Hey Cansecoites,

So far, it sounds like Jose is fitting in nicely with the Expos. All the
latest news (plus a nasty article from a few weeks ago that I forgot to
send earlier) is below... Enjoy!

-Mark

==========
(This is a very negative article that I think I forgot to send out a couple
of weeks ago)
From the Sacramento Bee:
Canseco: No claim to Fame
By Marcos Bretón
Feb. 9, 2002

In a few weeks, when the 2002 Winter Games are over, our attention will
invariably shift to the beautiful mess that is big-league baseball.

Contraction, no collective bargaining agreement, a New York Yankee payroll
at a trim $128 million.

And yes, Jose Canseco.

Baseball's court jester.

A living embodiment of wasted human potential.

A player who seemed destined for Cooperstown when he first donned an A's
uniform and won the Rookie of the Year award in 1986.

And now?

There are some who would argue Canseco is close to posing for a bronze
replica of his face that will hang at baseball's holy shrine.

Hey, he has 462 career home runs.

He has 1,407 RBIs.

He has a Most Valuable Player award to go with his rookie trophy.

He is a five-time All-Star.

He was the first player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in one season.

He was the best player in the world in the late 1980s.

He has on many occasions inspired Ruthian awe.

But make no mistake: Even if this guy hits 38 home runs this year to reach
500, he should never be admitted to the Hall of Fame.

Yes, that sounds like heresy. All 17 players who have reached the magic 500
are either in Cooperstown or headed there on a first-class ticket.

Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Mike Schmidt, Mark
McGwire -- among the best there ever were.

Does Canseco belong in the same breath with those players?

No way.

And it has nothing to do with his frequent arrests or his loathsome
behavior when he played down the road in Oakland.

It has everything to do with his performance on seven different big-league
teams. That includes two stints with the A's, the second so pathetic that a
woeful Oakland club couldn't wait to be rid of him at the end of the 1997
season.

Canseco did two turns with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays but after a while, even
they didn't want him.

No one did at the start of last season.

No one.

Canseco was cut during spring training by the Anaheim Angels -- the same
team that finished 41 games out of first place last year.

Then he went bush league, forced to sign with the Newark Bears of the
independent Atlantic League.

The Chicago White Sox, decimated by the season-ending injury of Frank
Thomas, signed him only out of desperation.

In 76 games, he hit .258, with 16 home runs and 49 RBIs. He also struck out
75 times in only 256 at-bats. That brought his grand total of strikeouts to
1,942, the second-highest in baseball history.

Only Reggie Jackson has struck out more, fanning 2,597 times -- a feat that
may never be broken.

But Jackson was prime-time, he was a star player on five championship teams
in Oakland and New York. The bigger the game, the bigger he played.

Canseco?

In three World Series, Canseco has batted .156.

His prospects for this season? He's unemployed again.

But when he was playing, there were so many great Canseco moments: the time
the ball bounced off his head for a home run when he was a Texas Ranger. Or
the time he coerced Kevin Kennedy, his Boston Red Sox manager, into letting
him pitch.

And promptly blew out his arm.

Yeah, that'll make a great addition to the Hall of Fame reel.

Canseco will turn 38 this July. He still could make it. But who cares? The
guy has loaded up in a live-ball era of mediocre pitchers and tiny
ballparks. He may be one of the worst outfielders who ever lived, and he is
a decade past his best years.

He's limping to the finish line, playing only for 38 home runs and what he
thinks will be a certain Hall of Fame party someday.

"Hall of Fame, man. That's the ticket," he told the St. Petersburg Times
last year.

Whatever, dude. He had all the talent in the world and played around with
it. He acted as if he didn't care, and he got chased off the worst teams in
the game by malingering and never staying healthy.

Yes, players with lesser numbers than Canseco are in the Hall of Fame --
but numbers lie.

They sure do in his case.

Here's hoping he stays unemployed and stays away from Cooperstown.

==========
From CBS Sportsline:
Angle in the outfield: Canseco seeks full-time spot with Expos
Feb. 21, 2002
By Scott Miller

Miller: Expos simply looking for stable start

JUPITER, Fla. -- Maybe Jose Canseco, baseball's Adonis, really was chiseled
out of a rock. Each time he reappears -- the latest reappearance being this
week with Montreal -- he looks exactly the same.

