Jose Canseco's Juiced is even more relevant today than it was when it was published in 2005. Of course, its authorship is somewhat problematic. It is written by a self-admitted user, but even if a reader only believes part of Canseco's memoir it confirms the findings of the more recent Mitchell report that the use of steroids and human growth hormone was not simply accepted in baseball, but encouraged by the league's owners. Steroid use has come to seem like the 'right' thing to do, to baseball players like Canseco, because the coaches pressure them to become users and baseball fans clamor to see their favorite players bigger, faster, and stronger to justify the stratospheric salaries in the game.
             Former MVP and World Series star Canseco credits drugs with enabling him to put on enough muscle to play competitive baseball-to play against people who were using the same drugs. Canseco's most controversial claims are that Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and Sammy Sosa were fellow users and would never have had the careers they had, without the use of performance using drugs. He says these drugs gave these players both a psychological as well as physical edge. In fact, Canseco says that his teammate McGwire would inject him in the buttocks with steroids, and he would do the same, as a friendly gesture of team bonding, much like shaking hands after a good practice or game.
             What is so striking about Juiced is that it does not rationalize or excuse Canseco's drug abuse, or his concealment of the practice. He admits that he did know that steroids were prohibited, but seems to regard the prohibition like most drivers regard the 55mph speed limit on the highway-so long as you don't go too far, breaking the rule seems okay, especially if everyone else is doing it. Unlike some athletes, who deny allegations of steroid abuse, minimize their use, or insist that they would have been able to hit or throw re...