Hey Cansecoites,

After a not so hot first game (0-4, 3 K), Jose's really been lighting
things up in Charlotte. His base running won the second game he played in
and he's homered in all three games since then. Monday's game was rained
out, so Jose will have two games (a double header) to work on his streak on
Tuesday.

After 5 games (20 ABs), Jose is batting .250 with 3 homers, 5 RBIs, 5 runs
scored, and even one SB. His slugging percentage is a whopping .700. He
has 2 walks and 6 strikeouts.

And yes, of course I realize that five games isn't enough to measure a
player's value, but I think this is a very encouraging start. And to those
of you who emailed me after just ONE GAME, saying Jose was washed up and
worthless and should retire, etc, etc, etc (you know who you are), you
should be ashamed.

For some reason, the Knights have their web site (www.charlotteknights.com)
set up so you can't copy/paste the text of their articles, so don't be
expecting to see any of them from me any time soon. It's quite annoying.

But the rest of the news is below... The first article is a MUST-READ story
for all Canseco fans. It's from Sunday's Miami Herald, and is one of the
best articles I've read about Jose in quite some time. The writer dug a
little deeper than most and got Jose to open up about his current
situation. Jose is convinced there is a conspiracy to keep him out of
MLB. I don't know if there is or not, but he makes some pretty good points.

I just hope he's wrong.

-Mark

==========
From the Miami Herald:
Blinded by hurt and anger, Canseco sees a conspiracy
By dlebatard@...
Sun, Apr. 28, 2002

He stood atop the baseball mountain once, a home run king, but now he is
calling from Charlotte, where he has been reduced to wearing the uniform of
the minor-league Knights. José Canseco is clinging to baseball's fringes by
his fingertips, his journey having gone from the paparazzi-lined trail
outside Madonna's New York apartment to, well, where exactly?

Canseco was, bar none, the best player in his sport for a flash, a
streaking star, but now his vagabond résumé includes stops with Oakland,
Texas, Boston, Oakland again, Toronto, Tampa Bay, the Yankees and the White
Sox. He was released by the Angels and Expos without even surviving spring
training, the Expos saying they were going with youth even as they kept
40-year-old Andrés Galarraga. Canseco was a Newark Bear for much of last
season, his cartoon muscles and outsized swing as out of place in the
independent league as the Rolling Stones playing a bowling alley lounge.

''Why am I here?'' Canseco says from Triple A. ``Because I've got two or
three good years left in me.''

His answers are clipped and careful, not exactly curt but nowhere close to
forthcoming, either. He sounds somewhere between wounded and scarred, maybe
both. I've talked to Canseco a lot over the past 15 years, about his
divorces, about visiting dying babies in hospitals, about how he thought
about killing himself, and he has always been expansive, pouring out his
soul without much provocation. But now he has a wall up, and it isn't a
small one.

''Talking about suicide is different,'' he explains. ``I could control
that, obviously. This, I can't control.''

He isn't discussing his feelings with any kind of depth here. Is he ashamed
about being in the minor leagues at this stage in his career, especially
given where he has been?

''No,'' he says. ``Absolutely not. I've never had a huge ego or been a
prideful person, but I can't control what people think.''

Is he angry? Bitter? Does he feel sorry for himself?

''No,'' he says. ``Absolutely not. I just have to handle it. I have no
choice. It's out of my control.''

He keeps giving short answers, followed by long silences. I tell Canseco he
doesn't sound very human or convincing, filing everything neatly and coldly
under it's-out-of-my-control without any introspection or feeling. I tell
him I might not be able to control whether a loved one dies, either, but it
doesn't mean it wouldn't make me feel everything from anger to grief. There
is a long silence on the other end of the line, then the wall comes
crumbling down.

''This is very hurtful, very stressful, very depressing, very demeaning,
OK?'' Canseco finally says. ``Most people can't believe I haven't quit or
retired. Most athletes would have, I guess. But I'm not a quitter. It's
that simple. I'll never quit. If I don't play baseball anymore it's because
they've finally kicked me out of the game.''

