Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Details Emerge from Canseco & the Feds

New details are emerging from Jose Canseco's meeting two weeks ago with Jeff Novitzky and other federal investigators, per the NYT. The meeting was a result of the perjury investigation of Roger Clemens. One of the details, besides whether current and former MLB'ers were shooting roids, revolved around whether or not Canseco sought money from various players before the release of his latest book, "Vindicated".



Previously it was reported in January by the NYT that Canseco sought money from only Magglio Ordóñez in order not to be in the book. Major League Baseball and the agent for Detroit Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordóñez alerted the FBI last summer of Ordóñez’s concerns that Canseco was seeking to get him to invest in a movie project in exchange for not naming him in the upcoming book. Per Ordóñez's request, federal investigators did not open an investigation. Needless to say, in "Vindicated", Ordóñez takes the spike from Jose. Ordóñez has declined to comment on any of the allegations in the matter.



As for A-Rod, Novitzky asked about "Max" aka Joseph Dion, the trainer Jose introduced A-Rod to and allegedly started him on the program. Dion has denied that claim and has said A-Rod did not use roids while the two were working together. Novitzky inquired about three other trainers from FL. Canseco said he did not know any of the three; A-Rod knows and is friends with two of the three. A-Rod again claimed that he has nothing to hide.



Canseco's lawyer, Greg S. Emerson, became concerned when Novitzky advised that he heard that Canseco had approached a number of players about investing in a movie project as Canseco was working on his second book about baseball and performance-enhancing drugs.



Emerson believes investigators may be declaring “open season on the messenger,” meaning Canseco.


“I don’t know if that is happening, but that is what it looks like is happening and I don’t like that one bit,” he said.



Allegedly shaking down only one guy is just not plausible for Jose. With all your post career baseball moves you've made, with the exception of blowing the cover of the roids era, you would not shake down just one former teammate. Where there's smoke, there's fire and every cliche you want to throw at it. You knew if one guy bit and paid for this "movie project", others would do the same. I can't wait to get some popcorn and see what flick the the guys who didn't want to be ratted out financed.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The guy who had his house foreclosed is making a movie. Brilliant!