Synopses & Reviews
When Jose Canseco burst into the Major Leagues in the 1980s, he changed the sport in more ways than one. No player before him possessed his mixture of speed and power, which allowed him to become the first man in history to belt more than forty home runs and swipe more than forty bases in the same season. He won Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, and a World Series ring.
Canseco shattered the mold of the out-of-shape baseball player and ushered in a new era of superathletes who looked like bodybuilders, made outrageous salaries, and enjoyed rock-star lifestyles. And the ticket for this ride? Steroids. Behind the gaudy stats and the glamour of his public life, Canseco cultivated a secret just about everyone in MLB knew about, one that would alter the game of baseball and the way we view our heroes forever. Canseco made himself a guinea pig of the performance-enhancing drugs that were only just beginning to infiltrate the American underground. Anabolic steroids, human growth hormones Canseco mixed, matched, and experimented to such a degree that he became known throughout the league as "The Chemist." He passed his knowledge on to trainers and fellow players, and before long, performance-enhancing drugs were running rampant throughout Major League Baseball. Sluggers scooping up pitches at their ankles and blasting them out of the park, pitchers cranking fastballs inning after inning Canseco showed the players how to customize their doses to sculpt the bodies they wanted, and baseball as we know it was the result.
Synopsis
One of the most electrifying and controversial athletes ever to step onto the baseball diamond shares outrageous tales of sex, drugs, and hard partying in the major leagues as well as a never-before-seen look at baseball's dark secret: steroids.
Synopsis
The #1 New York Times Bestseller
In Juiced, Jose Canseco, one of the most electrifying and controversial athletes ever to step onto the baseball diamond, shares the untold story of his rise to fame and fall from grace, including a never-before-seen look behind the curtains into the history, dangers, truths, and lies about baseball's dark secret: steroids.
When Jose Canseco burst into the Major Leagues in the 1980s, he changed the sport--in more ways than one. No player before him possessed his mixture of speed and power, which allowed him to become the first man in history to belt 40+ home runs and swipe 40+ bases in the same season. He won the Rookie of the Year, the MVP award, and a World Series ring.
He was a dynamo on the field, and a magnet for trouble off it. From his frequent run-ins with police, to his wild and often highly public love life, Canseco broke the mold of the big-time athlete and ushered in a new era of super-athletes with outrageous salaries and rock-star lifestyles. But behind the gaudy stats and the glitz and glamour of his public life, Canseco cultivated a dark secret, one that would alter the game of baseball and the way we view our heroes forever. Canseco made himself a guinea pig of the blossoming performance-enhancing drugs movement that was only just beginning to take hold in Major League Baseball. Anabolic steroids, human growth hormones--Canseco mixed, matched, and experimented to such a degree that he became known throughout the league as "The Chemist." He passed his knowledge on to trainers and fellow players, and before long performance-enhancing drugs were running rampant throughout the league.
Today, this issue has crept out of the closet and burst into the headlines as players balloon to herculean proportions and hundred-year-old records are not just broken, but demolished. In this shocking autobiography, Canseco sheds light on a life of dizzying highs and debilitating lows--and also provides the answers to questions about steroids and the Major Leagues that millions of sports fans are only now beginning to ask.
Synopsis
With fresh (and sober) eyes, Dwight Gooden, who tallied a mountain of strikeouts while leading the 1986 bad-boy New York Mets to a World Series win, shares the most intimate moments of his successes and failures, from endless self-destructive drug binges to three World Series rings.
Synopsis
A brutally honest memoir of talent, addiction, and recovery from one of the greatest baseball pitchers of all time. As a shy nineteen-year-old, Dwight Gooden swept into New York, lifting a team of crazy characters to World Series greatness and giving a beleaguered city a reason to believe. Then he threw it all away.
Now, with fresh and sober eyes, the Mets beloved Dr. K shares the intimate details of his life and career, revealing all the extraordinary highs and lows: The hidden traumas in his close-knit Tampa family. The thrill and pressure of being a young baseball phenom in New York. The raucous days and nights with the Mets bad boys (and the real reason he missed the 1986 World Series Victory Parade). The self-destructive drug binges and the three World Series rings. His heartbreaking attempts at getting sober, the senseless damage to family and friends, and the unexpected way he finally saved his life—on VH1s Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.
In Doc, Gooden details his close friendships with many of baseballs greats: Pete Rose, George Streinbrenner, Joe Torre, and nephew Gary Sheffield. For the first time ever, he reveals the full story of his troubled relationship with fellow Mets superstar Darryl Strawberry. And he tells the moving story of the Yankees no-hitter he pitched for his dying father. Doc is a riveting baseball memoir by one of the games most fascinating figures, and an inspiring story for anyone who has faced tough challenges in life.
About the Author
Jose Canseco was born in Havana, Cuba, and immigrated to Miami in the 1970s. After being drafted by the Oakland Athletics, he went on to win Rookie of the Year, the American League MVP Award, and a World Series ring. In all, he played for seven different teams and ended his baseball career with a total of 462 home runs. Today, Canseco lives a quiet life in California with his daughter, Josie.
Table of Contents
Parade Rest vii
PART 1: DREAMING
Whose Dream 3
Dark Side 12
Young Phenom 21
Getting There 35
PART II: PLAYING
Rookie Season 47
Cy Season 60
Party Time 70
Series Season 78
Off-Season 91
PART III: HURTING
Dusting Off 109
Burning Out 115
Sliding Back 125
Suicide Squeeze 140
No-Hitter 151
Pushing It 159
Some Dad 172
Behind Bars 182
High Low 193
Room Service 203
PART IV: SAVING MY LIFE
Fame Game 213
Candid Camera 221
Cast-Offs 227
Show Time 236
Staying Strong 247
Judgment Day 253
Ready Steady 262
Why Now? 269
Forward March 276