Tejada age flap adds to q's about candor

Andrew Zajac

At any other time, Houston Astros' star shortstop Miguel Tejada's admission that he lied about his age when he signed a pro baseball contract might simply be part of a long line of tragi-comic deceptions involving Latin players and the calendar.

Lacking the leverage of their North American counterparts and abetted by murky record-keeping, many Latin players shaved years off their ages in hopes of being regarded as better prospects.

For example, speculation frequently surrounded the true ages of players like Luis Tiant and Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, lending them a certain mystique and adding to the lore of the game.

In the case of Tejada, he claimed to be 17 when he really was 19 as he prepared to turn pro, making him 33 now, not 31.

But Tejada has another problem in which his credibility and candor are at issue.

He's already under investigation for lying to Congress. Tejada.doc

In August 2005, Tejada told Congressional investigators that he never used peformance-enhancing drugs and didn't discuss them with other players.

But in the so-called Mitchell Report released in December, one of Tejada's former teammates says he gave Tejada steroids and human growth hormone in 2003. The report also includes copies of cancelled checks from Tejada to the player.

Tejada is enjoying a bit of a resurgence, his off-the-field problems notwithstanding.

He achieved stardom with the Oakland Athletics and put up good numbers with the Baltimore Orioles for whom he played the last four years. But his production tailed off last season amid reports that he was unsatisfied with the Orioles lack of competitiveness.

Traded to the Astros in the off-season, his numbers are up in the early going in 2008.
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