Last seen in this space pulling a no-show at a Hollywood, FL boxing match (though not without sending brother Ozzie to fill in), 17 year MLB veteran Jose Canseco has been appointed player/manager of the indie North American League’s Yuma Scorpions. As if that weren’t enough degenerate action star power, Ozzie’s been named bench coach and active player as well. From the Yuma Sun’s Edward Carifio :
“I think it’s exciting for Yuma,” Outcalt said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun. Jose is a very accomplished player, he has a lot of sway in the media and in pop culture, and he’s bringing that to the city. It will be a good team and a fun time at Desert Sun Stadium for the fans.”
“There’s the close relationship he has with (general manager) Jose Melendez,” Outcalt said. “He played for him last year in Laredo, and there was a lot of interest to continue to work with him. Also, we’ve had Jose in the league before in 2006 (with the Long Beach Armada). He’s very good with the community and the fans.”
Canseco previously played with the Golden League’s Long Beach Armada until leaving the team halfway through the 2006 season. The league sued and won more than $250,000 from Canseco. Outcalt said that incident is in the past. “I think the difference is he’s now the manager of a team,” Outcalt said. “He realizes he’s in a full-time management position opposed to being a player on a team. He’s very ready at this point in his career to smoothly transition to managing.”