All over baseball, old men get chances. Jesse Orosco comes out of the
bullpen for the Dodgers at 743 years old. Julio Franco, much older than
whatever he is claiming to be today, sits out of major-league baseball for
a couple of years and then is suddenly resurrected, just like Ruben Sierra
and Chris Hammond and José Rijo.

Canseco? He is just 37, the same age as Barry Bonds. He is one good season,
38 homers, away from the exclusive 500-career-homer club, every member of
which is in the Hall of Fame. Canseco remains a gate attraction, still more
entertaining when he swings and misses than most are when they connect. The
Marlins could certainly use one of those, but they opted instead for
42-year-old Tim Raines.

''And Tim Raines can't give you 40 or 50 homers a year,'' Canseco says.
``I'm in shock, OK? Complete and utter shock. I can't believe or understand
why nobody will touch a guy who will give them 40 or 50 homers a year,
guaranteed. It's shocking, terrifying, depressing. If I ever get the
chance, I'll prove the world wrong. But I don't think I will. They won't
let me.''

They. He uses that word a lot over the next few meandering minutes.
''They'' are keeping him out of the game. They. It doesn't sound very
realistic, the idea that so many owners or general managers could agree
upon anything, nevermind that they would agree en masse to deny themselves
40 to 50 homers a year just to shame Canseco, but he clearly believes it.

''I've heard from top players in the game, guys making $20 million a year,
that I'm being blackballed and conspired against,'' he says. ``Every player
knows it. The truth has to come out eventually. How can a player who puts
fans in the seats, whether you like him or not, be left alone when all he's
asking is minimum salary? Explain that one to me.''

Blackballed?

But why?

''That's exactly right,'' he says. ``Why? Why? Why? It'll all come out in
the end. The players, who are the blood and bones of the game, know the
truth of the story. I do know more than what I can tell you, but we'll
leave something for the end. There will be a story to tell later. Maybe in
a book I'll tell the truth.''

I tell him he sounds like something out of The X-Files, with all this talk
about the truth being out there somewhere.

''Sometimes,'' he says, ``the truth is out of The X-Files.''

I ask him if he really wants to talk about being blackballed in the
newspaper when it would probably be better to just keep quiet and hope a
team comes calling.

''What difference does it make at this point?'' he says.

Can't his situation be simpler than that, though? Can't it be that teams
just don't think he can play anymore?

''If that were the case, I'd be the first to admit it,'' Canseco says.
``But this is the first time I've ever been 100 percent healthy and not
been allowed to play. Put me against the five fastest guys in baseball, any
time, any place, and I'll run right with them, even at 245 pounds. If you
can give me an honest, legitimate answer for why I'm not in the big
leagues, I'll listen. But no one can. Nobody has told me I can't play,
nobody. Just say it, if that's what you think. If you think my bat has
slowed, just say it. But nobody does.''

Aren't they saying it by not wanting you, though, José?

''If they are saying I can't play, it's a lie,'' he says. ``They can't say
what isn't so. Just watch me. If I have to lead the minor leagues in homers
for the next two years, I will. I'll do whatever it takes. I'd bet a
million dollars that if I'm allowed to play and get 500 to 600 at-bats, I'd
hit 40 homers. I'd return a team's million dollars if I didn't get it. Will
I ever get the chance?''

The question hangs there on the other end of the line.

Canseco finally answers it himself.

''No,'' he says.

==========
From the Charlotte Observer:
Canseco's smarts pay off
Fri, Apr. 26, 2002
By DENNY SEITZ

FORT MILL - minor-league baseball Stolen base propels Knights past Clippers
Jose Canseco became the hero Thursday night, in just his second game in a
Charlotte Knights uniform.

It wasn't the bulging biceps that have produced 462 major league home runs
that sparked the Knights' 2-1 victory over the Columbus Clippers.

It wasn't the once-quick feet of the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Canseco either.

Chalk this one up to veteran instinct.

