1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 1: Disgraceland as a production of Double Elvis. The stories about 2 00:00:25,239 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 1: Jose Canseco are insane. He was detained for trying to 3 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 1: smuggle drugs across the border from Mexico into the United States. 4 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:37,480 Speaker 1: He was the target of a police swat team when 5 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 1: a gun was found in his car. He was sued 6 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 1: for his part in a nightclub brawl while dressed as 7 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: a vampire. He was busy being seduced by Madonna in 8 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:50,400 Speaker 1: her apartment when he was supposed to be taking batting 9 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:54,000 Speaker 1: practice before a game. And he was the self proclaimed 10 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: godfather of steroids, using, abusing, and introducing other players to 11 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: the over the entirety of his seventeen year Major League 12 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: Baseball career. And he did it all unapologetically while simultaneously 13 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 1: being a part of some of the greatest moments in 14 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:14,960 Speaker 1: sports history. I liked that loop I played for you 15 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 1: at the top of the show. That wasn't a great 16 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: sports moment. That was a preset loop from my mellotron 17 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: called Stranger Is as Stranger Does MK One. I played 18 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 1: you that loop because I can't afford the rights to 19 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 1: a clip from She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young 20 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:39,080 Speaker 1: Cannibals and Why would I play you that specific slice 21 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: of the raw and the cooked cheese? Could I afford it? 22 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:47,200 Speaker 1: Because that was the number one song in America on 23 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: April twenty first, nineteen eighty nine, and that was the 24 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: day that Jose Canseco found himself surrounded by police cars, 25 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: a swap van, and a hovering helicopter on this episode, 26 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 1: drug smuggling, swat teams, nightclub brawls, police helicopters. Unapologetically juiced 27 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:21,320 Speaker 1: in Jose Canseco, I'm Jake Brennan and this is Disgraceland, 28 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:47,960 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty nine, San Francisco. Jose Canseco slammed on the brakes. 29 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:51,920 Speaker 1: As he did, the nine millimeter automatic hidden inside the 30 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:54,360 Speaker 1: bag on the passenger seat slid out and hit the 31 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:57,120 Speaker 1: floor of the car. He didn't have time to worry 32 00:02:57,120 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: about that right now, or about the fact that he 33 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:02,959 Speaker 1: just parked in a handicapped spot. Polly could think about 34 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:06,920 Speaker 1: was getting this fucking cast off his hand. He stepped 35 00:03:06,919 --> 00:03:09,840 Speaker 1: out of his Candy Apple red Jaguar and slammed the 36 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: door shut. Minutes later, he was inside the Sports Medicine 37 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 1: Center at the University of California, sitting on an exam 38 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:21,160 Speaker 1: room table, tapping on that stupid cast and waiting for 39 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,840 Speaker 1: the doctor. He was anxious, just like he was in 40 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: the batter's box every time he was about to send 41 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 1: the baseball into orbit, farther than anyone else in the 42 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 1: Majors could have ever dreamed. He was so anxious, in fact, 43 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: that his body was beginning to shake. But wait, that 44 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 1: wasn't him shaky. That was the walls of the exam room. 45 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: There was a rumble coming from outside. Through the window, 46 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:54,880 Speaker 1: he watched a helicopter pass by. Low. There was a 47 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: light knock on the door, and the doctor walked in. Finally, 48 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: how much longer till this plaster comes off and it's 49 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:04,840 Speaker 1: back to the field and back to the weight room 50 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: a few more weeks? Great? We good here. Jose Canseco 51 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:12,120 Speaker 1: didn't have time for this. He made his way to 52 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:15,880 Speaker 1: the exit, still nervously tapping on the cast. That's when 53 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 1: he noticed the sound of the helicopter getting louder. It 54 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:23,240 Speaker 1: wasn't just passing by, it was hovering in place, right 55 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 1: outside of the building. Jose wanted no part in the 56 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 1: circus it was about to happen. It didn't matter what 57 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: it was. He had no business being anywhere near some 58 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:36,640 Speaker 1: batshit news story. Everyone would just want a piece of him, 59 00:04:36,839 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 1: try to rope him in like they always did. He 60 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: moved fast out of the hospital, hustling now back toward 61 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:46,919 Speaker 1: a souped up jag, remembering shit that the gun was 62 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,359 Speaker 1: still on the floor. Got to pick that up and 63 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:52,000 Speaker 1: put it back, but do it quick, because it was 64 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,279 Speaker 1: time for jose Can Sako to do what he did best, 65 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 1: blow off some steam and push the convertible to its 66 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: living Miami. Two months earlier, the highway patrolman flipped on 67 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:07,600 Speaker 1: his lights and sired, and then sunk his foot into 68 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 1: the gas pedal. The Porsche wasn't just speeding, it was 69 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:15,160 Speaker 1: flying clock doing one hundred and twenty. Now the cop 70 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 1: was in hot pursuit, doing everything he could to keep 71 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:21,839 Speaker 1: up his patrol card. Gripped the world tight up ahead. 72 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:25,599 Speaker 1: Inside the porch, jose Canseco gripped the wheel. He couldn't 73 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:28,480 Speaker 1: believe the fuel was working. This shit was supposed to 74 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:30,880 Speaker 1: be for airplanes only. Hell, he could have hit two 75 00:05:30,920 --> 00:05:33,840 Speaker 1: hundred miles per hour if he wanted. The top was 76 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 1: down and the wind blew back his hair, bigger, better, faster, 77 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:42,920 Speaker 1: mister forty forty here that's forty bases stolen in forty 78 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:45,839 Speaker 1: home runs in a single season, fast on the road, 79 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:49,719 Speaker 1: fast as anyone in the bigs power to spare MVP. 80 00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:53,480 Speaker 1: After just three years, he was the best player in 81 00:05:53,560 --> 00:06:00,000 Speaker 1: Major League Baseball. Jose Canseco was invincible. His oversized muscles rippled, 82 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:02,680 Speaker 1: especially when he gripped the wheel of his chariot like 83 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:05,840 Speaker 1: a Greek god as he was currently doing muscles he 84 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:12,520 Speaker 1: got from using, mind you, legal steroids, well legal in 85 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:16,720 Speaker 1: his mind, legal in the sense that Major League Baseball 86 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 1: didn't give you more than a slap on the wrists 87 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:22,599 Speaker 1: if they found you tested positive for them. Kensecho ignored 88 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 1: all that, just like he ignored the jeers of the 89 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 1: crowds and opposing stadiums, even the racist ones that attacked 90 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 1: his Cuban heritage. He flexed at them when they alleged 91 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:36,200 Speaker 1: he was using juice. The Washington Post, for one, claimed 92 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:39,280 Speaker 1: in an unsubstantiated piece that it was the juice that 93 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:44,160 Speaker 1: made him great. That was bullshit. Steroids didn't make Jose 94 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:49,560 Speaker 1: Canseco great. Jose Canseco made Jose Canseco great. What did 95 00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 1: he care about their opinion of the sanctity of the game, 96 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 1: or whatever that was. Anyways, he was sick of opinions, 97 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 1: sick of questions, sick of the lack of privacy, of 98 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:01,839 Speaker 1: living like what he called to quote unquote zoo animal. 99 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:05,479 Speaker 1: He wanted to lose the target on his back. But 100 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:08,280 Speaker 1: after the best year of his career in nineteen eighty nine, 101 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:12,240 Speaker 1: that target wasn't going anywhere. He tried to ignore it 102 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:14,760 Speaker 1: as he gave the people what they really wanted. And 103 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:19,240 Speaker 1: what did the people want, not morals, not getting steroids 104 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:24,080 Speaker 1: out of baseball. What they wanted was drama, just like 105 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 1: the drama out here on this Miami Highway. Those blue 106 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:30,960 Speaker 1: lights would never catch him. He was going so fast 107 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:34,200 Speaker 1: he barely knew he was even being chased. But Jose 108 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 1: Canseco couldn't run forever. Back in the University parking lot 109 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:44,480 Speaker 1: in San Francisco, he made a bee line for his car, 110 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:48,360 Speaker 1: not the Porsche, but the candy apple red Jaguar, the 111 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 1: one parked in the handicapped spot with a loaded gun 112 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:56,280 Speaker 1: on the floor. And then Jose Canseco froze. It wasn't 113 00:07:56,320 --> 00:08:00,640 Speaker 1: just a helicopter hovering overhead. There was a swap van nearby. 114 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 1: The place was swarming with cops, all of them closing 115 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 1: in on him on his car. There was no outrunning 116 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:11,000 Speaker 1: this one. He let them read him his rights and 117 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 1: slapped the cuffs on him. Turns out some college kids 118 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:17,040 Speaker 1: have been checking out his less than conspicuous whip and 119 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 1: spied the gun on the floor inside. They called nine 120 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:24,200 Speaker 1: to one one and now this a huge problem. Not 121 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:26,600 Speaker 1: just the fact that the piece was loaded, It was 122 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:33,319 Speaker 1: unregistered and found on university property. Jose said he carried 123 00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 1: the gun for protection. It was the same excuse he'd 124 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:38,080 Speaker 1: given when a member of his entourage responts now for 125 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 1: bringing a piece onto a plane. But the cops didn't 126 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:43,640 Speaker 1: give a shit about that. They didn't care about Jose 127 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 1: Canseco's busted wrists either, or about what he was going 128 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:49,720 Speaker 1: through they warranted his carrying a gun, or about what 129 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: it was like dealing with fame every day of your life. 130 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:57,000 Speaker 1: None of that mattered. Now Jose Canseco wasn't just a target. 131 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:01,080 Speaker 1: He was the antagonist of the entire sports world. This 132 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:04,000 Speaker 1: wasn't about morals. It was about whether or not he 133 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:07,800 Speaker 1: was dangerous or a threat. It was, at least in 134 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:11,000 Speaker 1: his mind, all about the authorities making an example out 135 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:14,080 Speaker 1: of him and It was, as he would say years later, 136 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:18,040 Speaker 1: all about entertainment, about giving the people what they wanted, 137 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 1: and in that department, Jose Canseco never disappointed. Nineteen ninety two, 138 00:09:51,640 --> 00:09:57,800 Speaker 1: Southwest Dade County, Jose Canseco was pissed. He was yelling 139 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:02,319 Speaker 1: at his estranged wife Esther, inside a shell Station convenience store. 140 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:05,360 Speaker 1: He snatched the purse from her hands and pulled out 141 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:09,200 Speaker 1: a pager. The attendant behind the counter just wanted both 142 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:12,320 Speaker 1: of them to leave. He didn't necessarily see a famous 143 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:16,040 Speaker 1: person doing famous person things. He saw an oversized dude 144 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:18,400 Speaker 1: with a mullet in a supermodel who were making him 145 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:21,960 Speaker 1: more than a little uncomfortable. But the couple continued to 146 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:26,199 Speaker 1: argue this shit was bad for business. The attendant wondered 147 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:29,400 Speaker 1: if he should interfere. What was the protocol for trying 148 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:31,679 Speaker 1: to mellow out a famous ballplayer who looked like a 149 00:10:31,679 --> 00:10:35,559 Speaker 1: pro wrestler. Four bucks an hour wasn't worth an inevitable 150 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:38,680 Speaker 1: right hook to the face. So he stood by and 151 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:43,080 Speaker 1: watched nervously as Jose Conseco scrolled through the pager, asking 152 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:45,560 Speaker 1: Esther who the hell she had been talking to and 153 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:49,320 Speaker 1: what were all these numbers? It was nothing. She told 154 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:52,600 Speaker 1: him he was overreacting, blowing it all out of proportion, 155 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:56,360 Speaker 1: like another rocket sent into the stands at the Oakland Coliseum. 156 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:00,440 Speaker 1: Conseko seethed. He shoved the purse back into her hand, 157 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:02,760 Speaker 1: but there was no way she was getting the pager 158 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:07,640 Speaker 1: back fine. Esther just wanted to get out. She turned 159 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:11,600 Speaker 1: and headed straight for her white BMW. Jose watched from 160 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:14,080 Speaker 1: inside the Shell station as she turned the engine over 161 00:11:14,559 --> 00:11:16,840 Speaker 1: and then she tore ass out of the Shell parking lot. 162 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:22,360 Speaker 1: Jose Canseco and his wife Esther had been trying to 163 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:25,400 Speaker 1: fix things for over a year now, and it's not 164 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:28,839 Speaker 1: like he was completely free from blame. Though. He had 165 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:31,840 Speaker 1: to say that whole thing with Madonna the year prior 166 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:35,520 Speaker 1: went down when he and Esther were technically separated. He 167 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:38,400 Speaker 1: was young, twenty six, but he knew what he was 168 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:42,479 Speaker 1: getting into. That the material girl wanted more than his autograph, 169 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:44,880 Speaker 1: that she wanted to have a Cuban baby with a 170 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:49,680 Speaker 1: virile Cuban guy, or at least that was the rumor. Regardless, 171 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:53,720 Speaker 1: Kenseko accepted her invitation to hang out at her Manhattan apartment, 172 00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:56,960 Speaker 1: and he brought his agent with him. He figured nothing 173 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:01,200 Speaker 1: would happen, which is mostly true. Madonna took him into 174 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:04,520 Speaker 1: her bedroom alone, drew the shades, and then she put 175 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:09,040 Speaker 1: her new documentary Truth or Dare on the television, specifically 176 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:12,840 Speaker 1: the scene where she simulates masturbation on stage while singing 177 00:12:12,920 --> 00:12:16,680 Speaker 1: like a virgin. Kinseko sat there on the bed, his 178 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:20,959 Speaker 1: pulse quickening, his palms sweaty. He turned to look at Madonna, 179 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 1: sitting next to him. Well, she asked, what do you think? 180 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:29,600 Speaker 1: What did Jose Canseco think? He thought of a lot 181 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:33,320 Speaker 1: of things. Most importantly, however, he thought it was time 182 00:12:33,360 --> 00:12:36,520 Speaker 1: to leave, which it actually was. He had a game 183 00:12:36,559 --> 00:12:38,800 Speaker 1: in town at seven o five that night, and it 184 00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 1: was now rush hour. He barely made it to the 185 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:44,920 Speaker 1: stadium in time, missed batting practice completely, and was nearly 186 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:48,400 Speaker 1: wiped from the roster. The humiliation brought down on him 187 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:51,360 Speaker 1: by his manager Tony LaRussa that night was bad, But 188 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:53,600 Speaker 1: it wasn't as bad as a few months later. When 189 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:55,880 Speaker 1: the Athletics were back in town to play in the Bronx. 190 00:12:56,559 --> 00:13:00,320 Speaker 1: The Yankees fans were brutal. Where's Madonna, they led at 191 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:04,160 Speaker 1: him from the outfield stands. Where's Esther? Where's your piece? Jose? 192 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:07,840 Speaker 1: But The worst was that fucking blow up doll they 193 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:10,600 Speaker 1: tossed onto the field, fitted with a blonde wag and 194 00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 1: wearing a T shirt that read I Love Jose. He 195 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:17,600 Speaker 1: could hear the entire stadium laughing at him. He saw 196 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:21,880 Speaker 1: red just like he was seeing red now, standing inside 197 00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:24,480 Speaker 1: a twenty four hour shell station, looking at his estranged 198 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:27,760 Speaker 1: wife's pager in his hand, one with phone numbers he 199 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:32,199 Speaker 1: did not recognize. Seconds later, he was in his red Porsche, 200 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:36,280 Speaker 1: chasing after that white BMW, a heat seeking missile intent 201 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:40,640 Speaker 1: on inflicting retribution. He moved fast, like he always did, 202 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:44,040 Speaker 1: and he came up on Esther's car quickly, too quickly. 203 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:46,760 Speaker 1: He slammed on the brakes, but it was too lague. 204 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:50,040 Speaker 1: The Porsche went into a skid. A Jose spun the 205 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:52,320 Speaker 1: wheel to avoid what was about to happen. But what 206 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:55,440 Speaker 1: was about to happen was already in motion, and the 207 00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:58,440 Speaker 1: Porsche slammed into the side of the BMW, pushing it 208 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:01,520 Speaker 1: off the road and the car split in opposite directions. 209 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:05,840 Speaker 1: Tires squealed, metal shrieked. Both vehicles came to an ear 210 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:13,200 Speaker 1: splitting halt. Adrenaline was pumping through Jose's veins, the same 211 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:16,000 Speaker 1: adrenaline that coursed through his body every time he ripped 212 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:20,000 Speaker 1: the fastball out of the ballpark. Blue lights were already 213 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:22,480 Speaker 1: flickering as he crawled out of his smashed up convertible 214 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:26,040 Speaker 1: and staggered toward the wrecked beamer. He reared back and 215 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:28,440 Speaker 1: spat across the window, just as a cop caught up 216 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:33,000 Speaker 1: to him and carted him off to a jail cell. 217 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:36,680 Speaker 1: By nineteen ninety two, jose Canseco wasn't just a one 218 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:40,360 Speaker 1: season phenomenon anymore. He was making a living, feasting on 219 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:43,760 Speaker 1: every pitcher the big leagues had to offer. He was 220 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:46,480 Speaker 1: the best hitter the majors had seen for years, and 221 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:49,880 Speaker 1: he sustained his success through his dedication to the craft. 222 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:54,040 Speaker 1: Dedication that saw him make multiple All Star Game appearances 223 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:56,840 Speaker 1: and earn Most Valuable Player votes every season that he 224 00:14:56,920 --> 00:14:59,680 Speaker 1: was healthy. He even won a World Series that took 225 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:05,000 Speaker 1: place during an earthquake, and jose Canseco was an earthquake. 226 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:09,320 Speaker 1: He shook the Very League to its foundations. For six 227 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:12,920 Speaker 1: seasons in Oakland, he set the Majors on fire. But 228 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:15,920 Speaker 1: then just as quickly as he rocketed to the top, 229 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:21,160 Speaker 1: things began to unravel. It didn't start quietly. There was 230 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:25,200 Speaker 1: that helicopter assisted swat arrest in San Francisco, the car 231 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:28,560 Speaker 1: ramming marital spat that left him in cuffs, a litany 232 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:32,080 Speaker 1: of speeding tickets, multiple instances of near fights with fans. 233 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:35,520 Speaker 1: He was even traded in the middle of a game. 234 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:37,920 Speaker 1: I swear to God, look it up. He was literally 235 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:40,320 Speaker 1: told he was being traded while standing in the on 236 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:42,600 Speaker 1: deck circle before his second at bat during a game 237 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:46,440 Speaker 1: against the Baltimore Orioles. But these were only the things 238 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:49,840 Speaker 1: the public could see. Bubbling under the surface was a 239 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:52,600 Speaker 1: horrible truth that would not only blacklist Conseco from the 240 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: game that he loved, but would change the very fabric 241 00:15:55,400 --> 00:16:03,200 Speaker 1: of Major League Baseball forever. Steroids. Jose Canseco claimed he'd 242 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:06,320 Speaker 1: taken them his entire career, initially just to pack on 243 00:16:06,360 --> 00:16:08,440 Speaker 1: a few extra pounds and build his body up for 244 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:11,920 Speaker 1: the long grind of the season. He remembered how terrifying 245 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:15,680 Speaker 1: that first injection was, wondering how they would change him, 246 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:19,720 Speaker 1: whether they might kill him. But they didn't. In fact, 247 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:22,440 Speaker 1: he claimed they didn't do much of anything at all. 248 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:27,920 Speaker 1: Did steroids make someone great? No, but they sure did help. 249 00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:30,520 Speaker 1: They gave you a little extra edge if you were 250 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:34,040 Speaker 1: already performing at a high level. They helped with recovery 251 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:36,920 Speaker 1: time from injuries, which became more and more important for 252 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:41,120 Speaker 1: an injury prone Jose Canseco. And they'd never been explicitly 253 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:44,880 Speaker 1: taboo by big league standards. That's what Jose said anyway. 254 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:49,880 Speaker 1: He was a self proclaimed godfather of steroids. Guys in 255 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:52,720 Speaker 1: the club I was dubbed him the Chemist. The code 256 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:57,720 Speaker 1: name Kinseco Milkshake became accepted shorthand for juice. Rumors of 257 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:00,840 Speaker 1: him injecting teammates in back rooms and bathroom stalls ran 258 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:04,840 Speaker 1: wild throughout the majors. He later claimed the managers knew, 259 00:17:05,119 --> 00:17:08,639 Speaker 1: the staff knew, and the players, of course knew. Jose 260 00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:12,240 Speaker 1: Canseco said it was no secret at all. And while 261 00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:16,520 Speaker 1: Jose Canseco was enjoying a potentially steroid assisted renaissance in 262 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:19,760 Speaker 1: the summer of nineteen ninety eight, years after his divorce 263 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:23,280 Speaker 1: from Esther was final, his old Oakland A's teammate Mark 264 00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:27,960 Speaker 1: McGuire was racing yet another alleged steroid user, Sammy Sosa, 265 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:32,680 Speaker 1: toured the single season home run record during their time 266 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:36,280 Speaker 1: in Oakland. Jose Canseco and Mark McGuire were dubbed the 267 00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:40,119 Speaker 1: Bash Brothers due to their superhero physiques and trademark celebration. 268 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:44,320 Speaker 1: The whole thing was also, as Jose claimed, fueled by 269 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:48,360 Speaker 1: steroids for the better half of a decade. Now, Mark 270 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:51,879 Speaker 1: McGuire was firmly in the spotlight, while Jose clung to 271 00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:56,760 Speaker 1: the shadows, and McGuire and Sosa's race had revitalized the sport. 