronto, when he committed five errors in 73 games.

Becoming a 40-40 man again may be a stretch, considering Canseco has only
two steals in 62 games for the Sox. But Canseco said that was only because
he played designated hitter.

"If I was in the outfield, my legs wouldn't be so cold and I'd be running
more," he said. "You can't steal when you're DHing and you have to sit all
the time."

With 15 home runs in 214 at-bats, Canseco is averaging one home run for
every 14.3 at-bats. The Sox averaged 4.9 runs per game before Canseco
arrived and 6.4 runs per game since.

He's 39 homers away from the 500 and ranks 22nd on the all-time home run
list, third among active players behind Mark McGwire (578) and Barry Bonds
(557). Canseco is tied with former "Bash Brother" McGwire for 53rd place on
the all-time RBI list at 1,403.

==========
From the Chicago Sun:
Sox consider forfeits, hope to get out of N.Y.
September 12, 2001
BY CHRIS DE LUCA

The White Sox want out of New York.

In the aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon,
all 15 major-league baseball games scheduled for Tuesday were postponed,
including the Sox' opener of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium. It
marked the first time since D-Day in 1944 that baseball wiped out a day of
regular-season play because of a national tragedy.

''In the interest of security and out of a sense of deep mourning for the
national tragedy that has occurred today, all major-league baseball games
for today have been canceled,'' baseball commissioner Bud Selig said.

Selig also called off the owners' quarterly meeting that was set to start
Tuesday. Although he did not make any decisions about today's games, the
Sox were exploring means of returning to Chicago immediately.

''We haven't heard, but I would anticipate the whole series will be
canceled,'' team traveling secretary Ed Cassin said. ''We are going to get
out of here however we can.''

Manager Jerry Manuel told a team official he would approve forfeiting the
remaining games at Yankee Stadium to get his team back to Chicago. General
manager Ken Williams said the team couldn't get out Tuesday but was hoping
to leave today by bus. Williams gathered the team in the afternoon to
address the situation.

''It was everyone's preference to get out by bus and not wait for the
airports to reopen,'' Williams said.

After beating Cleveland 7-1 on Monday at Jacobs Field, the Sox flew to New
York and arrived about 2 a.m. Tuesday. Most of the players woke up to the
news on their hotel room TVs.

''I'm in total shock,'' Jose Canseco said. ''I woke up and saw on TV one of
the twin towers was burning, then a plane crashed into the other tower. I
thought it was a dream.''

Bullpen coach Art Kusnyer said he was on 42nd Street getting a cup of
coffee when he saw smoke. Both towers still were standing.

''I went another block or two, and people were standing in the street,
looking down there,'' he said. ''And then you just heard, 'Oh, my
goodness!' and I saw the first tower go down. ... I know I'll remember it
the rest of my life.''

==========
From the AP:
White Sox coach witnesses World Trade Center tower collapse
Sept. 11, 2001

NEW YORK -- Art Kusnyer looked down Fifth Avenue and stared at the cloud of
smoke. Then, he saw a sight that might haunt him the rest of his life.

"All of a sudden, the whole tower just collapsed," the Chicago White Sox
bullpen coach said Tuesday. "All those poor people. It was hard to watch."

The White Sox arrived at their midtown hotel around 2 a.m. Tuesday, in town
to play a three-game series against the New York Yankees.

By morning, many of them were awakened by worried phone calls from family
and friends, or by terrible pictures of the World Trade Center towers
crumbling.

"It was like a horror movie," star Harold Baines said. "I came downstairs
and people were running. I walked to Lexington Avenue and I could see the
smoke. It was unbelievable."

Manager Jerry Manuel was busy trying to make sure all his players, staff
and families were unharmed.

Teams visiting New York late in the season -- especially ones loaded with
young September callups -- often have several players take families on
sightseeing trips.

"We're in the process of seeing if everyone is OK," Manuel said.

White Sox co-owner Jerry Reinsdorf confirmed that all were safe.

Mike Gellinger, a computer scouting analyst for the White Sox, looked out
his hotel room and could see rubble rising in the distance, about 3½ miles
south.

Jose Canseco said he hadn't left his hotel room.

"They told us to stay around here," the slugger said. "I'm just waiting for
more information."

Infielder Jose Valentin tried -- without much luck -- to get a phone line
to call loved ones.

"What's scary is you're in the middle of it and there's nowhere to go," he
said. "I just want to get out of here."

All games in the majors Tuesday were postponed. That was fine with Valentin.

"I wouldn't want to go up to Yankee Stadium now," he said.

Kusnyer, 55, has always enjoyed his visits to New York, and had planned to
take a walk around town Tuesday morning. His wife called early to tell him
that a plane had hit one of the towers.

"I was going out to get coffee and walked out on 42nd Street. I could see
the smoke, and both towers were still up," he said.

"I went another block or two, and people were standing in the street,
looking down there. And then you just heard, 'Oh, my goodness!' and I saw
the first tower go down."

Kusnyer could barely stand to look any longer. He headed back to the hotel
to call his wife to tell her he was OK.

"This is one of the worst things in the world," he said. "I know I'll
remember it the rest of my life."

==========
From the Chicago Tribune:
Little moaning over this bus trip
By Paul Sullivan
September 13, 2001 9:17 PM CDT

As the White Sox were beginning a long bus trek Wednesday from New York to
Chicago, the team came to the aid of some stranded nurses in midtown Manhattan.

"When we were getting ready to leave, a police officer asked us to take a
couple of nurses over the George Washington Bridge to get to a hospital,"
traveling secretary Ed Cassin said.

