Hey Cansecoites...

Jose has been heating up lately. In his last three games, he has three
hits and all of them have been for extra bases - two homers and a
double. He also has scored three runs, knocked in three, and walked 4
times. Jose is now batting .265 for the year with 7 homers and 17
RBIs. That's a little lower than where I had hoped he'd be at this point -
Jose had 13 homers at this time last year, and he homered on May 17th,
18th, and 19th too! If he gets hot, he'll be right back there where we
expected... You'll see.

Jose's homer in Texas Monday night was his 39th career homer against his
former team, second only to Reggie Jackson's 45. The homer was also No.
438 of Jose's career, tying him for 24th all-time with Andre Dawson. Next
on the list is Dave Kingman with 442.

All the latest Jose news (homers, more trade rumors, etc.) is below...

Take it easy,
Mark

==========
Check out the Amazing Zaria:
www.saylorland.com/zaria.htm

==========
From the St. Petersburg Times:
NL move pending, Canseco rumors fly
By Marc Topkin
May 14, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- It didn't get quite the play as some of Mayor Rudy
Giuliani's latest, um, personnel moves, but there was a blaring headline in
the New York Post last week:CANSECO TO YANKS HEATING UP.

Never mind that the story didn't really have any quotes, information or
informed sources backing up such a claim.

Jose Canseco naturally attracts the spotlight, especially in New York.
Speculation about his future is only going to intensify in the next few
months, especially if baseball's owners assemble in four weeks and vote, as
expected, to shift the Rays to the National League.

"That is going to be a big determining factor," Canseco said. "Obviously if
we go to the NL, there's no DH. Is there a possibility I could be traded?
Well, yeah. But I haven't really heard anything."

Most observers would think it's way more than a possibility, bordering more
on probability, especially if the Rays continue at their dismal pace.

Tampa Bay general manager Chuck LaMar, however, says that's not necessarily
the case. And not only might he keep Canseco the rest of this season, he
says the Rays would explore the idea of playing Canseco in leftfield on an
everyday basis and could bring him back next year.

Canseco, hobbled by back pain and other injuries for years, laughs at the
idea and jokes that if the Rays really feel that way, they'd better tell
him soon because, "I may have to drop 20 or 30 pounds to play the outfield."

LaMar may truly think Canseco could stay healthy enough, and play well
enough, to start on an almost daily basis. Or, he could be trying to better
his negotiating position, attempting to prevent other teams from thinking
he has to make a deal and can be low-balled.

Canseco says he doesn't expect anything more than rumors until after the
June 13-14 realignment meeting.

"Then I think things will become more interesting," he said. "If all of a
sudden the vote goes through and we're a National League team next year,
something's going to happen, one way or another."

The Yankees, who could use another powerful bat, are sure to be among the
teams prominently mentioned. When you think about it, it would be a great
fit. A city, and a player, both larger than life.

==========
From the Tampa Tribune:
Time ripe to trade Canseco
By Bill Chastain

Jose Canseco has been fun to watch during his stint with the Devil Rays.
The monster home runs and the anticipation of epic blasts have brought
excitement to Rays fans.

Canseco is easily the most successful DH in the Devil Rays' short history,
but it's probably time the Rays considered trading him before it's too late.

National League baseball will come to Tropicana Field in 2001 after
baseball undergoes realignment, meaning Canseco won't be on the team in
2001. Which brings us to the world champion Yankees, who seem to have an
interest in Canseco becoming their DH and power threat off the bench - a
role they haven't been able to fill since losing Darryl Strawberry.

Supporting trade rumors was the presence of two Yankees advance scouts and
Gene Michael, the Yankees' vice president of major-league scouting, at
Fenway Park last Sunday watching the Rays.

Sure, the Yankees could have been there to look at somebody else, but do
the math. The Yankees don't have bullpen problems - so they weren't there
to watch Albie Lopez or Roberto Hernandez - and though they're in the
market for a backup catcher, John Flaherty was catching Sunday, not Mike
DiFelice. Which leaves Canseco.

