This is funny. Players from other countries who are re-entering the USA for spring training, in order to get their visas, are now having to produce more stringent documentation in the wake of the Sept. 11th attacks, and we're now learning that they're a couple of years older.

One guy aged 3 years overnight

Cancel their contracts due to "lying on the resume" amd make them renegotiate.

Funny how this whole thing seems reminiscent of that kid playing in the Little League WS who was two years older than he claimed.

What the f**k is up with these Caribbean players?

It's really not as trivial as the article treats it. If I had just traded for one of those players (e.g. Neifi Perez), I wouldn't be too happy. If a player is an average major league player at 21, he's a potential superstar. If he's 24 with the same skills, he's likely a good player, but not a franchise-type player. If he's 27, he probably will lose a regular spot in the lineup when he's 30 or so.

Ok, as someone who's in the midist of his sixth year of his 35th year, (renewal optional yearly), I'm the last one to point the finger of father time.

However, (there is always' a however), there is a reason why these guys lie about their age. Money, money, and more money.

On the onset, fudging on a couple of years doesn't seem like a big deal but we are talking employment and the value of services of the employee. If age was not a factor in the type of work these guys do or the value placed on their services, there were be no reason to lie. In my own employment situation, I know I could be fired if such a discrepency exsisted on my employment records and was created by me. I've seen it happen.

The issues of fair play for all the players comes to mind. Employment opportunities missed by some over another where age could have been a factor in the decision.

I'm all for all players earning as much as they can for the short time they make it to the big leagues. In addition,I'm all for players who may come from a poor country and have talent being able to make a dream come true. I'm also for all players to play fair among themselves. I do not feel lying should ever be acceptable in these circumstances. If that means contracts need to be re-evaluated, so be it.

The most interesting of these aging cases, by far, is RAMON ORTIZ. Instead of being a 26 y/o rising star, a future Pedro Martinez, someone who could some day develop into a Cy Young candidate, he's 29. Stop waiting for him to develop: he's as good as he'll get. He may even be about ready to go into a downside-of-career decline. Bad news for halo fans.

In all my life of watching baseball, I can only think of one pitcher who ever suddenly developed into a #1 starter at such an advanced age: Mike Scott of the Astros, and that was over 15 years ago. Angels GM Bill Stoneman may be joking about this to the ESPN writer, but Ortiz's value to the team just plummeted big time.

By the way: Neifi Perez was going to stink with the Royals regardless of what age he declared himself to be.

There was a NY Times column yesterday that made the point NON-Latin players in the old days also used to lower their ages; nothing new about it. On the dynastic Yankees, Phil Rizzuto admits to cheating by a year, and the Scooter says Tommy Henrich cheated by 3 or 4.

The age-old baseball tradition of shaving off years (Rob Neyer, ESPN)


A *quarter* of '50s players?! That's impressive...

I can't believe just how rampant this practice of lying about their ages is. The Devil Rays "learned" that several of their top prospects are a lot older than stated. One by 5 years! And yet, even the team's management has just brushed it off. Yikes.

As fans here, we speculated on Rolando Arrojo's age while he played for the Rays...everyone knew he was much older than he said, but being a refugee from Cuba, he was able to pull that off. But, any ol' queen could tell this guy was NOT in his 20's. Please. Only those who have lived the hardest of lives have crow's feet like that in their 20's!

Hey man! as denizens of this demi-monde we call "the gay realm" we should all be familiar with the practice of shaving off 5.......10.... .....15..... or 20 years off one's age.

How many times have we met some dude at the bar and he says he's "29" or "in his 20s" and he turns out to be eligible for social security? and don't even get me started about guys who say they're "hot" "athletic" or "attractive". Whew!! That's a whole chapter right there.

Good point, ung. But lying to a trick about one's age is one thing...lying to one's employer -- especially when age is a factor in contract negotiations, etc. -- is another. Especially since you're generally seen in the light of day in baseball! It's easier to get by with that kind of crap in a dark smokey bar.

Anyway, it just amazes me how casually this is being treated.

[ March 06, 2002: Message edited by: raysnjays ]