April 17, 2008, 6:03PM
Tejada two years older than Astros thought
Shortstop, actually 33, lied about age when he signed in 1993
By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
PHILADELPHIA – Miguel Tejada's life has been chronicled closely for over a decade in the United States and his native Dominican Republic, where he's referred to as the "nation's ballplayer."
Yet on Thursday morning was the first time the former American League Most Valuable Player and four-time All-Star acknowledged his real age to the world. The Astros' new shortstop is actually 33, two years older than he's listed in the club's media guide and other baseball records.
"I'm a poor kid that wanted to be a professional big leaguer," he explained as he discussed his reasoning for claiming he was 17 instead of 19 to sign with the Oakland A's in 1993. "I was thinking that was the only way that I could help my family. By the time we did it, it wasn't because we wanted to do anything wrong to be a professional. "The scout just did it just because at that time I was two years older than I (told the A's). And to play in the Dominican Summer League you got to be like 17. That's why he changed the year. Because the only change is the year."
Tejada and the Astros revealed the news after ESPN surprised him at Citizens Bank Park with a copy of his birth certificate, which the network obtained in the Dominican.
The revelation was surprising considering how much attention Tejada has garnered since he reached the majors in 1997 with the A's. A book, Away Games, was written about his journey out of poverty in his native, Bani, Dominican Republic. The scrutiny on him picked up when he was mentioned in the Mitchell Report on Dec. 13, a day after the Astros acquired him.
By January, the FBI had taken the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's recommendation and started an investigation into whether he lied to federal investigators in 2005. Throughout the subsequent scrutiny, a significant part of his life had not been revealed.
After the Astros' 10-2 loss, Tejada said his decision to announce his age had nothing to do with the ongoing federal investigation. Moreover, he said he hasn't been contacted by the FBI since it opened the investigation.
"The reason I said it now is that I'm coming to a new team and they wanted all my information," said Tejada, who was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles on Dec. 12 in exchange for five players. "They wanted all my information. That's why I don't want to lie to them. I tell them the truth."
Now, Tejada doesn't have to worry about hiding his age. He was born on May 25, 1974, not May 25, 1976, as the Astros' media guide lists.
"In the course of a media interview, it was brought to our attention that the date that we carry for Tejada's year of birth is incorrect," Astros general manager Ed Wade said. "His green card, his driver's license, everything that he uses personally shows '74 as his date of birth, (but) the media guide and that type of information shows '76.
"So we got together with Miguel yesterday and told him that we're going to go ahead and make the appropriate changes in the information we put forward, and he was fine with that."
Tejada said he was pleased to unburden himself.
"I'm feeling free now," he said. "It's something that I had in my mind."
Tejada was signed out of the Dominican Republic by Hall of Famer Juan Marichal, but he made it clear that Marichal had no part in the deception. Shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. government increased its scrutiny on players seeking visas or passports to enter the U.S. "It's nothing that I do to hurt nobody to do nothing wrong," Tejada said. "At that time, I just wanted to be signed by baseball to be baseball a player, you know."
Because of the heightened security, several players were found to have altered their birth certificates or even used a relative or friend's birth certificate to appear younger for teams.
"Baseball's done a very good job over the last, probably, 10 years of verifying the ages of first-year players coming out of Latin America," Wade said. "It's not an easy process both from the standpoint of dates of birth and names.
"Sometimes mothers' maiden names get used on birth certificates. But you had a span of a couple of years there, where there were a number of adjustments made to players' birth dates."
Tejada says his green card and driver's license reflect his actual age, and that may be a reason his fabrication wasn't discovered when other players were exposed.
"The thing is I didn't want Houston to find out from somebody else," he said. "I wanted them to find out just from my face. I'm a man and I'm responsible for everything. That's why I prefer to come to them and say, 'You know what? That's the way it is and we're moving forward.'
"I was feeling like I had something to say in the last three days. That's why I waited for today to do it."
Wade didn't seem too concerned about the age discrepancy.
"Fact of the matter is that he plays like he's 25, so I don't think it really matters a whole lot," Wade said.
Indeed, Tejada says he's rejuvenated since landing with the Astros. "Right now I feel like I'm 25 years old, maybe younger," he said. "Because I think right now I feel my legs (are) stronger than they're used to be feeling. There's a lot of talk about me that I can't play shortstop no more. Everybody can see how I've responded. That's why I feel great. "I have a lot of energy. I think it's all because I'm on a team that really wants me, a team that really wants to win."
