Jose Canseco Memories - 1995 and 1996

The following memories were submitted in 1995 and 1996. To read other years' submissions, return to the Jose Canseco Memories Page or check of the memories that were submitted in 1997, 1998, or 1999.

Congrats to Mike Campers for submitting the first story to this page on 12/13/95. Mike writes:
Having lived in the Bay Area my entire life, I've had the pleasure of meeting Jose Canseco twice. The first encounter took place at a local (Oakland) restaraunt where Jose was dining with Reggie Jackson. Jose was cordial, and took the time to sign a few autographs even though he was eating. The second encounter happened at the Oakland Marriot (the hotel of visiting MLB teams). Jose was at the time an Oakland A, and he approached myself and some friends (all my friends are A's fans... poor fools) and jokingly asked why they would let a BoSox fan sit with them. He spent about 15 or so minutes talking with us then left to talk to some other people. Ironically as you well know, 3 years later he became a BoSox. Sure am glad he was resigned - he and MO are a lethal combination when they are not in the playoffs. Here's hoping next year we go all the WAY!

Jason Senti of Grand Forks, ND writes:
I have be a Canseco fan ever since I can remember. I don't even know why. My dad is a big baseball fan, but he has always liked the Braves. He thinks I am a fool for liking him. Only one person I know even sorta likes him. I will never hear the end of it from my relatives. I used to have American Online (what a rip-off!) and I started a Red Sox fan chatroom. Only one person ever came to it, and he hated Canseco (big Clemens fan). I was amazed when I found a Canseco memories site. Most Red Sox fans I know just say "Well, I guess its nice to have that spoiled brat on the team if he'll hit home-runs." I have only been to 6 games that he played in. Unfortunately, I never brought a camera. I saw a game in '90 where he and McGwire hit back-to-back homers, and a game in '91 where he hit 2 home-runs. I am not sure when, but during one game against the Twins, I saw a fan throw toilet paper at him causing him to drop a fly ball. I have tried but have never met him. I have posters galore and almost anything with him on it. I go to your site almost every day.

Lisa Fisher of Byars, OK tells us:
I love Jose Canseco. I swear I am his biggest fan. I'm an eighteen year old female from Byars, Ok. I attend college at a nearby town, Ada. I attend East Central University. Ever since seventh grade, I have been totally in love with Jose. The first card I ever collected was of him and Mark McGwire. He is a great athlete, not to mention how good looking he is. I have around 100 cards of him. I actually have more, but they are copies of ones I already have. I have never attended a game, but I watch every game on television when aired. I almost went to one of his games when he played for the Rangers, but I never got to. I hope he gets back to his old self and start doing better, but no matter who puts him down I will always be by his side.

Gary Wilburn writes:
I am a huge Jose Canseco fan. I have been collecting his cards for about eight or nine years now and I gladly boast a wide collection of 1884 total cards, 476 of which are different ones. I dream of meeting him, but I am only 16, so that prospect is somewhat out of reach. I think it is great that there are others out there who like Canseco as much as I do. He is a great player and we are all going to cash in when he hits 60 or more homers, something he can undoubtedly do. Please correspond with me about his cards. I would like to trade some with fellow Jose collectors.
Thanks for this page, Gary Wilburn

Michael J. Peters writes:
An awesome discovery is this home page. I seldomly watch baseball anymore but I always check the papers to keep track of Jose's homeruns. When I read of a homerun or Jose going 4 for 5 my day just seems to go better. The best memory of Jose was his 40/40 season. Not even Rickey Henderson can top that one. Keep up the solid work on this homepage as I am sure I will return soon to download pictures.

