Juiced : Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Sports & Outdoors
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Sports & Outdoors
Book Type: Paperback
Rick M. reviewed on + 4 more book reviews
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is highly entertaining and insightful. It is not expertly written by any means, but it serves the point he tries to make. Since - over time - he has been vindicated in his claims its a revealing book. However, he often contradicts himself, which leads the reader to seriously question his judgment. Nonetheless, it exposes the many perversions of modern major league baseball. Because of that, I WOULD NOT call it a "must read" for any baseball fan. Some of the realities of the game today are so disappointing. This book explains those.
Reading this several years after its original publish date allows the doubts cast on its legitimacy to be wiped out. Every single player Canseco "outed" in this book originally called him a liar only to later confess. Mark McGwire's admission being the most recent. Seeing this made me read the book through a new lens.
In this book he's an unabashed proponent of steroids in this book. While he failed to convince me they're the right thing, he helped me gain a greater understanding for why just about everyone did/does it. He has since changed his tune about the benefits of roids. There's a fantastic documentary of him on A&E Biography that demonstrates how far and hard he's fallen and what the roids are finally doing to destroy his body. As such it and the book are excellent cautionary tales.
The book is also enjoyable because he provides insights to other aspects of the game not normally visible to the public.
As noted, he often contradicts himself, which makes swallowing some of his claims on racism, bias, steroid benefits, and his being blacklisted tough. However, since everyone else he implicates are all clearly liars themselves, it leaves you thinking they're all a bunch of scumbags and none of them are to be believed.
As a huge baseball fan, I actually feel better reading this book. Its helped me invest less emotionally in the game and to very simply appreciate it only for what it is...a game. Leave the business to everyone else.
Reading this several years after its original publish date allows the doubts cast on its legitimacy to be wiped out. Every single player Canseco "outed" in this book originally called him a liar only to later confess. Mark McGwire's admission being the most recent. Seeing this made me read the book through a new lens.
In this book he's an unabashed proponent of steroids in this book. While he failed to convince me they're the right thing, he helped me gain a greater understanding for why just about everyone did/does it. He has since changed his tune about the benefits of roids. There's a fantastic documentary of him on A&E Biography that demonstrates how far and hard he's fallen and what the roids are finally doing to destroy his body. As such it and the book are excellent cautionary tales.
The book is also enjoyable because he provides insights to other aspects of the game not normally visible to the public.
As noted, he often contradicts himself, which makes swallowing some of his claims on racism, bias, steroid benefits, and his being blacklisted tough. However, since everyone else he implicates are all clearly liars themselves, it leaves you thinking they're all a bunch of scumbags and none of them are to be believed.
As a huge baseball fan, I actually feel better reading this book. Its helped me invest less emotionally in the game and to very simply appreciate it only for what it is...a game. Leave the business to everyone else.
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