Clear the Decks, Canseco is Back

As the brashest Bash Brother, Jose Canseco drove his expensive cars fast, leading to more than one run-in with the law. He had a menagerie that some zoos would have envied. He hobnobbed with the stars.

And he hit home runs. Lots of them. Punishing smacks that almost knocked the cow hide off the ball. With fellow Bash Brother Mark McGwire, Canseco took the Oakland A’s on a giddy ride 10 years ago.

But when McGwire captivated the country with his 70 home runs last season, Canseco wasn’t even an afterthought. Sure, he had a career-high 46 homers, but they were the quietest he’d ever hit.

Well, clear the upper decks and break out the extra balls. Less than a month into the season, Canseco is back.

With a major league best 10 home runs going into the weekend, he had twice as many as that other guy in St. Louis. Does he even have a shot at McGwire’s record?

“No way,” said Canseco, who signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the offseason as a free agent. “Only a robot like McGwire can do that. I don’t think people understand how difficult it was to do what he did. To hit 70 home runs, you guys can’t even fathom how difficult that is.

“To continue that kind of pace? No way. I don’t even think about it.”

OK, so maybe this isn’t the same Jose Canseco who once had his own 900 number. Two months shy of his 35th birthday, Canseco still looks like a more handsome version of the Incredible Hulk with his barrel chest and bulging arms. But he’s wised up.

He looks at his 400-plus home runs and knows he could have another 150 if not for injuries. He wants 600 homers, something only three other players have done, and he knows he probably has just four or five seasons to get there. He knows talent will carry him only so far, that he has to stay healthy to accomplish anything.

And he knows every decision he makes will affect the 2 1/2-year-old daughter he adores.

“I think he’s come to terms with who he is and what his career means to him and what, probably, life is all about in a lot of ways,” Devil Rays manager Larry Rothschild said.

“A lot was thrown at Jose in a short period of time. That doesn’t mean some of the behavior is acceptable, but there are reasons for it at times. Like I said, I think he’s come to terms with a lot of it and gotten past a lot of it.”

Canseco, who was born in Cuba but grew up in Miami, was called up to the Oakland A’s on Sept. 2, 1985. One week later, he hit his first major league home run.

He hit 33 homers and drove in 117 runs the following year, gaudy totals for anyone, let alone a rookie. His RBIs were second-best in the AL and he was fourth in homers, earning him rookie of the year honors.

In 1988, Canseco led the majors with 42 home runs and 124 RBIs, and he was a unanimous choice as MVP. He became the first player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases, and he led the A’s to the first of three straight AL pennants.

Oakland won the World Series in 1989, but it was Canseco’s homer in Game 4 of the ALCS that stands out. He put Mike Flanagan’s pitch in the upper deck of Toronto’s SkyDome, some 480 feet away, a place where no ball had ever gone before.

“The fifth deck in Toronto--that’s right up there with all of them,” said Wade Boggs, one of Canseco’s teammates on the Devil Rays. “When he connects with the ball, you really can’t imagine the leather and the twine going that far.”

Canseco hit a total of 231 homers with the A’s from 1985-92, and had five seasons with more than 30 homers.

He was just as lively off the field. He was arrested for having a gun in his car at a hospital, and was cited several times for driving violations, such as speeding.

He bashed the car of his former wife, Esther, and had a rendezvous with Madonna. He once brought a large land tortoise into the Oakland clubhouse, and drew complaints from his neighbors because of his unusual pets.

“You guys made me bigger than life,” Canseco said. “I didn’t say you made it all up. I’d say there were some additions. I’d say some things were blown out of proportion.

“I’ve made mistakes, that’s true,” he added. “But for years and years and years and years, it’s always written in the media, ‘Jose’s having a great year, but ... .’ I’m responsible for my mistakes, but how long do you have to go on paying for them?”

Canseco was traded to the Texas Rangers in 1992, and the injuries began soon after. He blew out his elbow in 1993 and needed reconstructive surgery. He spent months on the disabled season in 1995, 1996 and 1997, mostly with back problems.

After three major operations in five years, Canseco admits he was tempted to retire.

“Being a competitor, you’ve always got to give yourself that last chance,” he said.