(CBS) Jose Canseco, variously called "The Bad Boy of Baseball," or "The Godfather of Steroids," has written a much-talked-about book he calls "Juiced" that purports to tell the truth about his own use of anabolic steroids and human growth hormones, and the same about other top players in Major League Baseball.
The book is already a best-seller, due to pre-orders on Amazon and elsewhere. Yet almost no one has read it, because it won't be available until Monday morning.
In the book and in this broadcast, Canseco names names - some of them superstar players - all of whom have categorically denied his charges.
But none of them agreed to talk to 60 Minutes on camera about it, though they and many others are publicly calling Canseco nasty names, mainly a liar.
But Canseco tells Correspondent Mike Wallace, in his first interview discussing his controversial book, that he's prepared for that.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Baseball is the national pastime, and what you're saying is that the national past time is juiced," Wallace asks Canseco.
"Yeah. It is. And it's reality," says Canseco.
Is he now taking on the whole baseball establishment? "I don't know if I'm directly trying to take on the whole baseball establishment," says Canseco. "I'm just basically telling a story of my life."
His book, "Juiced," has put Major League Baseball and its author on the hot seat. Canseco writes about his 16-year career as a Major League ball player, and he says that from his first season, to his last in 2001, he used illegal anabolic steroids and human growth hormones.
"You essentially strengthened your body and your performance with a cocktail of steroids and growth hormones," says Wallace.
"Yes," says Canseco.
Where did he inject it? "Into your gluteus maximus, which is your butt muscle," says Canseco, who admits it's illegal to use, unless prescribed and administered by a licensed doctor.
Those illegal drugs helped fuel a larger-than-life career for Canseco, whose many home runs were monster shots. In 1988, Canseco hit 42 home runs and stole 40 bases. It was a feat never seen before.
"You say this, 'I would never have been a Major League-caliber player without steroids.' Right," asks Wallace.
"Well, it's a true statement. No ifs and buts about it," says Canseco.
And how much of his career success does he attribute to the use of steroids?
"Maybe not accomplish the things I did, the freakish things I did, being 6'4", 250, running 4-340's, the 40-40. Hitting 600-foot home runs. Who knows," says Canseco. "A lot of it is psychological. I mean, you really believe you have an edge. You feel the strength, and the stamina."
As early as his MVP season in 1988, there were whispers that Canseco was using steroids, and he denied these accusations throughout his entire career. But his activities off the field fanned the flames. He was arrested numerous times. Psychologists say that steroid use can stimulate aggressive behavior in some people, behavior sometimes called 'roid rage.
In 1989, he was arrested in California for carrying a loaded semi-automatic pistol in his car. In 1992, he was charged with aggravated battery for allegedly ramming his then-wife Esther's BMW with his Porsche. In November 1997, he was arrested and jailed for allegedly smacking his estranged bride of one year. And on Nov. 13, 2001, he was arrested with his brother after a fight at a Miami Beach nightclub on Halloween. He attacked two tourists, leaving one with a broken nose, and the other with 20 stitches in his lip.
"All of these are in the record," says Wallace.
"Are we to say that any individual who's on steroids that has an angry moment is due to steroids," says Canseco. "What about the individual who gets angry and kills someone who's not on steroids? What do we blame it on now?"
By 2001, at 37, Canseco's baseball career wound down. He'd played for seven teams and hit 462 home runs.
Does he have any shame that illegal drugs fueled his career?
"That's a tough question. Because I tried to everything possible to become the best player in the world," says Canseco. "Do I believe steroids and growth hormones helped me achieve that? Yes. Were there a lot of other players doing it that I had to compete against? Yes."
"What you're saying is that you were a living steroids experiment for your entire career," says Wallace.
"Yes, that's what I was," says Canseco, who claims he knows more about steroids than most trained physicians, and that he actively counseled other players about using anabolic steroids and human growth hormone.
Did he give some of his steroids to other players? "Not mine, no," says Canseco. "Did I put them in contact with the people to acquire them? Yes. Did I educate them on how to use them properly, and what way, shape, or form, and when, and with what supplements? Yes. Absolutely."
Where did he get steroids? "You get them anywhere. You can go right here to the corner gym and get it," says Canseco. "It's that simple. It's that easy. But obviously, I don't recommend using them or getting them without supervision, or a prescription, because they are illegal."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Canseco's admission that he used steroids for his entire career has surprised almost no one in baseball. But everyone in the game is stunned that he has gone farther in the book than they expected. He names five names, players he claims to have used steroids with.
And at the top of the list is Mark McGwire.
"Mark and I weren't really in a sense of buddy buddies," says Canseco, who says McGwire used steroids with him. "We were more acquaintances than actually anything else. But there are certain subjects that we could talk about, like obviously steroids and so forth."
The gargantuan McGwire was best known for his remarkable 1998 season, the year he shattered one of baseball's most hallowed records, Roger Maris' single season home-run mark of 61 homers. Canseco played with McGwire at Oakland from 1986 to 1992, and again in 1997.
"You write repeatedly about injecting steroids and growth hormones with and into Mark McGwire," says Wallace. "Tell me about your firsthand experiences with McGwire and steroids."
"Just the first time injecting them in his buttocks," says Canseco, laughing, "it wasn't like you gave a lot of thought. It was something so common."
"What we did more times than I can count was go into a bathroom stall together, shoot up steroids," read Wallace from Canseco's book. "After batting practice or right before the game, Mark and I would duck into a stall in the men's room, load up our syringes and inject ourselves. I would often inject Mark."
<< Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >>