Canseco to sue baseball, union

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Jun 17, 2009 | by Anonymous

Jose Canseco plans to file a class-action lawsuit against Major League Baseball and the players' association, saying he's been ostracized for going public with tales of steroids use in the sport.

Canseco said Wednesday that he has discussed the suit with lawyers and intends to enlist Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro to join in the suit.

Canseco said the basis of the suit would be "lost wages -- in some cases, defamation of character."

"Because I used steroids and I came out with a book, I was kicked out of the game, but I have not been inducted into the Hall of Fame," Canseco said in a telephone interview.

"A lot of these players have not been inducted into the Hall of Fame: Mark McGwire and so forth. They're losing salaries, because obviously when you're inducted into the Hall of Fame, you get asked to do certain, you know, appearances and shows and so forth, which incorporates income. So there is a major income loss. "

The 1986 AL Rookie of the Year and 1988 AL MVP, Canseco hit 462 home runs from 1985-2001 and currently is 32nd on the career list. In books published in 2005 and last year, he detailed steroids use by himself and others.

Whether a judge would think Canseco has a case -- and would even allow it to go to a jury -- remains to be seen.

Blue Jays: Ace Roy Halladay is headed to the disabled list. The Blue Jays plan to put Halladay and closer Scott Downs on the DL today, further depleting their injury-riddled pitching staff. Right- hander Casey Janssen was placed on the 15-day DL before Wednesday's game against the Phillies. Left-hander Brad Mills was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas to take Janssen's spot, and he is slated to make his major league debut at Philadelphia today. Halladay strained his right groin last Friday. Downs strained his big left toe during Tuesday's 8-3 victory. He was injured while swinging at a pitch. Janssen has inflammation in his surgically repaired shoulder.

All-Star Game: Cardinals manager Tony La Russa will join Dodgers manager Joe Torre as a National League coach for next month's All- Star Game in St. Louis. Torre said last month he had been selected by Philadelphia's Charlie Manuel, the NL manager. AL manager Joe Maddon of Tampa Bay picked Kansas City's Trey Hillman and Seattle's Don Wakamatsu of Hayward as his coaches, the commissioner's office said. The game is July 14.

Yankees: Manager Joe Girardi held firm, leaving Derek Jeter out of the starting lineup despite the shortstop's insistence that his sore left ankle was fine. Jeter came out of New York's 5-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night after seven innings. His MRI on Wednesday was fine, but Girardi opted to hold him out.

Mariners: The team has placed starting pitcher Erik Bedard on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder inflammation.

Astros: The team placed left-hander Mike Hampton on the 15-day disabled list with a left groin strain.

Rangers: Shortstop Omar Vizquel has matched Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio for the most hits by a player from Venezuela. Vizquel got his 2,677th career hit with a single in the fifth inning against the Astros.

Etc.: In Fort Worth, Texas, former major league outfielder Mel Hall, 48, was sentenced to 45 years in prison after being convicted of raping a 12-year-old girl he coached on an elite basketball team.