Hey Cansecoites...

A lot has happened since yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon. Tuesday afternoon,
Jose was still on the disabled list and hadn't played a game since May
24th. Now here we are, a little more than 24 hours later - Jose's been
activated, caused the benches to clear, and homered!

Jose was activated before Tuesday's game. He went 1 for 2 in his return
from the DL, and was hit with a pitch from Greg Maddux to lead off the 9th
inning. The beaning was clearly intentional, but Maddux was not
ejected. Jose exchanged words with Maddux and the benches cleared. No
punches were thrown, but the incident made for some humorous post game
quotes (see below).

Tonight, Blue Jays pitcher Kelvim Escobar allowed only 2 hits to the Devil
Rays... One of those hits was a 2 run blast to left field by Jose. He's
still not 100%, but in the two games since he's been activated form the DL,
Jose is now 2-4 with a 2 run homer, 2 walks, and one HBP.

As for tonight's homer, it was the 439th of his career. Jose is now in
24th place on the all-time list.

It sure is nice to have him back...
Mark

==========
From the AP:
Devil Rays' Canseco activated

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Jose Canseco, who missed 46 games during an
eight-week stay on the disabled list with a strained left heel, returned to
Tampa Bay's lineup Tuesday night.

"It feels good. It's been a while," the 36-year-old slugger said.
"Hopefully the foot holds up. We'll see how it goes. We'll take it one day
at a time."

Canseco, sidelined since May 24, was the designated hitter and batted fifth
against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. It marked only the 32nd time that
Canseco and Tampa Bay's other three power hitters -- Greg Vaughn, Fred
McGriff and Vinny Castilla -- have been in the lineup together.

"The foot is definitely not 100 percent, but who does play 100 percent.
Hopefully, I can help out with the bat," he said.

Canseco was hitting .261 with seven homers and 18 RBI entering the game. He
hit .279 with 34 homers and 95 RBI last season despite missing two months
after undergoing back surgery.

Manager Larry Rothschild resisted the temptation to activate Canseco before
the All-Star break, preferring to give him as much time as possible to get
healthy. But with the team in the middle of a stretch of 34 games in 35
days, he didn't want to delay his return any more.

"We've done about everything we could do," Rothschild said. "We"re getting
to the point of the season that we need to play him."

To make room on the roster, the Devil Rays optioned outfielder Randy Winn
to Triple-A Durham. He was hitting .227 with no homers and eight RBI in 36
games.

==========
From Billy-Ball Daily
www.billy-ball.com
07/19/00

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? CANSECO IS BACK.
After missing 8 weeks and 46 games with plantar fasciitis in his left heel,
Jose Canseco returned to the devil rays lineup. Not like this is any big
deal but as usual where's there's Canseco there's Canseco-versy. Greg
Maddux scattered seven hits to win his 12th game but he hit Jose Canseco
with a pitch in the ninth inning and riled the opposing dugout in the
closing moments of Atlanta's 8-2 victory. Both benches emptied as Canseco
shouted at the Braves pitcher before home plate umpire Laz Diaz escorted
him toward first base. There was no fighting, however Devil Rays manager
Larry Rothschild made contact with Diaz with his arm and was ejected during
an argument over whether Maddux hit Canseco on purpose. Maddux, who struck
out six and walked one, insisted he didn't throw at Canseco. "I tried to
jam him and it slipped," Maddux said. "I surprised myself. I was just
trying to come in and, you know, it got away."

==========
From the St. Petersburg Times:
Tempers flare in ugly loss
Three hit batters, Rothschild's bumping of umpire mar Braves' 8-2 rout of Rays.
By Marc Topkin
July 19, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- With Jose Canseco rejoining the lineup for the first time
since late May, it was just like old times at Tropicana Field on Tuesday.

The "Hit Show" fizzled. The starting pitching stunk. And the Devil Rays
lost 8-2 to Atlanta.

The most excitement, at least for the Devil Rays fans among the announced
31,354, came in the ninth inning when Atlanta ace Greg Maddux hit Canseco
with a pitch.

