Hey Cansecoites...

It sounds like Jose's sore leg is still slowing him down. I really hope he
can get back to his usual form soon.

Jose is not on the ballot for this year's All Star team, but you can write
him in as an outfielder (up to 25 times). Vote here:
http://allstarballoting.seasonticket.com/

Below you'll find the latest Yankee trade rumors, Jose the WWF superstar,
and an article about Jose's homer from last Friday being a lot farther than
it was officially measured...

Take it easy,
Mark

==========
From the St. Petersburg Times:

IN THIS CORNER: When pro wrestler Hail visited the Rays clubhouse last
week, Jose Canseco posed for some pictures with him. (It's not often
Canseco gets to feel small.) While he certainly has the physique, the looks
and the image, Canseco doesn't plan to step into the ring soon. "It's too
rough," Canseco said. "People can say what they want, but you still hit the
ground. And there's no stunt doubles."

==========
From the St. Petersburg Times:

Canseco ripped off: Despite having played for the Red Sox in 1995 and 1996
and hitting 52 home runs, Jose Canseco always gets booed by the Boston
faithful. But even more hurtful was Fenway Park's tale of the tape when
applied to his monster home run Friday night.

Canseco's 47th home run at Fenway Park appeared to have cleared the Green
Monster in left and possibly have landed on the Massachusetts Turnpike, a
blast that would easily surpass 500 feet. But according to the Red Sox
measurements, it was a 415-foot poke.

``It's hard to judge it,'' Canseco said. ``I mean I crushed that ball. It's
probably one of the hardest balls I've ever hit. How do they really judge
them?''

Canseco smiled when asked to give examples about other shots he's hit that
were further than the measured distance.

``That was probably the worst,'' he said. ``I demolished that ball. I got
it perfect, 415 feet or whatever.''

Canseco said the visiting team always comes up short on such measurements.

``If I would have been playing here they would have said 530,'' Canseco
said. ``I swung as hard as I could and he threw it right into my bat.''

Canseco says he has observed unfair measurements happen to players on other
teams.

``I saw them give it to [Cleveland's] Jim Thome one time, playing in
Toronto. He hit one just under the Jumbotron, a line drive over the
restaurant there,'' Canseco said. ``They called it 440, but it must have
been 550 feet.''

==========
From the St. Petersburg Times:

...They loaded the bases in the second on three singles, unable to score
because of Jose Canseco's limited baserunning abilities. Then they had to
trade outs for runs and got only two, one on Bubba Trammell's infield
grounder and the other on a sacrifice fly by Mike DiFelice....

==========
From the NY Post:
Canseco to Yanks Heating Up
By Brian Lewis

The Yankees showed precious little interest in claiming Rickey Henderson
when the Mets put him on waivers Tuesday; but if Tampa Bay slugger Jose
Canseco goes on the market next month, that could be a different story
altogether.

The Bombers could use more punch in their lineup and a solid bat at DH; if
the Devil Rays fall out of contention -which they may have already done -
and move to the National League - which seems highly likely - they'd have
little use for Canseco. And while Canseco admits he's heard rumors about
being dealt to the Yankees, he says as far as he's concerned, they're just
rumors.

"Unless you've heard something I haven't heard. We've got to see if we go
to the National League," Canseco said. "If we go to the NL, there's no DH,
is there a possibility I could be traded? Yes. But I don't know anything yet."

The move is predicated on a realignment vote next month, but many consider
it a likelihood. And the Yankees clearly seem interested, as evidenced by
the multiple scouts they had in Boston for Tampa Bay's weekend series with
the Red Sox.

And while Canseco was aware of the higher-than-normal contingent of scouts,
he said he hadn't allowed himself to fantasize about putting on the pinstripes.

"Then I'd have to wonder what it would be like to play in every other city.
It's not like I have a say in it," said Canseco, who has an option year
left on his contract, and doesn't have a no-trade clause. "I'd do my best
for whatever organization I play for, including [the Yanks]. It's too early to
say. If we go to the National League, something's going to happen, either way."

The trade makes sense for both parties.

The Devil Rays are 11-21, 11 1/2 games behind the Yanks, and in desperate
need of pitching to bolster the second-worst ERA in the AL. Canseco is
hitting .274 with five homers to bring his career total to 436. But
injuries and age have limited him to a DH role.

His bat would be an upgrade over Shane Spencer - who has seven homers but
is hitting just .228 - and would allow the Yanks to platoon Spencer and
Ricky Ledee in left.

"There seems to be a momentum building in that [realignment] direction. If
we move, the question of Jose Canseco and the DH will come up," Tampa GM
Chuck LaMar said.

"The first decision is can we compete in the NL with Greg Vaughn and Jose
Canseco at the corners? If we decide we can't do so, I'm sure there are
several AL clubs Jose would fit, especially those competing for a championship.

"A lot's been made of it the past couple days because of a certain numbers
of scouts in Boston. I think it's a mistake to [assume] Jose Canseco is
coming to the Yankees. [If we move to the NL and Canseco can't field], only
then will we start to entertain offers for Jose Canseco."

==========
From the Sporting News:

...Trade talks surrounding designated hitter Jose Canseco will increase. On
June 13, it is expected the Devil Rays will be switched to the National
League, leaving Canseco out of a spot on the team next season.

==========
From the St. Petersburg Times:
Hit Show becomes Punch & Judy show

NEW YORK -- The Devil Rays have turned into a singles club.

Going into Thursday night, the Devil Rays led the majors in singles. That
is not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not exactly the offensive
explosion they had in mind when they brought back Jose Canseco and Fred
McGriff and brought in Greg Vaughn and Vinny Castilla to form the mighty
Hit Show.

"It's unusual," Rays manager Larry Rothschild said. "The good thing is that
they're not making outs. The bad thing is that they're not hitting the ball
the way they can."

Of the Rays' 326 hits, 243 (more than 71 percent) have been singles. Of the
league's 14 teams, they rank seventh in hits and batting average (.279),
but 11th in runs scored (160) and 12th in home runs (35).

A small part of the result may be physical. Leg problems have limited
Canseco's swing and speed, cheating him out of at least a few extra-base
hits. And Castilla, who had an abdominal pull late in spring training, has
yet to flash his powerful form.

Otherwise, neither Rothschild nor hitting coach Leon Roberts could come up
with much of an explanation.

"It's good and it's bad," Roberts said. "If you're leading the league in
singles, you're putting a lot of base hits out there. The one thing that
hasn't come yet is nine guys collectively hitting, instead of having three
hot, three so-so and three cool."

Adding to their offensive woes, the Rays don't walk enough. Despite all the
singles, they rank 12th in on-base percentage (.340).

=============
Mark Petrillo
mark@...
Canseconet.com - The Jose Canseco Site