Marc Paglia says:
Hi my name is Marc also and I am Jose Canseco's #1 fan. There is no one in the whole world who likes him just as much or more than I. A lot of people honestly feel I should see a phyciatrist and get help on for my obsession. What they don't realize is that he is god and we are his children. Canseco is the most exciting player in baseball ever and I truly feel that when he is 100% healthy he is the best. He handles the press the best and is going to break Rogers record. Some people mistake him for being this huge monster machine that just hits homeruns. However he is a smart hitter who doesn't just pull the ball. He will sacrafice and slap it into right field just to move the runner up. I could go on forever about how great he is but I'm sure that you already know it. He has the best sence of humor in the big leuges and there are so many of his quotes that I love. But one of my favorite memories of Jose is one that is fairly recent. It was a game against the California Angels late in the season last year and Jose and the Sox had got into some bench clearing, batters had been hit and all that exciting stuff. Well anyway, the game resumed after Tony Phillips had stopped crying about Roger Clemens not getting thrown out. The Angels relief pitcher brushed Jose inside with a fastball trying to intimidate him. How dumb is this guy? well after Jose glared at him for about 20 seconds he wound up and released the pitch very slowly. What a fool. Canseco had smashed this one so hard into left field. He stood at the plate untill it landed in the stands. Later he said "I thought it was going foul." Yah write. He then flipped his bat and walked the bases. I was laughing with joy for hours. As being his best fan I am also a great Jose Canseco collector. My goal is to own every one of his cards ever made. I have about 360 different ones and over 1000's of duplicates. I collect anything Canseco and would love to hear from you or any Canseco collector. I want Lineups or any card I dont have. I would love to make a connection. Please E - Mail me back on anything to do with the most prolific Star in baseball.

Mike Watson writes:
I thought I was the only idiot who liked Canseco. I have seen Canseco in the Old Comiskey Park, Mistake on the Lake, Jacobs Field, and in Oakland. I have over 450 different Canseco's and a shrine of memorabilia . I have dirt from Alameda Coliseum from right field where he played. Email me with the unusual cards you have.

Mike later added:
I had the privilege a few years ago of sitting in the seat that Jose christened in October of 1989 at the Skydome. Every true Canseco fan should experience the feeling. It is so far from Home Plate that you need binoculars to see the number on the hitters back. It is so high up that you need oxygen.

An Unknown Person tells us:
Just thought you all out there would like to know that I had the pleasure (or displeasure) of playing a little minor league ball with Jose. He really is a pretty good guy, and he is great with the bat. And the ladies. He would get a little crazy some nights, but for good reason. I even met his twin brother once, but for some reason Jose got the better genes! Wonder if Jose will ever surf the net and find this page!

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Note: Jose has seen this page! Check it out!
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Matt says:
Hi, I'm Matt. Jose Canseco is my favourite baseball player ever! I've got 66 cards of him, and I've been collecting for about 2 years. And whoever is a Jose Canseco fan, is a fan of mine! I don't want any cards because I always buy them from my local card shop, not in the mail, but thanks anyways.

I stole this memory from an email message from Michael Demers:
... Speaking of Jose, did you see the game this season where he almost got a broken bat homer!?! I could not believe my eyes. The bat shattered in his hands and the ball ended up bouncing high off the wall. Just missed a homer. It was amazing...

Alissa writes:
Hello. My name is Alissa and I am a nineteen year old from Wisconsin and I love Jose Canseco. I have been a Jose fanatic for about seven years. He has awesome power and excellent baseball ability that makes me respect him even more. There is controversy when his name comes up but he has dealt with it well and has been able to maintain his concentration on the game. I have seen Jose play in Milwaukee and that is something that I will never forget. There was a lady there taking pictures of Jose and I asked her to send me some when she had them developed and to my surprise she sent me nine pictures of Jose. These pictures are my most prized possession and I am honored to have them of such an outstanding player and individual. Meeting Jose would be a dream come true for me.

Nick Sporer says:
Hi! I am very imprressed with your page, but I too consider myself the biggest Canseco fan. All of my friends have tortured me for years about him, and I have always fought back. I think that his swing looks better this year than ever. Feel free to write to me about Jose or any other Red Sox thing.

Aaron Eakin writes:
I heard this from "Hawk" and "Wimpy", the two White Sox announcers the other day, while watching them play Canseco and the Red Sox. During one of Canseco's at-bats, Hawk told how he remembered watching Canseco hit batting practice one day in the old Comiskey park. He hit a homerun clear over the left field roof, then on the very next pitch hit a homerun over the rightfield roof. Neither hits ever touching any part of the roof!! Now that is amazing! One of the great things of watching Canseco hit!

Here's an email I enjoyed:
I met Jose once at a spring training game in the spring of 1991. I was in Yuma, Az visiting an old friend, an the A's were in town playing the Padre's. So Gabe and I went to watch the game. Jose hit about a dozen homeruns in BP, and I was pretty sure he was going to hit at least a couple during the game. So there we were in the right field bleachers as the game got underway, and Jose trots out to position. I spent about three innings trying to get his attention, but he would not look my way. Finally, during the top of the fifth inning Jose comes up and hits a towering shot to right field, and before I knew it, the guy sitting in front of me ends up with the ball! I guess the guy wasn't a fan of Jose's because when Jose came back out in the bottom of the inning this guy starts yelling at him, calling him over-paid, you know, the typical non-Canseco talk. Any way, Jose doesn't acknowlegde this guy either, which upset him. The guy ended up throwing the ball at Canseco, which pissed me off! So I start Yelling at this guy, telling him to shut the up. To make a long story short, the guy ended up getting tossed, and Jose gave me an autograph after the game, and thanked me for sticking up for him. Imagine that, I stuck up for Jose against a bully. It's always nice to hear that I'm not the only one who roots for the big guy. So my fellow Canseco fan, let us both hope that Jose can step it up a notch or two, and finish this season off with a great second half. You and I both know that if there is anyone who can break Marris' record, Jose can do it. Imagine what he could do if he played in Colorado!!!

Johan Cronje says:
I am originally from South Africa, lived in Boston long enough to become a Sox fan, and am currently living in Dallas, Texas. I don't miss a single game when the Sox are playing down in Texas. On 21 June I was once again at The Ballpark in Arlington, complete with my Canseco t-shirt and Sox cap, right behind home plate. You should know that Jose gets boo'ed every time he comes up to bat, so he's not very popular at The Ballpark. Jose homers (at last!) , and the Fenway reflex kicks in: I leap up, arms raised high, and I turn around to face the crowd. My 15 seconds of fame lasted only about 5 seconds before the Rangers' fans tried to lynch me!!! At least Mo also got a homer to make my day even though the Sox lost.

Chris Hovanic tells us:
Hi, my name is Chris Hovanic and I'm a huge Jose Canseco fan. I watch Jose every chance I get. My favorite thing about Jose is his stance and swing. I love the way he stands - that open-stance just looks intimidating to opposing pitchers! I have modeled my stance and swing after his, and it has worked wonders for me, (I'm 14) if I can get a good rip on the ball, I should be able to take it 250 Ft. or so. Jose's stance just feels natural. The only downfall to it is that I usaully only hit to left field - it'll turn you into a pull hitter. A few years ago I sent Jose a letter asking for an autograph, and since he has such class, he gave me an autograph! I remember the days when Jose and Mark(McGwire) would combine for 90 homers in a season. Those were the days, but it looks as if Jose and Mo may get 100 this season! I think Jose will finally hit 50 homers this season, and to think, people have said his best days are behind him!

Donna Smith writes:
We thought your page disappeared. I always check out the Canseco pages and you have the best with all the pictures. I had an opportunity to mee Jose in April at an autograph signing in Massachusetts. I was really happy to see how he treated his fans. I had him sign a Boston Red Sox jacket I have and that's now my pride and joy. He is my all time favorite player. I'm hoping he'll take the lead in home runs this year because he is the best. We have some information also on Jose on our home page. Come and visit us at www.shore.net/~ds33pg2 and sign our guestbook.

