I'm curious. This wasn't noticed when they picked him up. Baseball players are employees, thus they have to show documentation such as driver's license and other docs to prove they are allowed to work in the United States.
It sounds to me like something that got into the baseball side of the system (media guides, internal player databases, etc...) a long time ago, but was correct on the business/accounting/payroll side (which would get their data from official docs & sources), and the discrepancy was never noticed.
But the Oakland As didn't know his age was incorrect. It isn't like it was just a clerical error and everyone really knew his age and had taken it into account.
With another 4-5 night, Tejada jumped from the 16th best hitter in MLB to the 4th. I know it's early in the season, but damn that is quite a jump in 1 game. Talk about hot. He's 33? Fooled me.
Did anybody watch it? I guess this is the 2nd airing on ESPN 2, it's coming up after the break. I need to know what I'm going to complain to them about in my email.
It's important because he's under investigation due to his knowledge of steroids! The report was really overly dramatic, what they said really isn't worth more than a blurb on Sports Center. The way he's been at the plate recently, I hope they claim he murdered someone, get his home run numbers up.
guys guys guys guys, let espn have their day. they're trying to be a real news organization now. they need scandals
Richard Justice said (insert caveat) on the radio yesterday that *all* the MLB clubs are pissed about this and that the media relations/PR people are refusing to communicate with ESPN personnel.
[A]ccording to Tejada and the Astros, his green card, driver's license and other personal documents show his correct date of birth. The only things listing an incorrect birth date are media guides from the teams for which he has played. Please. Some of the finest fiction ever written appears in sports media guides. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5722962.html And there's this from Dave Barron... Well, well, well. Perhaps ESPN's E:60 will now turn its attention, and its finely tuned sense of outrage, to Kevin Kennedy, the former MLB manager and Fox Sports analyst who has come clean with his dastardly plot to lie about his age. Kennedy, during Saturday's Fox MLB pregame show, acknowledged his heinous prevarication while talking with host Jeanne Zelasko about the Miguel Tejada case: "It happened to me at San Diego State when I signed in 1976," he said. "My actual birthday is May 26th, but my scout suggested I change 5/26 to 9/26. Since the draft was in June, I would play as a 21-year-old and get drafted as a 21-year-old. It works better for your first season. You get drafted at a higher round and make more money." http://blogs.chron.com/sportsmedia/2008/04/fox_mlb_analyst_says_he_fibbed.html Oski, I had the radio on while working in the yard, was only catching bits & pieces, but I heard him say pretty much exactly that. He also reported in his blog that the Lakers declined to be interviewed for an espn segment or show due to how Tejada was treated.
