Canseco’s book debuts soon

NEW YORK – Jose Canseco says in his upcoming book that he injected Mark McGwire with steroids and introduced several other sluggers to the drugs, the New York Daily News reported Sunday.

The long-awaited “Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big,” is scheduled for release by Regan Books on Feb. 21. Regan publicist Paul Olsewski told the Associated Press in an e-mail that the release date could be moved up.

Parent company HarperCollins posted a book description on its Web site that said Canseco “made himself a guinea pig of the performance-enhancing drugs” and added the 1988 American League MVP “mixed, matched and experimented to such a degree that he became known throughout the league as ‘The Chemist.’ “

The Daily News did not quote from the book and said it was still being edited. The newspaper would not say how it got the information. Canseco did not respond to an e-mail from the AP.

Canseco said he, McGwire and Jason Giambi shot steroids together in the bathroom stall at the Oakland Coliseum. McGwire has always denied using steroids.

“I have always told the truth, and I am saddened I continue to face this line of questioning,” McGwire told the newspaper.

Canseco said he introduced Texas teammates Rafael Palmeiro, Ivan Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez to steroids after being traded to the Rangers in 1992.

Canseco also said President Bush, the Rangers’ general managing partner at the time, must have known about the steroid use.