Canseco Homers at Rec Center

Ex-Major League Slugger Is a Ringer for Barney's Beanery Santa Monica Softball

July 02, 2008

Steve Galluzzo , Sports Editor

Santa Monica Barney's Beanery had a ringer for its softball tournament against the chain's four other stores June 23 at the Field of Dreams: retired major league baseball slugger Jose Canseco.

"[Santa Monica manager] Jonah Dumont told the other teams ahead of time that he had a last-minute hire whose name is Jose," joked Barney's owner, Palisadian David Houston. "Jose was really nice for coming out and playing with us."

Canseco and Mark McGwire were known as the "bash brothers" on Oakland's World Series teams from 1988-90. He played for seven teams during his 16-year career, hitting 462 home runs with 1,407 RBIs.

He admitted to using steroids in "Juiced," a tell-all book published in 2005 and just finished a sequel called "Vindicated."

Canseco crushed several home runs during the one-day tournament, one of which cleared the opposite field and landed in the parking lot over 350 feet away.

"I thought it was great," Houston said. "That is, until I realized that's where my car was parked!"