272 00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:01,119 Speaker 1: People who didn't even watch baseball were paying attention. But Konseko, 273 00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:05,880 Speaker 1: McGuire and Sosa weren't the only thin waisted, barrel chested 274 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:10,160 Speaker 1: tree trunks for arms players swinging bats either. The sustained 275 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:12,440 Speaker 1: run of explosive offense in the second half of the 276 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:16,960 Speaker 1: nineteen nineties was not random. Jose Canseco knew the truth. 277 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:23,040 Speaker 1: He knew it was entertainment manufactured. Entertainment created a trend 278 00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:26,320 Speaker 1: numbers up, while Jose Canseco's career was trending in the 279 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:30,600 Speaker 1: opposite direction. His body was breaking down, and soon that 280 00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 1: old familiar target once again appeared on his back. As 281 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:37,920 Speaker 1: Mark McGuire was being touted as baseball shiny golden icon, 282 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:42,080 Speaker 1: Jose Canseco was becoming a pariah, and once again he 283 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:45,399 Speaker 1: was made an example, if the game had become dirty, 284 00:18:45,440 --> 00:18:49,359 Speaker 1: they said it was jose Canseco who infected it, and 285 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:53,400 Speaker 1: things were about to get a whole lot worse. Blacklisted 286 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:58,560 Speaker 1: behind bars, and soon the focal point of a congressional 287 00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:06,040 Speaker 1: hearing We'll be right back after this. We're we're We're 288 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:20,800 Speaker 1: inside the Opium Garden nightclub. The music vibrated off the walls, 289 00:19:21,359 --> 00:19:25,240 Speaker 1: strobe lights in every direction. The place was packed capacity, 290 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:30,760 Speaker 1: crawling with scantily clad ghules and goblins. All Hallows Eve 291 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:34,280 Speaker 1: in Miami had more skin than your standard monster mash, 292 00:19:34,359 --> 00:19:38,440 Speaker 1: and two tourists were taking it all in a long 293 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:41,800 Speaker 1: day rubbing shoulders with doctors and research fellows at a 294 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:45,000 Speaker 1: cancer research convention was to be balanced out by a 295 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:48,760 Speaker 1: sampling of the Miami nightlife, and the Miami nightlife meant 296 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:53,439 Speaker 1: that maybe you got lucky. Maybe a few cocktails had 297 00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:58,399 Speaker 1: the pair feeling good, real good. Costumed freaks made their 298 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:02,480 Speaker 1: way across the dance floor. Some hung off barstools, others 299 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:05,320 Speaker 1: slipped into dark corners of the club for a little privacy. 300 00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:09,560 Speaker 1: The entire scene was one big, intoxicating delight for the eyes. 301 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:12,960 Speaker 1: That's when one of the tourist's eyes fell on her 302 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:17,119 Speaker 1: The intricate feathered skirt of her native American costume fell 303 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:21,520 Speaker 1: softly around her waist, and she moved right toward him. 304 00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:26,720 Speaker 1: Was this really happening? Nope, She turned and walked past 305 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:31,320 Speaker 1: hold On. The tourists reached out and grabbed at her feathers, 306 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:35,000 Speaker 1: and maybe that would initiate some small talk. But it 307 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:40,639 Speaker 1: didn't initiate small talk. It initiated something else. From the 308 00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:44,600 Speaker 1: darkness behind the woman appeared two hulking men, two men 309 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:47,920 Speaker 1: who were well over six feet tall, dressed as vampires, 310 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:51,800 Speaker 1: now lumbering toward the taurus. All the tourists could see 311 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:55,760 Speaker 1: were massive arms protruding from sleeveless vests. At the end 312 00:20:55,760 --> 00:21:00,119 Speaker 1: of those arms were hands bearing long black fingernails. I 313 00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:04,920 Speaker 1: could tease eyes like an apex predator. What the fuck 314 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:07,960 Speaker 1: do you think you're doing, buddy? Before the tourist could 315 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:12,040 Speaker 1: even think, fists began to fly. The muscled vampires moved 316 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:17,000 Speaker 1: with precision and purpose, practically superhuman and execution. First an 317 00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:19,280 Speaker 1: open palm punched to the chest with all the force 318 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:22,320 Speaker 1: of a locomotive, then a shoved backward, which provided a 319 00:21:22,320 --> 00:21:25,960 Speaker 1: steady dose of whiplash, and then a blow across the face. 320 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:31,400 Speaker 1: The pain was immediate and excruciating, more painful than having 321 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:33,960 Speaker 1: every drop of blood sucked from your body by a vampire. 322 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:38,480 Speaker 1: But these two guys weren't actually vampires. They were Jose 323 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:43,080 Speaker 1: Canseco and his twin brother Ozzy, And like everything else 324 00:21:43,119 --> 00:21:46,120 Speaker 1: in Jose Canseco's life, the whole thing in the Opium 325 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:50,800 Speaker 1: Garden nightclub, having way too fast look his date, the 326 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:53,199 Speaker 1: one wearing the Native American ghet up. She got hit on, 327 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:56,200 Speaker 1: and Jose took it personally. He rushed in as he 328 00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:58,680 Speaker 1: always did, and the next thing he knew, he was 329 00:21:58,720 --> 00:22:02,560 Speaker 1: in handcuffs. Haters were going to say it was roid rage, 330 00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:05,520 Speaker 1: He just knew it. Either way, the tourist who took 331 00:22:05,600 --> 00:22:07,800 Speaker 1: the brunt of the beating would end up needing seventeen 332 00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:11,720 Speaker 1: stitches in his shop. The guy pressed charges. Even after 333 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:14,760 Speaker 1: Jose was released from jail later that evening, and even 334 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:17,600 Speaker 1: after he went to trial and lost, he maintained that 335 00:22:17,640 --> 00:22:19,719 Speaker 1: the guy tried to reach up his date skirt and 336 