Vlad's age changes too.....

[MacK]

heh

the players whose age comes into question are players who were signed out of Latin America. Albert has been in the US far too long for the suspicion to be there.

Tejada played in the US for a while before we discovered his real age.

But Pujols lived in the US for a long time before he became a pro. He wasn't signed to a contract on a dirt field in the DR.

Craig

Pujols was actually drafted as well.

 

[Lars]

I'm not stating it as fact, but wouldn't surprise me if Pujols was 30 or 31.

Since he got out of the Dominican Republic, long before the post 9/11 crackdowns, I figure there was much more of a window for him to possibly lie about his age without really arousing suspicion.

If he'd decided to lie about his age, post 9/11 - then it would be easier to figure out any discrepancy with his birth certificate.

If he is lying about his age, then immigrating to the states in the mid 1990s was a pretty lucky move for him.

Not that it particularly matters at this point.

heh

the players whose age comes into question are players who were signed out of Latin America. Albert has been in the US far too long for the suspicion to be there.

Tejada played in the US for a while before we discovered his real age.

But Pujols lived in the US for a long time before he became a pro. He wasn't signed to a contract on a dirt field in the DR.

Craig

 

[fengzhang]

Keep in mind, Pujols immigrated to the States at around age 16, the same time that many DR players get signed. This is the age at which you can essentially judge if a player has major league talent. So, it is possible that Pujols and/or his parents were already preparing him for a career in professional baseball when they doctored his age.

Secondly, before 9/11, immigration laws were not very stringent. After 9/11, they tightened considerably in terms of the documentation required. For example, my mom was born in rural China and doesn't even have a birth certificate. She's not quite sure of her birthday herself and she's still here. Things like age should be black and white but are not so in places like rural China or the Dominican Republic. Don't just assume that because someone went through the proper immigration channels and that they went to school a couple of years here that they had the proper documentation.