Of course Canseco struck out four times, prompting him to quip that had the
Yankees been interested, they no longer would be following his performance.

In addition to helping the Yankees in the power department, Canseco still
has a unique charisma perfectly suited for pinstripes and Broadway.

Canseco was signed by Rays general manager Chuck LaMar to a good deal based
largely on incentives determined by his number of plate appearances.

He'll make a $3 million base with another $2.4 million coming in increments
based on plate appearances up to 650 for the season.

Nobody ever worries about production with Canseco when he's healthy, and
his contract would make a potential employer less worried about taking a
bath if he got injured.

Several factors come into play when examining whether the Rays should trade
Canseco.

First among these would be assessing his daily contribution to attendance
at Tropicana Field. After all, Canseco is a major part of the ``Hit Show''
marketing campaign. Entering the weekend, the Rays were averaging 19,797
after 12 home dates. Would that number drop dramatically without the big guy?

If the franchise believes it could survive at the gate without him, it then
could proceed toward several positives about trading him and what life
without Jose would be like.

A trade likely would prompt the Rays to bring up Randy Winn to spot Greg
Vaughn in left field. The DH duties would then fall occasionally to Vaughn
but mostly would be split by Bubba Trammell and Steve Cox.

Trades have not been one of the Rays' strong suits in the team's history.
And it's not so much that they got swindled in the deals they made; rather
they didn't pull the trigger on deals they could have made.

Since we aren't tapped into LaMar's phones, we can't know exactly what his
conversations have been with other GMs, so we can't comment on the players
who weren't acquired. But LaMar has continued to state he won't make trades
just to make a trade. Translation: he wants equal or better value for the
players he has. And that is the root of his growing reputation as a tough
man with whom to make a deal.

One baseball insider from another organization told a story about the Blue
Jays wanting to trade for Julio Franco last season. Franco was having a
monster season for the Devil Rays' affiliate - in the Mexican League - and
the longtime baseball man joked ``all LaMar wanted was Shawn Green.''

We can assume that was an exaggeration. Then again, LaMar wouldn't take
anything less than what he deemed sufficient value for Hernandez or Fred
McGriff before last year's trade deadline passed. Other teams wanted both
and each had a high value, yet no deal was made.

You can judge for yourselves whether the Rays are better off today by
keeping both or if they would have been better off to get some younger
players - maybe not of McGriff or Hernandez value - to build for the future.

It's not likely the Yankees will knock the Rays' socks off if they make an
offer for Canseco. It's a buyer's market and other teams know the Rays'
position. In addition to Canseco, the Yankees are said to be interested in
Anaheim's Mo Vaughn. But the bottom line is the Rays need to get something
for Canseco while they can, whether it's from the Yankees or maybe even the
Red Sox, who are said to be cooling in their interest in Juan Gonzalez
after hearing what Detroit wanted for the slugger.

Canseco for a major-leaguer who could fill a role would be nice. Or perhaps
a prospect or two who have an outside shot at developing into something
special.

Better to trade too early than too late.

==========
From a Peter Gammons column:

Speaking of the Devil Rays, they are trying to dump Jose Canseco, who will
be a free agent at the end of the year. Canseco has knocked in more than
100 runs just once since 1991. The fact that excitable owner Vince Naimoli
usually travels with the team and often goes into the clubhouse after games
makes things more -- how does one put this interesting.

==========
From Billy-Ball Daily 5/15:
(www.billy-ball.com)

DAVID PITCHING WELLS
Toronto's David Wells scattered seven hits to win 3-2 over Tampa for his
sixth straight victory. The victory was an AL-leading seventh for Wells
(7-1), who retired 21-of-23 batters after falling behind 2-0 in the third
inning. He also leads the league with three complete games. Wells gave up a
456-foot homer to Jose Canseco in the second. Keep up with all the Jose
news including his rumored trade to the Yankees at www.Canseconet.com.
David Wells news can be followed at I'lldrinkthesixpack.com.