A very excited Rohan Rangaraj shouts:
HEY!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!!!! CANSECO FANS!!!!!!!!!! DO YOU REALIZE HOW LONG I HAVE BEEN AWAITING SOMETHING LIKE THIS???? My name is Rohan Rangaraj. I'm 16, and about to be a senior in High School. Jose is, of course, my favorite player. I'm not as prolific a collector of some of the folks I read about on the Canseco page. I started collecting him in '87 (I was 8 then) and kept on through '94, when cards got soooo expensive, and I couldn't keep up with Jose's cards. See, I liked to try to get ALL the Canseco cards in the monthly Beckett issues. But all the new subsets (though I was happy that they actually included Jose for once) were too much for me to handle. Plus I didn't think my dad would be too happy if I kept dishing out the cash for more and more baseball cards, you know? Anyhow, I feel so neglected - All you folks have seen Jose, talked to him, etc., etc. See, I'm from Monroe, Louisiana, and I have only seen him play in Arlington stadium (as both an Athletic and a Ranger) several times, and once in The Ballpark in Arlington. I've yet to see my man hit a homer. To tell you the truth, I did see him once, at a card show in Alexandria, Louisiana. He was there w/ Ozzie. Man, oh man, when I saw him, I nearly wet my pants (I think I was 12 then)! I was too scared to talk to him, but Ozzie and I chatted for a minute. He was pretty cool. I wish I could have afforded his autograph (allowances in 5th grade can only give you about one $15 Canseco autograph, right?). But anyways, I wish I could see Jose more often. I swear, next year, after I graduate high school, I'm vow to spend the summer in Boston. I'll sleep nights outside Fenway, but I WILL see him hit a home run!! I swear!! I'm tired of calling his shots on ESPN (the once or twice a year we get Sox games in Louisiana). Speaking of ESPN, you oughtta visit ESPN's SportsZone sometime and come on chat. You won't believe how many times in the last two weeks I've had to defend Jose in front of vicious Yanks fans, and just people who like to rag on him just for fun. Can you believe that? My handle on there, just in case you ever visit, is "Canseco's the MAN." I hope I'm not sounding like a butthole, but I'd really like to get to know you, since you are after all, a JOSE FAN!! Oh, and I think SOMEONE up there loves ya, for Jose to visit your page!! I'm jealous.

About 10 minutes later, Rohan added:
Hi, it's me Rohan again, and I've been reading all this stuff about everyone claiming to be Jose's number one fan. I think we should all agree that we are all great fans of his, and should be grateful that others share our feelings. It shouldn't be a competition on who's the bigger fan -- we should be a family. In the words of the famous Rodney King, "Man, can't we all just get along?" Sorry, I just had to add that. Now, let's just sit back, relax, and watch the Big Guy slam some more of those mammoth shots. I mean, it's almost once every 10 at bats, so how can you lose? Later, and Vive Jose!!

And then a couple of hours later, Rohan wrote:
Hi, it's Rohan again, and I thought I'd share this memory (Maybe I'm not AS neglected as I think): Anyways, 2 summers ago, I was at the summer program at Southern Methodist U in Dallas. The Ballpark was the thing back then, and I don't know how the program did it, but they got in touch w/ Jose, and he donated 20 tickets to our camp. We had a contest on who could write the best thank you note to Jose (the best ones would get the tickets). I was taking a computer science course over there, and I was so determined to get a ticket, that I somehow managed to design (I wasn't doing too hot in that course) an emblem of the Rangers (the new look Rangers) and had it color printed. And then I copied the poem "Casey at the Bat" and called it "Canseco at the Bat" and changed it around a bunch, and I got to go! One of the Resident Counselors said mine was the best. It was pretty cool. I don't even know if Jose ever got it, but just to know that the only reason we were at the game was because of him, and that made me feel pretty damn good, you know? Oh, and in the middle of the game, they showed up on the big screen "A special note: The SMU - Talented and Gifted program is here thanks to the special tickets given by our own Jose Canseco." We all got up and cheered our butts off. Man, that was an experience. Well, sorry I've emailed you three times today, it's just that I've been so happy to find a page like yours!

Jose Paez says:
My name is Jose Paez, and I am 31 years of age consider myself one of the biggest canseco fans in the world. I have been fortunate enough to see Jose up close three times, so far, at baseball card show autograph signings. At the show in morristown, NJ, I was fortunate enough to take a few pictures with jose as he was leaving the Governor Morris inn hotel after the show. Jose was very courteous and allowed me to experience something that I will never forget, personal time with mr. 40/40! I was also fortunate to see Jose in Yankee Stadium when he hit two home runs against the yankees on August 29, 1989. I was sitting in right field next to him and he put on a show that television cameras would never catch, flexing and taunting the jealous yankee fans. He is truly the best in the business. I am the proud owner of approximately 1,000 of his cards and I love to show my friends and family the limited edition World Series bat that Jose signed, his 1988 12" porcelain figurine, and the clips of Jose when he was covered by dateline and spanish channel sports shows. Last but not least, if my wife is pregnant, I am slowly convincing her into naming our child, if it is a boy, Jose Canseco paez! That would make my life complete! If you or anyone sends me a reply, which I hope someone does, please send all e-mail responses to my home address: [email protected]. I am also very interested in obtaining some cards that I haven't been able to track down at card shows. Congratulations on the Jose Canseco web page and I hope to receive responses and make new Jose Canseco friends. See you all in the world series next year where Jose will receive his MVP trophy!!