Monstrous, cut and slightly amused.

"I'm actually glad to be here in the National League," Canseco said
Thursday after his first workout with the Expos. "I get to play the outfield.

"It will give me a chance to get my legs back in shape and show everybody
that I'm not the worst outfielder in the world.

"Plus, I'll have a chance to steal 30 or 40 bases."

Be careful when attempting to read the twinkle in his eye and the slight
smile on his face. This is not a joke.

"I'm serious," he said of his plans of reversing the popular opinion of him
as an outfielder. "Obviously, I have to get all my skills back. In the
past, I was judged on playing the outfield once in four months. I'd do
that, and people would say, 'Look, he's bad.'

"That was once in four months. Now, I'll have a chance to get my legs under
me."

The thought of the injury-riddled Canseco, at 37, roaming around Olympic
Stadium's rock-hard surface is cringe-inducing. OK, so the Expos are having
their playing surface redone before the season, but still -- Canseco's
medical chart is thicker than the heads of some Olympic judges.

But he swears that's in the past.

His physical condition now?

"Perfect," he said. "So far, I feel perfect."

Of course, the definition of "so far" in this case is "after one short,
early-spring workout."

But, what the heck. The guy still does have arms bigger than redwoods, and
his presence alone Thursday was inspirational to the Expos.

"It's a change from the way things have been in the past here," infielder
Mike Mordecai said. "In the past, we've stayed away from guys like him
because we either didn't have the money or didn't want to spend the money,
whatever the excuse was that they used."

While the Expos' new owner -- Major League Baseball itself -- is keeping a
tight leash and expects Montreal to stay on budget, new general manager
Omar Minaya isn't afraid to investigate his options. He phoned David Cone
the other day after hearing that the free agent would like to pitch another
year, and he took a call from free-agent pitcher Gil Heredia as well. Then
he signed outfielder Felix Jose, based on Jose's solid numbers in the
Korean League.

As for Canseco, the Expos right now figure to line up with Vladimir
Guerrero in right field and Peter Bergeron in center, with left open for
the time being.

"We'll look to see how his overall game will be, and how he fits into the
ballclub," manager Frank Robinson said. "I'm not carried away with power. I
want guys who make consistent contact."

In 76 games for the Chicago White Sox last season, Canseco batted .258 with
16 homers and 49 RBI. He remains motivated by power, though -- at 462
career homers, he needs only 38 to reach the magic 500 mark.

And Canseco, who broke into the majors in 1985 with Oakland, isn't shy
about admitting to being motivated by 500.

"It is big," he said. "I figure I've got three more good years in me.
Hopefully, I can do that. I'd love to play every day. I think I can play
every day."

Said Robinson: "I think it very much motivates him. I think that's
something everybody strives for as a power hitter.

"I'd like to see him do it, and I'd like to see him do it for us."

Still, if the Expos were allowed to place a designated hitter in their
daily lineup it would be one thing. But Canseco in the outfield? To this
day, his most famous fielding moment came in Texas in 1992, when a deep fly
ball bounced off of his head and over the fence for a home run.

Canseco said Thursday that his determination to prove himself in the
outfield has more to do with the overall picture rather than that one play.

"I'm amused people still remember that," he said. "I think it's funny
people still bring that up."

What's not amusing, though, is the fact that that one moment -- a neon
reminder of Canseco's shortcomings as a player -- also might inhibit his
chances of being elected to the Hall of Fame. Because if Canseco somehow is
able to collect the 38 homers he needs for 500, he will present a very
interesting test case: Everybody who has reached the 500-homer mark has
been elected to the Hall, but there is much sentiment that Canseco, even at
500 homers, isn't Cooperstown-worthy.

Asked Thursday if he figures 500 homers guarantees his entry to the Hall,
Canseco shrugged his shoulders.

"It's impossible to tell," he said. "Even though everybody who has hit 500
is in. But I don't take it for granted.