00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:22,560 Speaker 1: got what was coming to him. He also claimed that 337 00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:25,840 Speaker 1: his brother did all the pummeling. Jose knew that no 338 00:22:25,880 --> 00:22:28,880 Speaker 1: matter what actually happened that night, the bloodsuckers would try 339 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:31,960 Speaker 1: to milk him dry in court, just like the fans 340 00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:35,160 Speaker 1: who heckled him endlessly, the tabloids that jumped on every 341 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:38,159 Speaker 1: story involving him, and just like the league and the 342 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:40,480 Speaker 1: teams that brushed him off because they thought he carried 343 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:44,639 Speaker 1: too much baggage. Jose Canseco knew he was an easy 344 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:48,280 Speaker 1: target and that was nothing new. What he didn't know 345 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:50,920 Speaker 1: was that he had played his final Major League Baseball 346 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:53,160 Speaker 1: game just a month prior to that Halloween in two 347 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:57,480 Speaker 1: thousand and one. From the judges perspective, Jose Canseco was 348 00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:00,159 Speaker 1: out of control and he needed to be realed. In 349 00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:04,480 Speaker 1: the event of the Miami Nightclub earned Jose court mandated 350 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:08,399 Speaker 1: anger management courses as well as community service, and he 351 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:12,080 Speaker 1: skipped out on both. The next year, he failed to 352 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:15,919 Speaker 1: make the Montreal Expos opening day roster, and then another 353 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:20,080 Speaker 1: blow when he violated his probation by testing positive for steroids, 354 00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:23,000 Speaker 1: a test he claimed was a blatant set up by 355 00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:26,919 Speaker 1: Major League Baseball. He was intentionally busted because the powers 356 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:29,240 Speaker 1: that be didn't want him back in the game. At 357 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:32,560 Speaker 1: least in his mind, that's what happened, and that probation 358 00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:35,639 Speaker 1: violation was just another part of a downward spiral that 359 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:38,080 Speaker 1: bottomed out in two thousand and three with a stint 360 00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:41,639 Speaker 1: in Broward County jail. His defense said the failed drug 361 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:46,360 Speaker 1: test was a medical issue, that he was addicted to steroids. Addicted. 362 00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:51,280 Speaker 1: There was no sympathy for the so called godfather of steroids. 363 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:56,720 Speaker 1: Jose Canseco received a two month sentence. This was in 364 00:23:56,760 --> 00:23:59,440 Speaker 1: two thousand and three, and if two thousand and three 365 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:02,639 Speaker 1: was the floor, then two thousand and four was the 366 00:24:02,720 --> 00:24:06,600 Speaker 1: sub basement. Jose Canseco attended an open tryout for the 367 00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:09,720 Speaker 1: LA Dodgers and was offered nothing. He knew he could 368 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:12,359 Speaker 1: still play and contribute to a big league ball club, 369 00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:15,639 Speaker 1: but now he couldn't even get on a roster boxed 370 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:18,199 Speaker 1: out by the league. That made him or maybe he 371 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:20,200 Speaker 1: was simply a thirty six year old with a body 372 00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:25,680 Speaker 1: that was constantly breaking down. Regardless, he was pissed why 373 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:28,199 Speaker 1: because he was only doing what eighty five percent of 374 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:31,879 Speaker 1: the league was also doing. Everyone was on steroids. It 375 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:34,960 Speaker 1: helped with recovery time. It made the game more exciting, 376 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:38,600 Speaker 1: and that's what the league wanted, right. Better TV ratings, 377 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:43,159 Speaker 1: better ticket sales, better entertainment. Steroids helped make all that happen. 378 00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:47,359 Speaker 1: And as the Los Angeles reporters swarmed Jose Canseco after 379 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:50,880 Speaker 1: his Dodgers trial asking questions about his ability to pass 380 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:54,200 Speaker 1: a drug test, about how many players might be fellow users, 381 00:24:54,800 --> 00:25:01,240 Speaker 1: he had only one response. Read the book. The book 382 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:06,879 Speaker 1: Juiced Wild, Times, Rampant Roids, Smash Hits and How Baseball 383 00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:10,040 Speaker 1: Got Big was released to great interest in two thousand 384 00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:14,840 Speaker 1: and five. The autobiography followed Jose Canseco's rise from just 385 00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:19,320 Speaker 1: another kid in Cuba to a certified megastar in professional sports, 386 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:23,359 Speaker 1: and it covered a wide swath of his personal life. 387 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:25,960 Speaker 1: It lives up to the hype of a celebrity pened account, 388 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:29,080 Speaker 1: with the scales heavily tipped, of course, toward Jose himself. 389 00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:34,640 Speaker 1: Most importantly, the book revealed the truth about steroids, first 390 00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:37,760 Speaker 1: all about how they could actually improve the game if 391 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:41,760 Speaker 1: used correctly, and second all about the players Jose said 392 00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:46,280 Speaker 1: were taking them names. This book wasn't just a vehicle 393 00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:48,919 Speaker 1: to share a vision of super athletes spelting dingers and 394 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:52,399 Speaker 1: creating a breakneck pace of offense. It was a means 395 00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:54,960 Speaker 1: for Jose Canseco to get even with the league that 396 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:57,560 Speaker 1: he'd given seventeen years of his life to and that 397 00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:01,440 Speaker 1: he now felt was giving him nothing. He called out 398 00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:07,720 Speaker 1: star players including Mark McGuire, Rafael Palmo, Jason Giambi, Sammy Sosa, 399 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:11,840 Speaker 1: and Yvonne Rodriguez. He claimed the MLB was dirty and 400 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,160 Speaker 1: had been