Here's a sad story from Alex Aguilar:
I went to see my first Canseco game in 1994 at the ballpark in arlington. It was the greatest event in my life. Me and my mom took some pictures at the game with one of those pocket cameras that you buy all ready to take pictures. Well when we got back home we misplaced the camera. When we finaly found the camera, we developed the pictures. When we went to pick up the pictures we found out that the camera had expired.

Robb Dorf says:
I live in central PA, and go to a lot of Oriole games...I am a huge Canseco fan...I went down to the fence outside the A's dugout before the game to try to meet Canseco. He was sitting in the dugout after just getting chewed out by Larussa for something...I called him but no response... The press man that was on the field asked if I wanted an autograph... I replyed "sure", and handed him my pen and a baseball card... He walked into the dugout and asked Jose to sign the card for me... The reporter then pointed to me to show Jose who it was for...Jose then signed the card, looked at me, and then bent the card... Some of you might think this was cruel, but it makes the card that much more interesting... It also gives me a story to tell every time I show it to people... He's pretty cool - I guess I'd do the same thing if I just got chewed out by my boss.

Greg King mistakenly brags:
i have been a Canseco fan for about nine years, and I'm only 15 year old! I have been collecting his cards for 8 years now, and I have over 500 different cards of him! I read just about all the letters you got from people saying that there the biggest Jose fan. The truth is that they're wrong, I am! I know Jose, I read about Jose, I never, ever miss a game when it's on t.v. I know just about his whole life. Most Jose fans started liking him because he made the 40/40 club. I liked him before all the popularity. I'm the biggest jose fan around, and always remeber that!!

Here's an email I received from Bryan Nelson :
Hi, I was just surfing the net and found your Canseco home page, it's pretty cool. I was surprised to find so many Canseco fans, I've been a HUGE fan of his since about 1987. In 1992 I built a "Canseco Shrine" in my room, it was a gigantic wall hanging with clips and photos from all kinds of sources, including the newspaper article about the game that I attending in Kansas City in 1991 (see below). Anyway, Jose started having all kinds of injuries that year, so I decided to take down the shrine (thinking that the baseball gods were jealous or something). I have never met Jose in person, but I did get to see him hit a grand slam in Kansas City in July of 1991. The next night he hit a bases loaded double off the top of the left field wall, I was going nuts! I don't remember the exact date, but it was real close to his birthday since they had a 4th of July fireworks show after the game (no it wasn't the 4th, I think it was July 1st but am not sure). Anyway, I watch every Boston game I can (on ESPN) and every at-bat for sure. Last season I missed a HR he hit in California because I had to go pick up my brother. I was so pissed when I got back and had missed his at-bat, of course I was happy when I found out it was a homer. I collect alot of Canseco cards, mainly his older cards from 1986 and 1987. I have about 50 rookies from Donruss and Fleer. I'd love to get his autograph in person, but don't see much of a chance right now. I don't make it to too many games since I live in Iowa. I've thought about writing to Mr. Canseco and asking for his autograph, but he's probably too busy to bother signing. Maybe I'll send him a Christmas card or something... I truly belive that Jose would break the HR record if he could stay healthy for an entire season. He would easily hit 50 anyway. Maybe next year he can play 150 games. He's a much better hitter than people give him credit for, unfortunately injuries have sapped his speed and fielding ability. Oh well, as long as he can hit 450 foot homers that's all that matters. He is the most exciting player in the game, my friends think he's a joke, but I keep telling them to wait and see - he'll be in the Hall of Fame someday. Thanks for the "Canseco Shrine", it's a real testiment to his baseball accomplishments.

Bruce Herring says:
I have always liked Jose Canseco since his first full year in 1986. He was rookie of the year then. In 1986 I was only 6 years old and had one Jose Canseco card, the Topps Traded. I knew he was good because my brother told me he was. I was just starting baseball card collecting and didn't know too much, so I traded my only Jose Canseco card I had. From the day after I traded that card, which I knew was not a good trade, I have not traded a single Jose Canseco card ever. I now have over 810 different Jose Canseco cards and many doubles, I do not trade any of them to anybody. For my 14th birthday my brother gave me his 1986 Donruss rookie of Jose, I now proudly display it in my room. I hated when Barry Bonds tied Canseco's 40/40 club, but I think if Canseco wanted to do it he could get 50 homers and 50 stolen bases, even beat HANK AARON'S RECORD FOR HOMERS. I think he needs to drop about 20 pounds so there isn't so much weight on his weak back. I like Canseco so much I made a special medallion with the number 33 on it for a project in my art class at school. I never have seen a game live with Canseco in it, but I hope to before he retires and gets into the Hall of Fame! I think he would do better and be happier with the Florida Marlins, or even the Braves.

Alan Hew writes:
I'm writing from California. Currently, I am in school in central CA, but I'm from Oakland. Canseco was and is my favorite baseball player. I remember going to a game in Oakland in September before Canseco's official rookie year. I was watching the game and some kids were making fun of his name, so I had to shut them up, but then before I had a chance, Canseco did his own talking with a monster homerun to left field. Ever since then, he became my favorite player.

Mike Coates tells us:
I have been a Canseco fan since 1985. I'm now twenty years old and I have followed him from team to team throughout the years. I was at the game when Jose hit the longest HR in Cleveland stadium History. He was playing for the A's then. I also want to say that I'm glad he finally had surgery. He did it at the end of a great year - well not in final statistics but great up to the point when he had the surgery. I hope whomever he plays for this next year is fair to him. Hey, Bash Bros. reunion: "who woulda' thought it!"

Mike later sent me this interesting email:
I was just emailing you to tell you about my trip to Boston. I live in Ohio so it took me 9 hours to get there, and once I was there, my main focus was to find Fenway and to find out any news about Jose. My friend and I had been driving around boston for about an hour when out of the corner of my eye, I saw the green monster. being the tourist that I am, i quickly whipped out my camera and took a picture. I then asked my navigator friend with the map which way to go, and he said strait, so I went strait. About half a mile down the road, I said when are we supposed to turn to get to Fenway and he said, "Oh, I thought we were going back to the freeway", so naturally, I busted a U turn in downtown boston and began looking for Fenway AGAIN! When I saw it I pulled over and jumped out of my car, and began taking more pictures. I walked up the street in front of fenway and noticed a sports memorobilia shop, so I went inside. I talked to the guy at the counter and asked about Jose's status with Boston. He said that he heard that he kinda' took back his demand for a trade and will probably remain in boston this year. Before I left, I bought a Canseco jersey which is awesome! Even though I couldn't get in the stadium, I had a great time in boston. I'd like to take a trip during the summer and see Jose play again. I've seen him with the A's and the Rangers, now hopefully Boston's next!