"I thought I had a job with the Angels last spring, too. And then they
released me."

==========
From the Expos official site:
Canseco anxious to prove doubters wrong
By J.S. Trzcienski

MONTREAL -- For those who know him -- and for those who know of him -- it
should come as no great surprise that Jose Canseco is not lacking for
confidence.

Canseco is many things: the inaugural member of the 40/40 club, a former
flame to pop starlet Madonna, the active player with the most career home
runs outside Barry Bonds, a topic of late night monologues for his
well-publicized indiscretions, and so on. For everything he's accomplished
on the field, much of it has at least been equalled in notoriety by
something outside the game. Such a varied and visible track record has led
to a fascination with Canseco held by both fans and media alike, making him
as much a personality as an athlete, and rendering his arrival at the Expos
camp as much an event as a mere formality.

"He's a known player, and he's been a known player for years," admits
Montreal GM Omar Minaya when asked whether the signing had as much to do
with marketing as it did the Expos' on-field product. Claims that the
37-year-old was invited to camp with Montreal gate revenues in mind,
however, are promptly brushed aside by the GM.

"What played into it for me is that when you look at his numbers last year,
he had 256 at-bats and hit 16 home runs and drove in 49 runs," Minaya says.
"To me, that's a run producer. That's an offensive player. That's a guy
with power, and that was really the main reason we got Jose Canseco."

"I'm very happy he's going to join our club," he adds. "I think that Jose
will hopefully be a force."

Canseco, certainly, is one who buys into Minaya's hype. For a guy who isn't
even technically on the team's 40-man roster, the native of Havana, Cuba,
isn't shy about suggesting the Expos' record book may look a lot different
come October.

"I think I have three or four excellent years in me, so this year, if I can
get in the lineup and play every day, there's no reason why I shouldn't hit
40, 50 home runs, there's no reason why shouldn't drive in 130, 140 runs,
there's no reason whatsoever that if I'm playing a position I shouldn't
steal 20 or 30 bases," Canseco suggests.

When pressed, Canseco also sees no reason to assume he won't be winning a
starting role.

"I'm looking to play every day; I consider myself an everyday player," he
admits. "I think the team will benefit the most from me if I'm in the
lineup day-in, day-out, and getting into that power rhythm. As a player...
I think once I'm in the lineup on an everyday basis the numbers will speak
for themselves. Last year, with the White Sox, even though I had pretty
good numbers I played every two, three days, and sat two, three days, so I
was never able to get into that rhythm -- that home run rhythm -- that I
would have liked."

The question, of course, is where Canseco will likely find himself when all
is said and done. After all, in the DH-enabled American League, he saw a
grand total of 13 games of action in the field over the past three years.

"That'll be up to Frank [Robinson], of course," says Minaya. "I think that
the fact that [Canseco]'s able to play first base is an option that Frank
has. I talked to Jose and told him we're bringing him in here and we're
bringing him in here to compete in the outfield... I think I was pretty
clear that there was going to be a strong possibility of left field, but
the bottom line is, Frank is going to have a player available to him in the
lineup right now that has hit 462 career home runs."

Canseco concurs.

"Not too many people know this, but I played 40 straight games in the
outfield with the [Atlantic League independent club] Newark Bears," he
says. "I played the last six or seven out in center field, and did not make
any errors at all. I think I was second or third in the league in assists
when the White Sox actually acquired me [in June, 2001]. I definitely feel
comfortable out there; I'm extremely comfortable playing center field. I
don't know where the organization exactly wants to play me -- whether it's
the outfield, or first base, or a combination of both, but I'm definitely
excited to be back out there again."

Expos' manager Frank Robinson has adopted a somewhat more tempered
wait-and-see approach when it comes to anointing Canseco as the team's next
anything, though it is apparent he maintains a cautious optimism that the
one-time Bash Brother will find his past form.

"We'll put him through the paces and see what he can do for us," Robinson
reveals. "If he can give us power, RBIs, leadership, it will be a good
boost. We'll see what he can do in the outfield or at first base; if he can
do it, he can bring even more to the table for us."

Canseco admits the only first base action he ever saw came during pick-up
and celebrity softball games, though he's quick to point out with a laugh
that his brother -- former big leaguer Ozzie Canseco -- has informed him
that playing the corner position is easier than covering ground in the
outfield. Still, the Expos would certainly be advised to establish their
own opinions about Canseco's limits, since his own lofty estimations of his
abilities have gotten him into trouble in the past.

Canseco was 28 years old and playing for Texas when the Rangers were at the
wrong end of a 15-1 score at Fenway Park on May 29, 1993. His manager,
Kevin Kennedy, thought it would be novel to use Canseco as a relief pitcher
to spell his bullpen, especially since Canseco himself volunteered. "I had
a fastball in the high 90s, a knuckleball and a changeup, and an uncanny
ability to throw strikes," Canseco told Bloomberg News in 2000. "I pictured
myself like a Charlie Hough with a 98 mile-per-hour fastball. I figured I'd
be untouchable."

The end result made for yet another colorful and bizarre chapter in
Canseco's career. He started off the first Red Sox batter he faced with a
knuckleball, then rared back and fired a fastball. A pain shot through his
arm and eventually settled into a dull numbness in his hand and fingers,
though he continued on, undeterred, throwing another 31 pitches before the
experiment was called off. Canseco attempted to play through the pain, yet
eventually yielded to common sense and underwent an examination with noted
surgeon Dr. Frank Jobe. The diagnosis: a complete tear of the ulnar
collateral ligament in his right elbow, requiring Tommy John ligament
transplant surgery and over a year on the sidelines.

The elbow, naturally, is fine today, as is the back that betrayed Canseco
so many times over the past decade. He credits his doctor's diagnosis that
he was low in both potassium and magnesium with the latter's improvement --
by taking supplements, he has been pain-free for much of the past two
years. He reports that in the off-season, he's been running, throwing, and
shagging fly balls, and promises he'll be coming into camp "in pretty good
shape."

The question, then, begs to be asked: if he can do everything he thinks he
can, if his health is no longer a concern, then why did he end up with the
Expos, the poster-child for MLB's unsettled off-season? Where was the
interest from other teams?

"That is the million-dollar question all of my friends, my family, other
athletes, some people involved in the baseball world have asked me: 'Jose,
what is going on -- why haven't you acquired a job yet?' and I simply do
not have an answer for that," he says. "I was coming out of Spring Training
last year with the Angels and they released me -- they said I was a damaged
player. A week later, I did a special for ESPN and FOX, ran a 4.5 40, threw
and hit, and I was completely 100 percent. I went to Spring Training with
the Newark Bears, started the season with them, played every game in the
outfield, ended up playing six or seven straight games in center field,
went errorless... I was actually brought up by the White Sox and wasn't
given the opportunity to play outfield at all, so that is a question that
has not been answered. I really don't know what's going on."

For now, Canseco is doing his best to put that nagging uncertainty behind
him, likely figuring he will be given a chance to showcase his talents in a
relatively pressure-free environment, away from the microscope made up of
certain of the larger markets' press corps. If he performs, the right
people will notice, and he will play on. The fact he may have to learn the
idiosyncrasies of a new league in the process hardly phases him.

"To me baseball's baseball," he says of the move to the senior circuit.
"You have to hit a fastball, you have to hit a breaking ball. You still
have to deal with the media and the fans. I'm just going to try to keep
things simple, and just try to be Jose Canseco and help out the team as
much as possible."

If it is, in fact, the old Jose Canseco who helps out the Expos this year,
history may well be in the making. Just 38 home runs shy of 500 ("If it
wasn't for all the injuries I've had, I should be approaching 700 home
runs, never mind the 500," he points out), Canseco recognizes the
controlled environment of Olympic Stadium might help his power numbers, and
looks forward to the opportunity to go to work in, as he puts it, "a dome".
Nevertheless, he bristles when the suggestion is made he's heading to
Montreal simply to make a run at a statistical milestone.

"That's one reason, but I think I'm still a very young player," he says.
"There are players in the league who have guaranteed contracts until
they're 41, 42 -- I think [Barry] Bonds has one until he's 43 years old.
"Obviously the 500 home runs, with time, will come, but I'm not considering
hitting 500 home runs then retiring. I think I have a lot more left."