Canseco had words for Maddux. Maddux responded. And by the time the
squabble was over, both benches had emptied, Rays shortstop Felix Martinez
had accused Maddux of being "a dirty guy" and Tampa Bay manager Larry
Rothschild faced a possible suspension for making contact with umpire Laz
Diaz after being ejected.

"(Maddux) hit Canseco on purpose, and he stayed in the game," Rothschild
said. "I think it's clear, according to the rules, that if you hit somebody
on purpose, you are supposed to be out of the game. The umpire told me he
was just throwing inside, and I have a hard time believing that."

The game was over early, the Braves building an 8-1 lead in the fifth off
starter Bryan Rekar. But the drama was just beginning. Rekar hit two Braves
in the second, but this storyline seemed to unfold when Maddux, apparently
annoyed at how long Martinez was taking to get in the batter's box, hit the
Rays shortstop on the back in the fifth. "I don't know why he hit me,"
Martinez said. "I think the guy's a dirty guy."

Tampa Bay reliever Tanyon Sturtze, who pitched four hitless innings,
responded by hitting Braves shortstop Walt Weiss in the eighth, and
according to usual baseball protocol, that should have been the end of it.

But Maddux, one of the game's best control pitchers, plunked Canseco on the
back of the thigh to open the ninth. Maddux said the ball slipped -- "I was
just trying to come in, and it got away," he said -- but the Rays were
convinced it was intentional.

"It doesn't take the brains of Einstein to figure it out," Canseco said. "I
was completely startled, to tell you the truth. I just said, 'Don't do it
again,' and he just kind looked at me and kind of apologized to me. If he
did hit me on purpose -- which he probably did -- it wasn't a call on his
part. It was called for by the manager for sure."

Players spilled onto the field, but no punches were thrown. Rothschild
waited for things to become calm, then got worked up, incensed that Maddux
had not been ejected.

Rothschild, who had to be restrained by his players and coaches, clearly
made contact with Diaz, spinning the umpire around with his left hand. "It
was not incidental," Diaz said. "He was on my side. But he did bump me."

Major League Baseball officials likely will review videotape of the
incident and mete out punishment within a few days. "I can't control that,"
Rothschild said. "I'll take it as it comes."

The Rays were excited to get back Canseco, who missed 46 games with a left
heel injury, but they didn't do much to celebrate his return. It was the
first time since May 24 the Rays fielded a lineup with primary sluggers
Greg Vaughn, Fred McGriff, Canseco, and Vinny Castilla, but the big four
were a combined 2-for-13....

==========
From the Tampa Tribune:
Devil Rays Notebook

Canseco back: The name had been missing from Tampa Bay's lineup card the
past 46 games. On Tuesday, it reappeared. DH Jose Canseco played. Even on a
heel that was less than fully healed.

``It's definitely not 100 percent, but you know, who does play at 100
percent nowadays?'' said Canseco, who had been on the disabled list
retroactive to May 25. With his return, CF Randy Winn, who hit .227 with
eight RBIs in 36 games, was optioned to Triple-A Durham. ``In the past, I
have not played at 100 percent. [I play] as long as I can help out the team
with the bat.''

After nearly two months of just running and early batting practice, the
Rays' DH was given the green light by Manager Larry Rothschild, a day
earlier than originally expected.

``Watching him run before the game, he looked as good as he's done all
year,'' Rothschild said. ``He passed all the tests. If I didn't activate him
today it would just be wasting a day really.''

Playing in what he referred to as ``acceptable'' pain, Canseco, who put a
heel pad in his left shoe, was 1-for-2 with a single. He also walked and
was hit by a pitch.

``You can see the quickness in the bat,'' Rothschild said. ``He is going to
do some damage.''

Comic relief: Greg Maddux against Canseco. The matchup between one of
baseball's top pitchers and sluggers turned into an even bigger spectacle
in the ninth inning when Maddux pegged Canseco with a pitch.

Both dugouts emptied as the Braves ace and Devil Rays DH stared each other
down. Amid accusations after the game that Maddux intentionally hit
Canseco, there were a few light remarks made of the incident.

``He surprised me when he hit Canseco,'' Braves 3B Chipper Jones said.
``That's a big dude. He's taking his life into his own hands.''

In Tampa Bay's clubhouse, the 6-foot- 4, 240-pound Canseco joked about why
he didn't charge the mound.

