Is Jose Canseco Taking Some Advice From Tony Soprano?

Wow, just when I was quasi-praising Jose Canseco for his expose of drugs in baseball while also fulfilling his own self-absorbed prophecies, he's at it again. This time, well, he's become self-serving again for the good of his bank account.

Well, the author of "Juiced", according to the New York Times, offered to keep Detroit Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordóñez “clear” in his next book in exchange for a financial investment, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

Damn, get James Gandolfini on the phone stat!

From the New York Times:Four people in baseball confirmed that referrals were made from Major League Baseball to the F.B.I. regarding Canseco’s actions relating to the six-time All-Star outfielder Magglio Ordóñez, who was not mentioned in Canseco’s earlier book or in any other report on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. All four insisted on anonymity because they said they didn’t have authority to speak about the events.

The F.B.I. did not open a formal investigation because Ordóñez said he did not want to pursue the complaint.

Canseco denied that he — or any associate of his — ever asked Ordóñez for money to keep his name out of a book titled “Vindicated.”

“Absolutely not,” Canseco said in a telephone interview Wednesday. He also said he had not been told about being the subject of F.B.I. referrals.

Canseco said he tried to contact Ordóñez several months ago to talk about his books but did not hear back from him. Canseco refused to say whether Ordóñez would be named in connection with performance-enhancing drugs in his second book. “You are going to have to buy the book to see that,” he said.

Reached at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Wednesday, Ordóñez said he did not want to talk in detail about Canseco. Although he criticized him for writing his tell-all book, he said he did not want to get involved with any formal investigation.

“I didn’t want to press charges against him,” Ordóñez said. “I don’t want any problems. He is probably desperate for money. I don’t understand why he is trying to put people down.”

He confirmed that he had talked about Canseco’s reaching out to him with Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski last summer. The Tigers passed the complaint on to the commissioner’s office in New York, which then filed a complaint with the F.B.I.

Asked whether Canseco had ever specifically asked him for money, Ordóñez said, “No.”

“One of José’s friends was leaving me messages,” Ordóñez said. “I told Dombrowski because I didn’t know why he was calling me.”

What the hell? Geez, any credibility you built up Jose is gone now if it is true; alas, knowing anything with Canseco, it could not be outside the realm of possibility.