Ray Webb of Gilroy, CA, remembers this day with Jose:
I met Mr.Canseco at the airport and picked him up at the luggage carousel. He greeted me with a warm handshake and a genuine smile. I was struck by his good looks and his slight build. He looked much more trim than he did on TV. He told me he wanted to rent a 'hot' car for his visit; a jaguar, a ferrari, a roadster of some kind. They didn't have any available, so he had to settle for a Ford Mustang LX. We stopped at the rental garage and picked up his 'Hot Rod'. As we were caravaning to his hotel, he pulled up beside me on the freeway and yelled out through his car window, "This thing is a piece of s---!" At the hotel I waited in his room while he got ready. We talked about the upcoming season and his expectations for the year. He seemed to be enjoying himself and the situation he found himself in. We left the hotel and headed to San Jose for the card signing. On the way, Jose got hungry and asked me to stop at the nearest fast food place. I pulled up at a McDonalds. Guess what? No drive through! :-) He went into the store and I stayed outside. While I was waiting beside the car, a Brownie troup that had been eating at the restaurant came out to see what was up. They asked me if I was famous and I said I wasn't, but the person I was driving was. They didn't even ask me who it was, but instead asked ME to sign my autograph for them. It was a classic to have me standing there signing autographs when Jose emerged from the restaurant with his food in hand. He got a kick out of it, too! And then.... As we entered the town of San Jose, my limo broke down. AARGH! I asked Jose to wait in the car while I phoned for a taxi. He decided he wanted to wait outside and get some fresh air. As he sat on the edge of a planter on the main drag of San Jose, I thought to myself, "He's in the exact position as the photo on his 1987 Topps card." What a trip! Jose waited patiently and we talked some more while waiting for the taxi. The taxi came after a few moments. I was stuck getting the limo repaired, so I didn't get to go to the show. Luckily, I was prepared and had him sign the ball and a card before all of this happened. The media took the story of Jose being a bad apple out of proportion. I found him to be quiet, sincere, patient, and friendly. This story became bigger than I could have imagined. It, along with the fact Jose missed another show in that same summer, helped lead to Jose's bad reputation. So there you have it.

Stacey Stewart says:
I love Jose Canseco!! To me, he is the greatest player that ever lived!!! I was very upset when he left Oakland. Oakland remains my favorite team, but Jose is my favorite player.

Brian Harmon writes:
First of all let me say I love this page!!! Iam 22 years old and I am from Nappanee, Indiana (Smallville USA). I have been a big Canseco fan since about, well, forever. I think that he is the greatest ballplayer to ever live. I always have liked his style on and off of the field. In my ball playing days I always tried to bat just like him (and had a lot of success in doing so). For some reason a lot of people criticize him and I cant wait for him to hit 50 HRs so that I can tell them all I told you so. Last summer in Chicago he came up to bat and alot of people where yelling things liked "washed up" and "old man" - it angered me alot but I didnt defend him because I was the only Red Sox fan in all of Comiskey. My car got keyed that night because I have a Boston Red Sox plate on the front. What can I say - going to Comiskey has been the only oportunities I have to see him play and my car always has had either an Oakland, Texas, or Boston plate. I am a fan till the end no matter where he goes. What ever team he plays for will be my favorite. All Canseco fans just wait until '97. I think that he will have a Big season!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, I forget who said:
I too am a Jose Canseco fan. My favorite Jose Canseco memory is when the crowd started chanting "steriods" and he turned to them and flexed his biceps. That was great. From the first time I saw a card of him I thought he was awsome. I forget what brand made the card (Note: It was a 1991 Score Dream Team card), but it was the one where he posed with a bat with his shirt off and black jeans. I just thought that it was cool because no other baseball player did that kind of thing or took different kinds of pictures like that. Anyway, I just read some of your favorite memories and I remember just about everyone of them. Thanks for reminding me of those great moments.

Brian Shefchunas writes:
I really don't know why I started liking Jose but I`m really glad I did! Ever since then, I`ve been a serious Jose collector. I dont remember what my first card of him was, but I`m sure it was a good one. Every time there is a card show around me, Jose cards are first on my list. Some of my friends laugh at me for liking him so much, so I just make fun of their favorite players! I have a lot of everything of Jose, but I still want more. I have a hat that has his signature sewn on it, two or three starting lineup figures, posters, and a lot of baseball cards! Right now I have a little under 250 different cards of him. I always look for cards of him I dont have, but it`s kind of hard to find ones I don't already have. I really think his cards should be worth more, a lot more than they are right now! I follow whatever team he goes to - first it was Oakland, then Texas, and now the Red Sox. I`ve noticed whatever team he is on always seems to at least get to the playoffs. Oakland was always in the playoffs and when they traded him they haven`t been there since. Texas was never in the playoffs, but when Jose came along they would have gone if there wasn't a strike shortened season. Then Boston went into the playoffs! People can say whatever they want about Jose, but he`ll always be the best in my book!

Someone actually sent me the following email:
I love Jose. He is so buff.

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