J.S. Trzcienski covers the Expos for MLB.com. MLB.com's Tom Singer
contributed to this report. This story was not subject to the approval of
Major League Baseball or its clubs

==========
From ESPN.com
(Jayson Stark's column)
Miscellaneous Rumblings

For the sake of entertainment alone, we're always happy to have Jose
Canseco around. But every baseball person we've asked if Canseco can
possibly play in the National League has burst into laughter within seconds.

"Why don't they see if he can play shortstop while they're at it?" said one
scout.

For the record, Canseco has played a total of 13 games in the outfield in
the last three seasons combined.

==========
From the Sporting News:
Team report:
Deals bring quick infusion of big-league talent
February 22, 2002

After putting together a laudable coaching staff with a combination of
experience, youthful enthusiasm and diversity -- on short notice -- new GM
Omar Minaya turned his attention to player personnel.

Over the winter, the club hadn't signed a single player of major-league
caliber, with the exception of re-signing righthander Masato Yoshii. Minaya
changed that in a week. In addition to slugger Jose Canseco, Minaya signed
lefthander Ed Vosberg and outfielders Glen Barker and Felix Jose to
minor-league deals and invited them to spring training.

Minaya likely has approached most of the available talent remaining,
although an overture to veteran righthander David Cone will be fruitless.
The agent for righthander Gil Heredia, who is unemployed despite winning 15
games for the A's two years ago, has contacted Minaya. . . .

Jose, who has spent two of the past three years in Korea, is an interesting
case although he's likely an old 36. He batted .335 overseas last year and
did well in a standout winter in the Dominican league. . . .

Minaya changed a long-standing policy of the previous administration, which
was to cease contract negotiations once arbitration numbers were exchanged.
He negotiated with the agent for shortstop Orlando Cabrera right until the
time the two walked into the hearing room. He didn't make a deal, but it
worked out well. Cabrera lost his case, and the $700,000 the club saved
will pay for Canseco's contract should he make the club and max out the
incentive clauses. . . .

Righthander Carl Pavano, who was not looking forward to the cross-state,
one-day drive for his hearing Thursday, settled the day before and will
make $1.312 million in 2001. . . .

Manager Frank Robinson hasn't ruled out Cabrera hitting cleanup, despite
the hoped-for return of Fernando Tatis and the arrival of Canseco. Cabrera
batted .276 for the season but .299 in the fourth spot.

Robinson said the role isn't necessarily about power; run production is
key, and Cabrera took advantage of his chances. Robinson will slot Cabrera
in various roles and decide where he fits best. . . .

Cabrera was only moderately thrilled upon hearing about the new turf being
installed at Olympic Stadium. He handled the old rug with ease, as
evidenced by his Gold Glove, and is hesitant to give up the advantage he
had over all those who struggled on it.

EARLY SPRING SURPRISE

That the only option available to Canseco, 38 home runs shy of 500, was a
spot on a last-ditch team is an issue for another day.

The club took no risk in signing Canseco to a minor-league deal. He says
his back spasms are a thing of the past, and says he proved he could play
the outfield by starting some 40 games in the independent Atlantic League
before signing on for half a season with the White Sox in 2001. He was also
healthy all of 2001.

Canseco is remembered for a blunder which resulted in a ball going off his
head and into the right-field stands a decade ago. He has a powerful arm,
and there's no reason to doubt him when he says that playing the outfield
only occasionally, as he has in recent years, is no indication of his ability.

The bigger question is whether he can stay off the disabled list taking a
daily pounding in the field. No one but Canseco expects him to play every
day. But even 400 or 450 at-bats and 25 home runs will be a major boost to
a power-starved team; that he adds some star power and a big-league
presence is a bonus.

The club has entertained the notion of Canseco playing first base, spelling
Lee Stevens against tough lefties. Canseco has played the position only in
softball. First task is getting his outfield legs back; he didn't spend the
winter thinking he might have to play the field again. Second task is
staying off the trainer's table.