Canseco reached base on an error in the sixth inning, then stunned the
Clippers -- and his teammates -- by stealing second base, eventually
scoring the winning run.

"I may have caught them off-guard a little," laughed Canseco, 37, who went
to third when Columbus catcher Chris Widger threw wildly on the steal.

Jeff Inglin's sacrifice fly scored Canseco, making a winner of reliever
Corey Lee, who retired nine of the 10 batters he faced.

"We might still be out there if I didn't steal that base," Canseco said.

Knights manager Nick Capra agreed the play was the key one in the game.

"He has a lot of experience," Capra said. "He knows when to go. And he
picked a good time to do it."

The win for the Knights (6-15) could be attributed as much to solid
pitching as any other factor. Columbus managed four hits against five
Charlotte pitchers. Two of the hits didn't leave the infield.

The 3,189 fans at Knights Stadium weren't there to see a pitcher's duel,
though. They were there to see Canseco.

"I think they know, sooner or later, that I'm going to hit one out," said
Canseco, whose every move earned wild applause. "I hope it comes soon, like
(today)."

He hit the ball hard just once, lining out to left field in the first inning.

His hustle in the sixth on a slow roller to third baseman Drew Henson,
however, forced a rushed throw, which pulled Columbus first baseman Scott
Seabol off the bag.

Two pitches later, Columbus pitcher Brandon Claussen paid little attention
to Canseco, allowing him a huge jump on his way to the unexpected stolen base.

"He wasn't even looking at me," said Canseco. "I was just trying to make
something happen."

==========
From the AP:
Canseco Hits 2-Run Homer in Minors

FORT MILL, S.C. (AP) - Jose Canseco hit a two-run homer Friday night for
Triple-A Charlotte, his first as he tries to make it back to the major leagues.

The homer was Canseco's first hit for the Knights since joining the club
Tuesday. Canseco later added a single to left field against Columbus,
finishing the night 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Charlotte won 3-1.

Canseco, cut by Montreal during spring training, signed a minor league
contract with the Chicago White Sox on April 18.

Canseco, 37, needs 38 home runs to reach 500 in his major league career.

==========
From the Charlotte Observer:
Canseco delivers in Knights' win
By STAN OLSON

FORT MILL - Jose Canseco gave the fans what they came for Friday night.

Canseco, owner of 462 major-league home runs, hit his first as a Knight in
Charlotte's 3-1 International League victory over Columbus at Knights Stadium.

Fittingly, Canseco's first hit with the Knights was that homer, a line
drive over the left-center field fence on a 1-0 pitch in the first inning. The
shot, off of Mike Thurman, scored Joe Crede, who had singled.

Canseco also walked, singled and lined out hard to left, going 2-for-3
after opening the season 0-for-8.

"I felt a little better, it's coming around," Canseco said. "You want to
get that first (home run) out of the way and go on with your business. But
that was my first at-bat. It's still very hard to see the ball here once it
turns dark."

So much so that during his last at-bat, he felt he missed an opportunity.

"The pitcher hung a breaking ball in the middle of the plate, but I
couldn't see the spin," Canseco said of his lineout. "... I actually got a
pitch that I should have hit out."

Still, he accomplished plenty.

"He's a professional hitter," Charlotte manager Nick Capra said. "He has a
lot of knowledge and know-how. You figure he's going to get it done."

Canseco's homer was all Charlotte needed, as Mitch Wylie and two relievers
shut down Columbus on seven hits.

Wylie left with runners on first and third and no outs in the eighth. Kelly
Wunsch came in and retired the side in order, and Edwin Almonte worked the
ninth for his third save.

To give you an idea of how much more imposing the Charlotte lineup has
become, consider former clean-up hitter Jeff Inglin. He's batting sixth,
with Canseco fourth and newly healthy center fielder Joe Borchard,
considered the top prospect in the Chicago White Sox organization, in the
fifth slot.

The victory was Charlotte's second straight after a 4-15 start.