After dropping off the nurses, the Sox took a long trip home that had three
stops, including a change of buses in Cleveland, and lasted nearly 16
hours. Cassin had expected to put the Sox up in Cleveland, but they changed
their mind during the trip and canceled their rooms at Cleveland's downtown
Marriott Hotel.

At one point in the odyssey, a driver of one of the two charter buses
called a state trooper because a car seemed to be tailing one of the buses
for almost an hour. But nothing happened, and the Sox reached the South
Side about 11 p.m. after a strange two days in New York.

"It actually went by smoothly," first baseman Paul Konerko said. "No one
was really complaining. To put it in perspective, we have guys-and I'm
guilty of it-who complain when we have a plane or bus that shows up 10
minutes late or if we don't get what kind of drinks we want on board. I
didn't hear anyone complain [Wednesday]. We were happy to get the heck out
of there, even though it was 16 hours."

Designated hitter Jose Canseco, who was on the field during the earthquake
that interrupted the 1989 A's-Giants World Series, said the events of the
last few days have been surreal.

"Baseball seems like it doesn't really exist," he said. "[This] is like a
bad dream that we're going to wake up from."

==========
From the Daily Southtown:
At last, Sox safe at home
Friday, September 14, 2001
By Joe Cowley

Even before hearing that Major League Baseball had postponed this weekend's
games because of Tuesday's terrorist acts, White Sox manager Jerry Manuel
had already made up his mind about what should be done. "I don't know if
there's been enough closure," Manuel said Thursday after being asked when
baseball should resume. "Personally, I think that we should wait until
there is some clarity. There are still thousands of people unaccounted for,
and we're still concerned about those people.

"Until we get over this period of mourning, it's not in our best interest
(to play). They say that (playing) would get our minds off of it. Well, our
minds are not off of it."

The Sox were staying at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in midtown Manhattan, just
over 25 blocks away from the World Trade Center, when the towers were hit
by hijacked airliners.

What followed for the Sox was an unforgettable three-day journey, and
that's why general manager Ken Williams applauded the league's decision to
postpone the weekend's games, which for the Sox would have included a
three-game set at Minnesota.

"We fully support it and our club supports it," Williams said. "The league
in general is suffering and has a heavy heart, but we were right in the
middle of it. Our players are still in shock. The extra time will help heal
our hearts a bit.

"You can't describe this. I wish I could do a better job of articulating my
own feelings and the club's feelings. I can't. I can't describe the feeling
in my stomach. I can't describe the unsettling feeling of safety we no
longer have."

After having arrived in New York at about 2 a.m. Tuesday morning, most of
the players and coaches were awakened by phone calls telling them to turn
the television on.

"I kept watching it, thinking it was a movie," designated hitter Jose
Canseco said. "It finally settled in that it was real, and I couldn't
believe it. We were told to stay in our rooms, and I remember sitting in
there and contemplating how I was going to get out of the room or hotel if
something happened there."

After it was determined the series against the Yankees would not be played,
the Sox finally got out of town early Wednesday morning, taking two buses
out of New York.

The departure in itself was unnerving. As the buses were pulling out, one
was stopped by police, and the driver was asked to take two nurses over the
George Washington Bridge.

"There was no traffic and no people," reliever Sean Lowe said. "It didn't
even seem like New York. When we were going over the bridge, you could see
the smoke and the area where the towers used to be. It was chaos. I'll
never forget that."

The original plan for the Sox's trip home called for them to stay in
Cleveland overnight, because one of the buses was only permitted to travel
10 hours at a time. But Ed Cassin, who manages team travel, was able to get
another bus to meet the Sox at a rest stop just outside Cleveland and take
the team straight through to Chicago.

The 15-hour bus ride finally ended at midnight Wednesday night, with the
team members arriving at Midway Airport to pick up their cars.

Thursday morning, the Sox held a voluntary workout at Comiskey Park that
lasted just under two hours.

Baseball seemed meaningless for most of the participants.

"I never thought that my eyes would see something so horrific," Williams
said. "Life will never be the same. It's really difficult to express the
feelings you get looking out of your hotel room and seeing the mass of
clouds and the expressions on the faces."

Bullpen coach Art Kusnyer, who received a call from his wife early in the
morning, was one of few team members who actually saw the first tower
collapse. Kusnyer had been walking in the direction of the World Trade
Center and was just under two miles away when it fell.

"It's cool when you see something like that in a movie, but to see it in
reality ... I just turned around and went back to the hotel," Kusnyer said.
"I was thinking about all those poor people."

It didn't help matters that the Sox's hotel was right above Grand Central
Station.

"To be honest, when I was walking past Grand Central Station, you could see
people looking around and getting nervous," Kusnyer said. "That's when I
went back into the hotel."

The Sox will have workouts this afternoon and Saturday and will take Sunday
off. The Sox have an off day Monday, when the league is to begin play
again, and will have another workout. They are scheduled to host the New
York Yankees on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. at Comiskey Park.

In the back of their minds is the fact they will have to return to New York
in just over two weeks to make up a three-game series.

"With the schedule being what it is, it's unfortunate for teams in pennant
races, but we've played enough games to determine who the champions are,"
Manuel said. "We should just wipe these games out and continue next week.
Like I said, 150-some games is enough."

Canseco put things in perspective.

"If they tell us we have to go back, we'll go back," he said. "This could
have happened anywhere. New York, Chicago, anywhere.

"It's a new world now. You definitely have to be aware of your
surroundings. You have to be concerned with everything around you. It's
sad. It's very sad."