Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big

Jose Canseco

I am a baseball addict. I have often said that the one reason I know for sure there is a God is because only God could have created baseball. For about 20 years I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, and during that period I became a big Oakland A's fan. I watched Jose Canseco and Mark McGuire bring life to the franchise, and later on I saw Jason Giambi develop into a superstar. I was a huge fan.

Now, after reading Canseco's Juiced, I wonder how I could have been so naïve. Jose Canseco is not a deep thinker. He is, in fact, quite shallow. But this book is an important book. Canseco makes some outrageous statements and claims, but they appear to be very credible. Canseco defends his use of steroids. He takes an unpopular but somewhat defensible position. It really is very interesting to see his side of the story.

He tells "many tales out of school." I really can't like or condone a tattletale. Nevertheless, if you are a baseball fan and you want to get the lowdown on the steroid use in the Major Leagues, this is a book for you. It is easy to read, and I found it perfect for keeping me engrossed on a couple of airline flights. In spite of some obvious shortcomings, this is a book I highly recommend for baseball fans.

Review by Len Oppenheim

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