``I couldn't catch him anyway,'' said Canseco, who has nursed a strained
left heel since May. ``I am limping around everywhere.''

==========
From the AP:
Braves 8, Devil Rays 2
By Fred Goodall

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Greg Maddux was in complete control, which is
exactly why the Tampa Bay Devil Rays were so upset.

The four-time Cy Young Award winner scattered seven hits to win his 12th
game Tuesday night, but he also hit Jose Canseco with a pitch in the ninth
inning and riled the opposing dugout in the closing moments of Atlanta's
8-2 victory.

Both benches emptied as Canseco shouted at the Braves pitcher before home
plate umpire Laz Diaz escorted him toward first base. There was no
fighting, however Devil Rays manager Larry Rothschild made contact with
Diaz with his arm and was ejected during an argument over whether Maddux
hit Canseco on purpose.

"It doesn't take the brains of Einstein to figure it out," said Canseco,
who agreed with Rothschild that Maddux has good enough control that he
normally doesn't hit batters by accident.

"I was completely startled to tell the truth," Canseco added. "I just said:
'Don't do it again.' Basically, he looked at me and kind of apologized."

Maddux, who struck out six and walked one, insisted he didn't throw at Canseco.

"I tried to jam him and it slipped," Maddux said. "I surprised myself. I
was just trying to come in and, you know, it got away."

Chipper Jones hit his 24th homer and Maddux (12-3) retired 11 of the last
12 batters he faced en route to his fourth complete game of the season and
97th career. It was his third straight win since dropping consecutive
decisions on June 24 and July 1.

Jones homered in the first inning to drive in two of the eight runs the
Braves scored off Bryan Rekar (3-5), who also allowed two-run singles by
Andruw Jones, Andres Galarraga and Reggie Sanders.

The Devil Rays, who beat Atlanta for the first time in eight tries Monday
night, scored on Fred McGriff's sacrifice fly and Steve Cox's solo homer.
Canseco returned to the lineup after spending eight weeks on the disabled
list with a strained left heel and went 1-for-2 with a walk.

Maddux hit Canseco leading off the ninth. When the field began clearing of
players, Rothschild confronted Diaz to ask why the Braves pitcher wasn't
ejected. Five batters were hit during the game -- two by Maddux and three
by Devil Rays pitchers -- but only the last one sparked emotions.

"The umpire told me he was just throwing inside, but I have a hard time
believing that," Rothschild said, adding that he also thought Maddux hit
Felix Martinez on purpose in the fifth.

Chipper Jones said he didn't feel any of the five players hit by pitches
were thrown at intentionally.

"(Maddux) had been pitching Canseco inside the whole game. That one was
just a little too far inside," Jones said. "It was a lot more innocent than
what it looked out there. By no means did both teams want to go at each
other. It was pretty civil."...

==========
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Maddux in control vs. Rays, until ninth
Carroll Rogers
July 19, 2000

St. Petersburg, Fla. --- Waiting to face Greg Maddux Tuesday night at
Tropicana Field was a Devil Rays lineup with its four big boppers together
for the first time in two months.

But as Tampa Bay is learning this season, good pitching has a way of
neutralizing good hitting.

Jose Canseco returned from the disabled list and a sore heel to rejoin Greg
Vaughn, Fred McGriff and Vinny Castilla for the first time since May 24,
but it made no difference for the worst team in the AL East --- except for
some ninth-inning excitement --- as Atlanta beat the Devil Rays 8-2.

Maddux's 12th win of the season wasn't complete (to him) without a plunking
of Canseco to lead off the ninth, drawing some heated words from Canseco
and a pair of cleared benches. Maddux appeared to be dealing a little
retaliation for three Braves batters hit by pitches in the game, the last
of which was Walt Weiss in the eighth. Not that he would admit it.

"I tried to jam him and it slipped," Maddux said.

No punches were thrown and order was restored, thanks in part to the early
arrival of 250-pound Bobby Bonilla to the infield.

"Jose's a big man," Bonilla said. "I can't have him going after Doggie."

When asked whether Maddux, who threw his fourth complete game of the
season, surprised him anymore, Chipper Jones responded: "He surprised me
when he hit Canseco; that's a big dude."

