Jose Canseco accepted a fan's challenge to a charity home run-hitting contest (Getty Images)Any change to seem relevant is right in Jose Canseco's wheelhouse these days, like a fastball on the inner plate was for him in his heyday as a steroid-fueled slugger for the Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays and numerous other MLB teams. But on Saturday it will be for a good cause.
No doubt a few people went, "No way, Jose," when the former American League MVP took Ottawa baseball fan Evan Malamud up on his Twitter challenge to a home-run hitting contest. It is Jose Canseco, after all — he's in his third decade as a pop-culture punchline and it's well-chronicled that his post-baseball life has been a bit of train wreck, what with the bankruptcy, the forays into boxing, the reality-TV appearances and the tell-all steroid-abuse confessionals. His Twitter exchanges can often be a mix of the good, bad and bizarre, so who could be sure he'd really show up?
But it turns out Canseco's word is as solid as the maple used to make Sam Bats, especially when there's the prospect of doing something for charity. On Thursday, Canseco tweeted he was travelling to Ottawa to take on Malamud in a contest of clout. The two will go head-to-head in an event called Home Runs For Autism, which is near and dear to Evan Malamud since Malamud has an autistic son named named Jaedyn. The event takes place Saturday at 3 p.m. ET at Ottawa Stadium. YourCityDeals is even selling tickets at two for $12, so it's apparently a thing.
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