==========
From the Montreal Gazette:
Canseco has blisters - but that's good
By STEPHANIE MYLES
Monday, February 25, 2002

Jose Canseco came out for the team warmup yesterday morning with his left
hand wrapped. It wasn't serious; just a few blisters from swinging the bat.
Head trainer Ron McClain quipped that it was probably a good sign. A
veteran of spring training with the Big Red Machine in the 1970s, McClain
said most of that team's big bats suffered the same fate every spring. It
worked for them.

==========
From CNN/SI:

Player I Saw Whom I Really Liked: Jose Canseco. What's not to like? The
37-year-old outfielder turned down all other suitors to join Montreal and
go after that elusive World Series ti ... aw, who are we kidding? Big Jose
is 38 homers away from 500, and an Instant Access Hall of Fame ID card. Is
he a true Hall of Famer? Probably not. But the chase gives us reason to
follow a sorry franchise in its final crawl.

==========
From the Montreal Gazette
Hardwareproblem for Expos
No computers, no info
By STEPHANIE MYLES
Wednesday, February 27, 2002

...Outfielder Lance Johnson led off the game with a soft double to right.
And Jose Canseco, who played with Johnson for the independent Newark Bears
last summer when both were looking to get back to the big leagues, thinks
the 38-year-old can be a big help - no offence meant to Peter Bergeron,
whom Canseco probably doesn't know from Michel Bergeron.

"I'm hoping Lance wins that centre-field job. This guy gets on base and
makes things happen. He's a veteran player," Canseco said. "Wherever he
goes, he hits. He still has speed, has a great glove. I'm hoping he's going
to be our leadoff hitter this year."

Canseco played left field yesterday. And even as he fielded questions from
Washington, D.C.-area reporters about playing there in 2003, he wasn't
looking beyond tomorrow. "I haven't played outfield in a 162-game schedule
for a long time, so have to get through this one. There won't be any next
year if I get hurt," he said.

Canseco's flamboyant public image contradicts the way he has gone about his
work so far. When he was with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999 and 2000, he
was reportedly one of the most popular players with his teammates.

So far, he has been extremely approachable, signs autographs every day
before heading out, and treats everyone the same whether he's a lowly
prospect or a contemporary. He was able to joke when right-hander Donald
Levinski, the club's second-round draft pick last year and the youngest
player in camp at 19, blew a series of moving, darting, slippery fastballs
by him during one session.

"How old are you?" he asked Levinski, staring out at the mound at a player
young enough to be his son. "The chemistry is really good so far. I didn't
really know what our lineup was going to look like, but I kind of got a
glimpse of it today with a combination of the two teams out there," Canseco
said. "It's a pretty potent lineup."

==========
From the Expos Official Site:
A final dress rehearsal
By J.S. Trzcienski

The organized games might only have lasted for two days, yet Expos' manager
Frank Robinson will piece together his lineup for Thursday's game against
the Orioles based in part on what he's seen -- and what he's still looking
to see -- from the players who took part in the pair of Montreal
intra-squad games that were held in Jupiter Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.

Tony Armas was first to the mound Wednesday, and was followed by efforts
from Matt Blank, Donnie Bridges, Justin Wayne, Anthony Ferrari, Donald
Levinski, Joe Davenport, and Jimmy Serrano. While some of the names they
faced were in the starting lineups Tuesday (non-roster invitees Jose
Canseco and Joe Vitiello returned for the second straight day to positions
in left field and at first base, respectively), others made their on-field
spring debuts.

The starting lineups for the two teams that faced off were as follows:

Team 1 Team 2
Calloway - CF Cabrera - SS
Johnson - DH Vidro - 2B
Pascucci - RF Guerrero - RF
Canseco - LF Stevens - 1B
Vitiello - 1B Rumfield - DH
Schneider - C Cruz - LF
Blum - 3B Battle - 3B
De La Rosa - SS Knorr - C
Mateo - 2B Hutchins - CF

The Expos open the Grapefruit League season Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. in
Ft. Lauderdale against the Orioles. Carl Pavano will get the start for
Montreal against Baltimore's Jason Johnson.