Guess my age, a hot Sac-Town rumor & another cold Tampa rumor

Guess my age, a hot Sac-Town rumor & another cold Tampa rumor

Codding Home / Sports Channel / Bullz-Eye Home

The truth may set you free, but apparently lying about your age is a much more profitable option.

Earlier this month, the Anaheim Angels found out that talented young pitcher Ramon Ortiz wasn't really a talented young pitcher. See, the Angles thought Ortiz was going to be 26 on Opening Day, making him one of the top up-and-coming starters in the American League. Last season Ortiz finally began to flash his potential, winning 13 games while posting a 4.36 ERA in 208.2 innings of work. At only 25 years of age, the future seemed bright.

But a couple weeks ago, the Angels learned that, instead of turning 26 on March 23, Ortiz will turn 29, a revelation that no doubt scrapes some of the luster off last year's promising numbers. How did this happen?

It seems many Dominican-born players lie to pro scouts about their ages, either saying they're younger than they actually are to make themselves more attractive to prospective big league teams, or claiming they're older to sign pro contracts sooner. For the most part, these false claims have gone unnoticed in the past thanks to corroborating phony birth certificates and other forms of counterfeit documentation -- remember that infamous senior citizen from last year's Little League World Series, Danny Almonte?

But in the wake of September 11, the United States government has increased its border scrutiny, making it much easier for officials to discover these discrepancies. Couple that with some new documentation requirements implemented by Major League Baseball, and guys like Ortiz are finding it difficult to keep their secrets hush-hush.

"Players are starting to realize that if they fib about their age, they may not get away with it anymore," said Angels general manager Bill Stoneman.

No kidding. Just this week, the Atlanta Braves discovered that shortstop Rafael Furcal is 23, not 21. Furcal, the 2000 NL Rookie of the Year, was trying to leave the Dominican Republic to report to spring training when border officials noticed a discrepancy in his birth certificate

And now, rumors of age falsifications are flying out of seemingly every major league city. Reportedly, Arizona reliever Mike Morgan, a 24-year veteran who claims he's 42, is actually 79 years old. Also out of Arizona, reports say Byung-Hyun Kim, the closer who blew World Series games four and five last season in New York, aged 20 years thanks to those two outings, making him 43 rather than 23. Even more surprising, the Texas Rangers have discovered that shortstop Alex Rodriguez is only 22, not 26, which, according to A-Rod's agent Scott Boras, means his client is entitled to even more money thanks to a "reverse-aging" clause in his contract. And in L.A., the Dodgers recently found out that 22-year-old third baseman Adrian Beltre, who himself was involved in an age scandal a couple years ago, will in fact turn 14 on April 7. Meanwhile, the Yankees checked some records and realized that owner George Steinbrenner is actually 113 years old and pitcher David Wells really weighs 430 pounds, not 235. Amazing.


Say it is so, Chris

So what's C-Webb so pissed off about? A story in the Sacramento Bee -- written by the Bee's Pop Culture writer -- romantically linked Kings All-Star forward Chris Webber and knockout super model Tyra Banks.

When asked about the rumored relationship after a game, Webber lashed out at reporters, saying, "Who I'm dating, where I go, people need to stay out of my business. I play basketball for you all -- I don't live for you all." 

Geez, C-Webb, calm down. Hey, I'd love it if I were rumored to be in a hot relationship with Tyra Banks, even though any such rumors would obviously be utterly false. Still, even being involved in this kind of gossip has to have its benefits. I mean, if you're Chris Webber, not only are you a rich young man with perhaps the most recognizable face in Sacramento -- aside from Vlade Divac's hair-infested mug, of course -- but now people think you're also shacking up with one of the hottest women on the planet? Why all the fuss, Chris?

Even if the rumors aren't true, take advantage while you can, because soon your playing days will be over, your wallet won't be quite as fat, and your rumored girlfriends won't be quite as slim.


How much rejection can one team take?

After missing out on Bill Parcells, Jon Gruden, Ralph Friedgen and Mike Bellotti, reports now say the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are asking the San Francisco 49ers for permission to talk with Steve Mariucci about their head coaching vacancy.

Come on. Give it up. Why don't the Bucs talk to the Rams about Mike Martz while they're at it? Or see if they can pry Andy Reid away from the Eagles, or maybe Butch Davis from the Browns. Hell, I'm willing to bet Daniel Snyder already is ticked off about something in D.C. -- he's probably eager to unload Steve Spurrier's hefty salary. I hear Bill Belichick's job is in jeopardy too.

Can you sense the desperation coming from Tampa? They're really reaching now with Mariucci because they've already missed out on the elite coaching candidates -- Spurrier went to Washington, Marvin Lewis allegedly wasn't good enough for the Bucs and also landed in Washington, Parcells politely declined, John Fox chose Carolina, the Chargers snagged Marty Schottenheimer...

... and the Colts got that Tony Dungy guy. Too bad the Bucs couldn't get him -- he'd probably be a great fit in Tampa Bay.


QuickQuotes:
Here are a few fantastic quotes from some officials who have recently denied Mike Tyson's requests to let him fight in their respective states.

"It appears from his actions lately he's not likely to abide by our rules, and it doesn't appear that there's anything we can do to control this man."

~Florida Boxing Commission
chairman Eduardo Lacasa

"In the boxing ring, Mike Tyson is a repeat offender. I have no confidence that his future behavior would differ from his past behavior."

~Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
executive director Bill Kuntz

"With that kind of record, we wouldn't know what would occur when he actually fought... . Sure it's hard to turn down the money, and we would welcome most boxers, but most boxers don't have a history like this... . We're not hurting for business right now."

~Josef Mason, director of Colorado's
Office of Boxing

"This is great news. It's not about money. You have to look at what is morally right. In this case, allowing someone of Mike Tyson's questionable character could have hurt Colorado's reputation."

~Dan Hopkins, spokesman for
Colorado Gov. Bill Owens

"This state should grant no special license or privilege to a sexual predator like Mike Tyson."

~Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes 
(Note: Georgia has not yet made an
official ruling on Tyson's request.)
 

 
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