for a long time. People bought the book 401 00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:18,200 Speaker 1: and now they were asking questions, what if Jose Kenseko 402 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:23,320 Speaker 1: was actually telling the truth. A month later, he found 403 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:26,720 Speaker 1: himself center stage at a congressional hearing broadcast live by 404 00:26:26,760 --> 00:26:32,679 Speaker 1: c SPAN. He sat apart from his former colleagues McGuire, Palmeo, Sosa, 405 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:36,200 Speaker 1: Kurt Shilling. They all denounced steroids and claimed there was 406 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:39,120 Speaker 1: no place in the game for them. The first three 407 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:43,280 Speaker 1: denied Konseko's accusations that they were culpable, which meant that 408 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:49,320 Speaker 1: Jose Canseco was lying. But months later, Rafael Palmaro tested 409 00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:53,000 Speaker 1: positive for performance enhancing drugs. He said it was a 410 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:56,840 Speaker 1: B twelve supplement, but was nevertheless suspended. Two thousand and 411 00:26:56,880 --> 00:27:00,399 Speaker 1: five would be his final season. Four years later, in 412 00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:03,159 Speaker 1: two thousand and nine, the MLB revealed a list of 413 00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:06,080 Speaker 1: players who had tested positive for steroids in two thousand 414 00:27:06,080 --> 00:27:10,200 Speaker 1: and three and Sammy Sosa was on that list. In 415 00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:14,639 Speaker 1: twenty ten, Mark maguire admitted using steroids during his playing 416 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:18,160 Speaker 1: days in years after he was dragged through the mud 417 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:21,400 Speaker 1: in front of the entire world. It seemed Jose Canseco 418 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:25,760 Speaker 1: was getting some vindication, but before that could happen, there 419 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:29,240 Speaker 1: was still the specter of the juice that haunted him. 420 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:32,800 Speaker 1: He couldn't escape it. It was a constant source of 421 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:36,200 Speaker 1: questioning during his playing days, and it was a scandal 422 00:27:36,320 --> 00:27:41,239 Speaker 1: just after Jose Canseco became synonymous with the stuff, and 423 00:27:41,320 --> 00:27:44,600 Speaker 1: it soon became clear just how much the drug had 424 00:27:44,640 --> 00:28:15,560 Speaker 1: consumed his life. Two thousand and eight, San Diego, Jose 425 00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:20,120 Speaker 1: Canseco tapped the steering wheel of his BMW. His eyes twitched. 426 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:22,879 Speaker 1: He was as high, strong as he'd never been in 427 00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:25,360 Speaker 1: the batter's box, ready to turn on a ninety five 428 00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:28,840 Speaker 1: mile per hour heater and go yard. But this anticipation 429 00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:32,520 Speaker 1: had nothing to do with hitting a baseball. The anxiety 430 00:28:32,560 --> 00:28:34,840 Speaker 1: that was starting to set in was a direct result 431 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:37,880 Speaker 1: of the agents combing through the other cars around him, 432 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:41,640 Speaker 1: their trained dog searching for the slightest stench of something illegal. 433 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:45,440 Speaker 1: Just a few years removed from his latest legal entaglement, 434 00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:50,040 Speaker 1: Jose Canseco couldn't afford another bust. He leaned his foot 435 00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:51,719 Speaker 1: on the gas as the car in front of him 436 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:55,160 Speaker 1: rolled on, grimacing in pain as he did so. His 437 00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:58,280 Speaker 1: knee was killing him. He couldn't wait to get past 438 00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:01,760 Speaker 1: the inspection booth over the border back into the States. 439 00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:05,000 Speaker 1: He also couldn't wait to get the contents of those 440 00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:07,600 Speaker 1: vials he had tucked safely away in his car into 441 00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:13,160 Speaker 1: his body, thus delivering some much needed sweet relief. The 442 00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:16,640 Speaker 1: jelly'd been using did absolutely nothing for him. He had 443 00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:19,240 Speaker 1: enough experience with chemicals to know that this new shit 444 00:29:19,280 --> 00:29:21,840 Speaker 1: would mellow out the pain, and not just in his 445 00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:26,040 Speaker 1: knee either, because Jose Canseco was bruised and battered in 446 00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:31,160 Speaker 1: more waste than one. By this point in two thousand 447 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:34,480 Speaker 1: and eight, taxes and divorce proceedings had carved out such 448 00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:36,760 Speaker 1: a large chunk of his finances that he'd had to 449 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:40,400 Speaker 1: foreclothes on his house earlier in the year. In March 450 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:43,760 Speaker 1: of that same year, his assault on the MLB continued 451 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:49,560 Speaker 1: with a second book, calling out even more superstars Alex Rodriguez, Maglio, Ordonias, 452 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:53,880 Speaker 1: Roger Clemens. All that got him was further alienation from 453 00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:57,000 Speaker 1: the men he'd once shared the field with. In May, 454 00:29:57,440 --> 00:30:01,720 Speaker 1: he challenged a former NFL player, foot nine Vi Sikahema 455 00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:04,240 Speaker 1: to a fight, and Vi came in hot with a 456 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:07,040 Speaker 1: left hook that put Konseco on his ass, and as 457 00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:09,520 Speaker 1: soon as Konseco got back up, Vi went at him again, 458 00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:12,920 Speaker 1: his two fists like a flesh tornado, and Konseko was 459 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:16,880 Speaker 1: knocked out in the first round. And in October, A 460 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:20,560 Speaker 1: and E released a documentary detailing jose Canseco's struggles to 461 00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:23,400 Speaker 1: get off steroids, at which he showed remorse for the 462 00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:28,160 Speaker 1: way he'd exposed fellow players. Revenge didn't wind up happening 463 00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:31,800 Speaker 1: the way jose Canseco imagined it would. The only revenge 464 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:35,680 Speaker 1: that was successfully carried out was by the juice. Twenty 465 00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:39,920 Speaker 1: years of steroid use had ravaged jose Canseco's body, a 466 00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:44,160 Speaker 1: body that wasn't producing testosterone anymore. Pile that problem on 467 00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:45,920 Speaker 1: top of the mountain a shitt he was dealing with 468 00:30:45,960 --> 00:30:48,800 Speaker 1: in an all amounted to just a deeper and deeper depression. 