Tejada admits he’s actually 70-year-old former Dodger Manny Mota

HOUSTON, TX — When Houston Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada was signed by the Oakland Athletics in 1993, he told team officials he was 17. But Tejada now admits he was actually 55-year-old former Dodgers outfielder Manny Mota – making him a whopping 38 years older than his currently listed age in the Astros’ media guide.

E:60 correspondent Tom Farrey presented “Tejada” with a copy of a birth certificate, filed by his father in his hometown of Bani, that showed he was born on Feb 18^th, 1938. Other records also indicated that “Tejada” became the all-time MLB leader in pinch hits before retiring from the Dodgers in 1982, and later becoming a rookie for the Oakland A’s in 1993.

“I was a young and naïve former baseball player,” Tejada/Mota told reporters before the Astros finished a three-game series against the Phillies on Thursday. “I was desperate to escape my poor retirement home in the Dominican Republic and play baseball again, and this seemed to be the only way to do it. I regret lying, but let’s face it – these are the kinds of mistakes that kids in their fifties will make.”

“It was brought to our attention that the date we had for the year of Mig— er, Manny’s birth was incorrect, not to mention his secret identity,” Astros GM Ed Wade told SSNN. “We apologize for any confusion this may have caused fans, fellow players and member’s of Mr. Mota’s immediate family, but we hope to update the information in the team’s media guide at the conclusion of the 2008 season.”

When asked if other cases of faked aged or identity may have slipped thought the cracks, Wade said the Astros “are generally pretty thorough about such matters, but at the time it wasn’t team policy to ask players if they are former Dodger outfielders in their declining years.”

Wade is apologetic about the mistake, but insists that the franchise has moved on. “Right now there are far more important things happening to the club – like this really talented kid we found the other day. He reminds us a lot of [former Cincinnati Reds' infielder] Dave Concepcion. If we can just get him to play without his walker, he’ll be great.”