==========
From the St. Petersburg Times:
Canseco fizzles after Beach trip
By Brant James
May 15, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- David Wells respected the battle. He respected the
combatant, Jose Canseco. And he really respected that the Rays designated
hitter did not stop to admire the second-inning fastball he hit 8 nautical
miles against the upper-deck facade in leftfield.

Wells did not respect the battle enough to give his friend and former
teammate another fastball remotely close the plate, however, and for
Canseco that was very bad news.

Facing what he called "the best curveball I have ever seen in my life,"
Canseco looked helpless in striking out swinging in his next three at-bats.

"I was basically sitting on (the curveball) and I still couldn't hit it,"
Canseco said. "It seemed like they were dropping out of the sky.

"I give him a lot of credit, after (the homer) he never gave me another
pitch in the same place. Every fastball was painting away or way in and he
was working me with those curveballs. He threw like 12 or 13 curveballs in
a row."

Canseco was onto the left-hander's plot, but was helpless nonetheless.

"I tried to slip one (fastball) in there," Wells said, "but he's so much on
the dish it's ridiculous. He's like over it. His foot's behind it, so if
you go in, you're going to hit him. I'm not going to hit him, but I'm going
come in there because if he jumps sometimes it's a strike.

"But after that, I said, "You know ... hit the curveball.' "

Canseco's sixth homer of the season was credited as being the first to
reach "The Beach" upper-deck area, although it did not make it all the way.
The estimated 456-footer hit atop a sign affixed to the facade and caromed
into the lower deck.

Wells could admire the shot, as long as Canseco didn't too much.

"I don't like the cheap ones," Wells said. "If you're going to give them
up, give them up large.

"Just don't admire it. He's knows better than that too. It's gratifying
enough when you hit it that far. Jose showed some class out there."

==========
From the Tampa Tribune:

Canseco bomb: There are home runs and there are home runs. Jose Canseco's
second-inning home run off David Wells became the first ball to ever hit
The Beach section at Tropicana Field. After crossing the ``C'' ring, the
ball came down directly on top of the Eckerd sign facing The Beach section.
The estimated distance of the blast was 456 feet and gave Canseco 437
homers for his career, good for 25th place all-time.

He now needs one to catch Andre Dawson on the all-time list.

==========
From the Toronto Star:
Jays ace KOs Rays
Wells' strikeout of Canseco caps comeback win
By Geoff Baker

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - One home run and two strikeouts later, it was time
for the payoff pitch.

Blue Jays ace David Wells and opposing slugger Jose Canseco had taken turns
victimizing each other all afternoon before yesterday's final showdown in
the ninth inning.

``He got me once, I'm not going to let him get me twice,'' Wells said after
striking out Canseco with the tying run on base in Toronto's 3-2 comeback
win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

A pair of ninth-inning runs by the Jays off erratic Devil Rays reliever
Albie Lopez enabled Wells to secure his league-leading third complete-game
victory and Toronto to take two of three in this series.

Darrin Fletcher, whose pinch-hit double in the seventh inning launched the
comeback, cashed in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to deep left
field.

That set the stage for the day's fourth and final duel between Canseco and
Wells in the bottom of the ninth.

Wells had retired 17 of the previous 18 hitters before Greg Vaughn led off
the inning with an infield single. Fred McGriff then lined out to centre to
bring up Canseco, who had struck out twice in a row against Wells.

Canseco's day began much better than it ended.

He'd tagged Wells for a 456-foot home run in the second inning that became
the first to strike the left-field upper deck at Tropicana Field. Wells and
15,788 fans knew the ball was out well before it hit an advertising sign on
the facing of the deck.

``I don't like the cheap ones,'' said Wells, who had not been taken deep in
his previous four outings. ``If you're going to give them up, give them up
large.''

Wells appreciated that Canseco ``showed some class'' by not pausing too
long to admire the blast.

``He's a competitor,'' Wells added. ``I like going after him. Him and Mo
Vaughn are my favourite guys to go after because they're competitors. They
bring out the best in me and they give me a challenge.''

Wells admitted he'd tried to sneak a fastball over with Canseco leaning in
toward the plate. ``After that, I said, `You know what? Hit the curveball.'
'' Canseco flailed away helplessly at Wells' sweeping curves his next three
times up.

``That was consistently the best curveball I've ever seen from a lefty,''
said Canseco, who left the batter's box in the ninth inning shaking his head
after striking out for the third time on a 1-and-2 pitch. ``It must have
been 12 or 13 curveballs in a row. It was like they were dropping out of
the sky.''

Canseco was the second - and biggest - out of the final frame, with Vinny
Castilla grounding out to end it after that....

==========
From the Toronto Sun:
Canseco tips cap to Wells
By Mike Rutsey

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Blue Jays pitcher David Wells couldn't help but
admire the monster shot he served up to Jose Canseco.

Afterward, Canseco had nothing but admiration for Wells.

The Canseco versus Wells heavyweight bout was a show all on its own
yesterday at Tropicana Field.

In Round 1, it was all Canseco.

If there hadn't been a wall back of left field who knows how far the
second-inning blast by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays slugger would have sailed?
It still might be rolling.

Canseco's shot, estimated at 456 feet, was the first ball to hit an
advertising sign that hangs from the second deck -- an upper deck that is
recessed far back from the playing field.

Normally pitchers don't give a whole lot of praise to batters who hit
tape-measure shots off them, but Wells, after chalking up his third
complete-game victory of the season in the Blue Jays' 3-2 come-from-behind
win, was in a charitable mood.

It was the sixth victory in a row for Wells, who moved to 7-1 on the season.

"I don't like no cheap ones," Wells said of Canseco's home run.

"If you're going to give 'em up, give 'em up large. Just don't admire it.
That's a no-no with me. It should be gratifying enough just to hit it that
far. I don't like showboating. Jose doesn't do that. That's what I admire
about him. He's a competitor. He brings out the best in me."

Wells brought out the best in Canseco the first time they clashed when he
tried to sneak a fastball by him on the inside of the plate in the second
inning. Canseco said thanks then went hammered it. After that, Wells threw
him a steady diet of curves and struck out Canseco the next three times he
was up to score a victory on points.

"I like to challenge him," Wells said of Canseco. "I tried to slip one in
there but he's so much on the disc (plate) it's ridiculous. After that I
said 'No, hit the curveball.' He got me once, he wasn't going to get me twice."

Canseco settled for 1-for-4 in the confrontation.

"That was consistently the best curveball I've ever seen from a lefty,"
said Canseco, who has six homers this season. "After the home run he didn't
throw me another pitch in the same spot. It must have been 12 or 13
curveballs in a row. It was like they were dropping out of the sky.

"My last at-bat (in the ninth with one out) I was sitting on the curveball
twice. I got good swings and they dipped under my bat. I give credit to
very few pitchers but I have to give him a lot of credit. He pitched a
great game."...

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

...If Guillen takes advantage of the opportunity in right field, it could
be yet another signal that Jose Canseco's days in Tampa Bay are numbered.

If the Devil Rays are moved to the NL as expected, Canseco might not fit
into Tampa Bay's plans and he could be dealt. There is no DH in the NL, and
left fielder Greg Vaughn is signed through 2003. The only other option
would be right field, but not if Guillen proves himself at the position.

There has been recent speculation that the Yankees have an interest in
Canseco as a righthanded DH. The Yankees had a number of scouts in
attendance at a recent game in Fenway Park, presumably to see Canseco.
Dealing Canseco makes a lot of sense, as the Devil Rays are in dire need of
pitching. A vote on realignment is expected on June 13, and the question of
Canseco's future could be answered then.

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