469 00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:53,040 Speaker 1: He needed proper chemical intervention. Whether he knew it or not. 470 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:56,280 Speaker 1: That kind of thing was illegal without a prescription, and 471 00:30:56,360 --> 00:30:59,840 Speaker 1: a prescription from a proper doctor would take forever. SI. 472 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:02,960 Speaker 1: Who the hell was going to give Jose Canseco a 473 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:07,080 Speaker 1: script for steroids. He didn't have time to wait. He 474 00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:09,800 Speaker 1: had to get right, so he had to go international. 475 00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:14,240 Speaker 1: And the laws in Mexico are, let's just say a 476 00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:18,920 Speaker 1: little more relaxed when it comes to drugs, specifically fertility drugs, 477 00:31:19,520 --> 00:31:24,480 Speaker 1: and that's what Jose Canseka was looking for. Human choreonic gandodotripin. 478 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:27,680 Speaker 1: Did I say that correctly? I'm not even sure. It's 479 00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:31,600 Speaker 1: typically used to help produce progesterone during pregnancy, but it 480 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:35,880 Speaker 1: also helps increase testosterone, which is what Jose needed. It 481 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:38,920 Speaker 1: was available at a pharmacy just over the border in Tijuana. 482 00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:42,280 Speaker 1: Within a few hours, Jose hit the pharmacy and he 483 00:31:42,360 --> 00:31:44,440 Speaker 1: was on his way back north with six vials of 484 00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:48,160 Speaker 1: Sweet Salvation in his whip and at the inspection booth, 485 00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:51,080 Speaker 1: he threw his car into park and handed over his license. 486 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:55,560 Speaker 1: The border patrol officers smile widened. He looked at the 487 00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:59,120 Speaker 1: picture and then back at the giant man in the BMW, 488 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:05,400 Speaker 1: Jose Canseco. The officer told Jose to step out of 489 00:32:05,440 --> 00:32:08,720 Speaker 1: the vehicle, and then the US Border patrol went to 490 00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:15,240 Speaker 1: work for Jose. This was a devastating swing and miss. 491 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:19,720 Speaker 1: After finding the vials of hCG, a Schedule three drug 492 00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:23,400 Speaker 1: banned by the World Anti Doping Agency and without proper prescription, 493 00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:28,200 Speaker 1: no less, the officers placed Jose Entertainment. He sat there 494 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:32,240 Speaker 1: for nearly ten hours negotiating his next steps, and was 495 00:32:32,280 --> 00:32:35,480 Speaker 1: only released when he signed a waiver allowing ICE agents 496 00:32:35,520 --> 00:32:39,200 Speaker 1: to search his LA home. It was hard not to 497 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:42,040 Speaker 1: feel like a target. It was hard not to be 498 00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:45,520 Speaker 1: bitter and angry that he was being persecuted for transporting 499 00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:49,040 Speaker 1: what his lawyer would later call an incredibly harmless drug 500 00:32:49,080 --> 00:32:53,240 Speaker 1: that was intended only for personal use. Jose Canseco was 501 00:32:53,320 --> 00:32:59,560 Speaker 1: out of options. He pleaded guilty. Another court appearance, another probation, 502 00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:03,840 Speaker 1: another headline. The hall of fame career that Jose Canseco 503 00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:06,160 Speaker 1: had once approached on the Diamond was matched by a 504 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:09,440 Speaker 1: hall of shame career off of it. In the years 505 00:33:09,480 --> 00:33:13,680 Speaker 1: since the bust, he continued his celebrity boxing career, tried 506 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:18,120 Speaker 1: his hand at MMA, appeared on Celebrity Apprentice, played his 507 00:33:18,200 --> 00:33:22,280 Speaker 1: way onto various minor league baseball rosters, petitioned for jobs 508 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:25,000 Speaker 1: in the big leagues, on Twitter and was banned by 509 00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:27,840 Speaker 1: a Mexican league for refusing to take a drug test. 510 00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:31,800 Speaker 1: He made public displays of apology to his former Bash brother, 511 00:33:31,840 --> 00:33:36,840 Speaker 1: Mark Maguire, wrote columns for Vice magazine and eventually opened 512 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:39,600 Speaker 1: a car wash in Las Vegas, where he still signs 513 00:33:39,640 --> 00:33:44,320 Speaker 1: autographs on Wednesdays. Jose Canseco doesn't know how to be 514 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:49,560 Speaker 1: anyone but jose Canseco. He can't slow down, always taking 515 00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:53,720 Speaker 1: a lead that's way too big, always running early, always 516 00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:56,160 Speaker 1: daring people to pick him off, to throw them out. 517 00:33:57,080 --> 00:33:59,480 Speaker 1: And if they get him once, well that's why you 518 00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:02,680 Speaker 1: play nine, isn't it. They get a shot at redemption 519 00:34:02,800 --> 00:34:09,680 Speaker 1: before you leave the game. Total disgrace. I'm Jake Brennan 520 00:34:10,440 --> 00:34:27,080 Speaker 1: and this is Disgraceland. Disgraceland was created by Yours Truly 521 00:34:27,120 --> 00:34:30,279 Speaker 1: and is produced in partnership with Double Elvis. Credits for 522 00:34:30,320 --> 00:34:32,640 Speaker 1: this episode can be found on the show notes page 523 00:34:32,680 --> 00:34:36,600 Speaker 1: at disgracelampod dot com. If you're listening as a Disgraceland 524 00:34:36,640 --> 00:34:39,359 Speaker 1: All Access member, thank you for supporting the show. We 525 00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:42,040 Speaker 1: really appreciate it, and if not, you can become a 526 00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:45,800 Speaker 1: member right now by going to disgracelampod dot com slash 527 00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:50,760 Speaker 1: Membership members can listen to every episode of Disgraceland ad free, 528 00:34:50,920 --> 00:34:54,440 Speaker 1: Plus you'll get one brand new exclusive episode every month, 529 00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:58,960 Speaker 1: weekly unscripted bonus episodes, special audio collections, in early access 530 00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:03,880 Speaker 1: to merchandise in events. Visit disgracelampod dot com slash membership 531 00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:06,600 Speaker 1: for details, rate and review the show, and follow us 532 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:10,640 Speaker 1: on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook at disgracelampod and on 533 00:35:10,680 --> 00:35:15,839 Speaker 1: YouTube at YouTube dot com slash at Disgracelampod. Rock a Roller, 534 00:35:19,280 --> 00:35:20,839 Speaker 1: He've a bed down man,