"Hopefully," said Canseco, "we can turn it around."

==========
From the AP:
Canseco homers in second straight game
April 27, 2002

FORT MILL, S.C. (AP) -- Jose Canseco hit his second homer in as many games
in the Charlotte Knights' 7-6 loss to Columbus Clippers on Saturday night
in the International League.

Canseco, 38 homers shy of 500 in the major leagues, hit a long homer to
left-center field in the seventh inning to pull the Knights to 7-4. He came
up again in the ninth with Charlotte trailing by a run, but grounded out.

Canseco, 2-for-4 Saturday, joined the Knights this week after signing a
minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox on April 18. He was cut by
Montreal during spring training.

==========
From the Daily Southtown (Chicago area) Sox notebook:
Told you so

Jose Canseco, who is with the Sox's Triple-A Charlotte affiliate after
spending most of last season with the South Siders, kept insisting last
season that he still had the legs that once made him the first 40-40 player
in baseball history (at least 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in the same
season).

Canseco was even willing to bet he could beat any major leaguer who weighed
at least 230 pounds in the 40-yard dash.

"Just bring your paycheck. I'll take it from you," Canseco promised.

While he entered Friday's action hitless in his first two games with the
Knights (0-for-8), the 37-year-old Canseco did help Charlotte beat Columbus
2-1 Thursday. He stole second base after reaching on an error in the sixth
inning, and he eventually scored the go-ahead run.

==========
From the AP:
Canseco homers in second straight game
04/28/2002

FORT MILL, S.C. -- Jose Canseco had his second homer in as many games, but
the Charlotte Knights still fell to Columbus 7-6 on Saturday night.

Canseco hit a long homer to left center field in the seventh inning,
cutting the Clippers' lead to 7-4. He came up again in the ninth with
Charlotte trailing by a run and grounded out.

Brett Jodie (1-1) worked five innings for Columbus to get the victory. He
gave up six hits and three runs.

Charlotte starter Geronimo Mendoza (1-4) allowed six runs on five hits in 4
2/3 innings for the loss.

But the main show again was Canseco, who finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and
two runs scored for the Knights, the Chicago White Sox Triple A affiliate.

Canseco is, 38 homers shy of 500 for his major league career, has had an
impact during his minor-league assignment, and not only because of the big
crowd of 9,085 at Knights Castle on Saturday night.

He scored the winning run Thursday in Charlotte's 2-1 victory, reaching
first on a throwing error, stealing second and taking third when the ball
skipped into the center field. Canseco came home on a sacrifice fly.

On Friday night, Canseco ended his 0-for-8 start in the minors with a
first-inning homer, and the Knights went on to a 3-1 victory. Canseco added
a single to left field in that one, finishing 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

==========
From the Charlotte Observer:
Knights lose, split series with Clippers
By KEITH CANNON

FORT MILL - The Charlotte Knights swung their bats with authority on Sunday
afternoon. Unfortunately for them, so did the Columbus Clippers.

The teams combined for seven home runs in the Clippers' 10-7 victory over
the Knights (7-17) at Knights Stadium, in the kind of game that typifies
pitcher frustration with the hitter-friendly park.

Jose Canseco, Joe Crede and Tim Hummel homered for the Knights. But
Columbus (8-15) hitters pounded four Charlotte pitchers for 16 hits, and
the Clippers hit a season-high four home runs to earn a split of the
four-game series....

...Canseco's third home run in three games, a two-run blast to left field
on a 3-2 pitch, cut the Clippers lead to 4-3. Joe Crede had singled ahead
of him.

"I've been watching his swing and he's getting some results," Capra said.
"He says he's not comfortable with what he's doing. If that's the case,
then I can't wait till he gets going a little bit."...

...Trailing 7-5 in the sixth, The Knights loaded the bases for Canseco on a
single by Dalesandro, a walk and a hit batter. But Clippers relief pitcher
Alex Pacheco struck out Canseco to end the inning. Canseco finished the
game 1-for-5....