Fine. Jose Canseco wrote a book about his steroid-using days in Major League Baseball in order to make some money and pay off his debts.

If Canseco’s book was only about him and his drug habits during a period when he dominated the American League, it would have merely been ignorant, gutless and selfish.

However, since Canseco’s book tangles other players into the web of steroid usage, I say his book is inexcusable. Just in case anybody actually wants Jose to come back for a MLB-sponsored event, he should be banned from the game.

The self proclaimed “Godfather of Steroids” has implicated several players as steroid abusers. The players mentioned have viciously denied the charges, especially Mariner Brett Boone.

The book has created a dark cloud over spring training when all the talk should be about the start of another exciting season.

It is not Canseco’s duty to report these offenders in order to make a buck.

The general baseball-loving public does have a right to know which players were juiced up. However, they should not be informed by somebody with little credibility who could have just thrown out names in his book in order to create more of a buzz and sell more copies. Canseco is sacrificing the integrity of the game.

It is possible that a player in this offensive era has gotten considerably bigger because of hard work in the weight room. However, the public will now believe that any player who has recently increased his home run totals was on steroids.

Even if Canseco was lying about certain players using the drugs, his book has helped to even further cast a shadow of steroids that will have severe long-term repercussions.

Canseco and Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi are now the two faces of the steroid movement. The images of Giambi and Canseco will forever be tarnished.

Even if Giambi wins another American League MVP, he will always be remembered for his admissions in the BALCO case.

The most significant player mentioned as using performance-enhancing steroids in Canseco’s book is Mark McGwire.

Big Mac has never been accused of using steroids before and is widely considered one of the greatest home run hitters of our time.

Despite these allegations, McGwire is still a lock for the Hall of Fame.

However, his home run prowess in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s will probably be asterisked because of the accusations.

One terrible thing to come out of this book is that fans even further realize that so called “idols,” such as McGwire, were willing to put the integrity of the game on the line for their personal glorification.

Another extremely disheartening aspect of this whole debacle is that it is fairly clear that Canseco was juicing up with one goal in mind – to increase his production and power numbers.

He clearly never had any respect for the game, for winning titles or for individual awards.

This has become painfully evident with the discovery that Canseco is selling his 2000 New York Yankees World Series ring. And, according to ESPN.com, he has also sold his award trophies and his title ring from the 1989 Oakland A’s season.

Would Ernie Banks, Andre Dawson, Ron Santo or Ryan Sandberg ever sell a World Series ring? They all wanted to win and respected the game but unluckily played for an organization more known for a drunken broadcaster than a winning tradition.

Canseco has now become the slimiest figure in all of sports. This is a tough call between him and Pete Rose, but when all the votes are tallied, Canseco is the winner by a needle.

Of course, special consideration must go to former NFL safety Eugene Robinson, who in 1998 tried to find a hooker the night before his Falcons lost to the Broncos in the Super Bowl.

Let’s also not forget about the NBA, where plenty of slimy players stand out. Even before he was fighting fans, Ron Artest was applying for a job at Best Buy in Chicago to get the employee discount.

Welcome to the club, Jose.