Join the club.

"I was completely startled, to tell you the truth," Canseco said. "I just
said, 'Don't do it again,' and he just looked at me and basically
apologized to me. If he did hit me on purpose, which he probably did, it
was not called for on his part, it was called for by the manager."

Devil Rays manager Larry Rothschild could face a suspension for bumping
plate umpire Laz Diaz in the ensuing argument.

"(Maddux hit) Canseco on purpose and he stayed in the game," Rothschild
said. "It is clear according to the rules that if you hit somebody on
purpose you are supposed to be out of the game. (Diaz) said he was pitching
inside, and I have a hard time believing that."

The four veteran sluggers were a combined 2-for-13 with two singles against
Maddux.

Maddux, who benefited from three two-out, two-run singles and a Chipper
Jones two-run homer, pitched a shutout in his only other appearance against
the Devil Rays, here in 1998.


===========================
From the Bradenton Herald:

ST. PETERSBURG - The question of would he or wouldn't he became did he or
didn't he during the ninth inning of Tuesday's game at Tropicana Field.
Interpretations varied.

The Devil Rays said Braves pitcher Greg Maddux threw at Jose Canseco when
he hit him in the back of the left leg.

Maddux said the pitch got away.

What Devil Rays manager Larry Rothschild said couldn't be printed.

Home-plate umpire Laz Diaz agreed with Maddux.

Gerald Williams disagreed and led the charge of Devil Rays out of the
dugout and toward home plate, forcing the Braves to do the same.

The players stared at each other.

Rothschild continued to argue, bumped Diaz and was ejected.

Maddux stayed in the game and retired the final three batters, as the
Braves won, 8-2.

Devil Rays pitchers hit three batters. Maddux hit two.

"It's part of the game," Canseco said.

Here's what happened:

It all started when Rays starter Bryan Rekar hit Walt Weiss and Fernando
Lunar during consecutive at-bats in the second inning.

Maddux retaliated in the fifth when he drilled Felix Martinez in the butt.

Martinez felt it was intentional.

"I don't know why he hit me," Martinez said. I think the guy is a dirty
guy. I never do nothing to him."

Maddux, though, could have also been responding to Monday's game when Ryan
Rupe hit Reggie Sanders and Andres Galarraga, and four Braves pitchers
declined to retaliate.

Rothschild said Maddux drilled Martinez because the shortstop was taking
too long to get in the batter's box.

"Greg Maddux isn't going to hit someone on the (butt) because he's got too\
good control to hit someone in that area," Rothschild said.

Martinez said he didn't know why Maddux was throwing at him, and noted that
Boston's Nomar Garciappara takes close to forever to get ready to hit, but
no one throws at him.

"(The ball) came right at me," Martinez said. "Every ball he throws moves a
lot. That pitch no move."

Tanyon Sturtze replaced Rekar, who allowed all eight Atlanta runs, to start
the sixth inning. It was Sturtze's best outing as a Devil Ray. He retired
12 of the 13 batters he faced. The only Brave to reach base against Sturtze
was Weiss in the eighth. How did he get there? He was hit by a pitch.

Hmmmmm.

So, Maddux took all the suspense away over would he again retaliate when he
hit Canseco to start the ninth.

"I'm sure it looked like (I threw at him,)" Maddux said. "I was trying to
come inside and I guess it got away. When you're wild, people are going to
get hit. It's part of the game."

Except Maddux wasn't close to being wild. He walked one batter in nine
innings and 71 of his 104 pitchers were strikes.

"I was completely startled, to tell you the truth," Canseco said. "I just
said, 'Don't do that again.' And he just looked at me and basically
apologized to me. If he did hit me on purpose, which he probably did, it
was not called for on his part. It was called for by the manager."

Rothschild complained that Maddux should have been ejected.

"It's hard for an umpire to read into someone's mind," crew chief Mike
Reilly said. "You have to read into the situation."

Rothschild then bumped Diaz and was ejected.

Canseco laughed off the incident. First, he said the pitch didn't hurt,
then added that there was no way he would charge the mound.

"I couldn't catch him anyway," said Canseco, who came off the disabled list
before the game. I'm limping around everywhere."

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