Canseco Alleges He Injected McGwire With Steroids

Jose Canseco says in his upcoming book that he injected Mark McGwire with steroids and introduced several other sluggers to the drugs, the New York Daily News reported Sunday.

The book, “Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big,” is scheduled for release by Regan Books on Feb. 21.

Parent company HarperCollins posted a book description on its website that said Canseco “made himself a guinea pig of the performance-enhancing drugs.”

The Daily News did not quote from the book and said it was still being edited. The newspaper would not say how it got the information. Canseco did not respond to an e-mail from Associated Press.

Canseco said he, McGwire and Jason Giambi shot steroids together in a bathroom stall at the Oakland Coliseum, the Daily News reported. McGwire has always denied using steroids.

“I have always told the truth, and I am saddened I continue to face this line of questioning,” McGwire told the newspaper.

A spokesman for McGwire, reached Sunday by The Times, said the slugger would reserve further comment until he had a chance to review the book.

Canseco said he introduced Texas teammates Rafael Palmeiro, Ivan Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez to steroids after being traded to the Rangers in 1992, and that President Bush, the Rangers’ general managing partner at the time, must have known about the steroid use.

White House spokesman Trent Duffy did not specifically address Canseco’s assertion but said Sunday that Bush’s position on steroids “has been known for some time,” noting that he condemned the drugs in his 2004 State of the Union address.