Age discrepancies or just getting ahead?

The Dominican prospect Jairo Beras, whom has recently signed with the Texas Rangers', will undergo investigation by Major League Baseball due to a discrepancy in his age. Is he 16 or is he 17?

As Major League Baseball tries to clean up one problem, namely steroids, they have encountered another form of lets say 'cheating' to get ahead, scouting for young prospects to take advantage of the lack of ability to effectively verify a players true age (birth certificates) in the Dominican Republic. In the past, it seems as though men in the Dominican Republic were trying to make themselves younger to be more attractive prospects for the American scouters, however, this is not the case with Jairo Beras. In fact, Beras' case is much the opposite. If teams can make a player older they can effectively get to them before other teams, and thus have an advantage in the long run. Steven P. Gietschier discussed in The Cambridge Companion to Baseball "The rules of baseball" to their earliest origins. Interestingly, he stated that "even before it became a professional sport, baseball created an administrative structure beyond the playing field to govern who could play the game and under what conditions" (Cassuto and Partridge, 17). While this does not specifically allude to the exact age in which a player may be a part of MLB, it does create the structure for the beginning of the establishment of rules about who can play the game. Further, the idea of Baseball as America's idealized past-time and a game of men has been completely mythologized as baseball has become a business of winning and getting ahead.

As stated on Wednesday when the Rangers declined to make a statement about the situation, "a source who had spoken with the team said the Rangers believe they signed Beras legally and expect MLB to validate the contract. Others around baseball are not so sure. A livid official contacted MLB about the deal, wondering how a player could age one year within one month" (Passan, Yahoo Sports). The Rangers seem to be playing dumb, while other GM's seem to think they (the Rangers) know exactly what they are doing. If the Rangers can effectively play dumb than the contract will remain valid and they will get to keep the prized young prospect and showcase standout Jairo Beras.

Stuck In Tradition?

El Hombre? With 20 billboards already up around Southern California, Los Angeles slugger Albert Pujols has requested not to be called "El Hombre", in respect to former St. Louis Cardinals player and Hall of Famer Stanley "the man" Musial. [Flashback]... Back in 2010, when Pujols was still playing for the Cardinals, he asked St. Louis fans and media not to refer to him as "el hombre." While the rhetoric is in different languages, "the man" and "el hombre" mean exactly the same thing and it seems to me that Pujols does not want to accept a name that would some how take away from Stanley "the man" Musial's Hall of Fame excellence (is it not okay to appreciate "the man" and his achievements, and then move on and accept the name given to you because maybe you are just as good?)...
"I still have the same respect for him as I had, not just for what he's done in baseball but for what he did for his country," Pujols said. "That's something you have to appreciate."- Pujols about Musial

This brings into question then: Has baseball tradition stood in the way of Pujols's recognition of his own excellence (meaning: has the success of other baseball players allowed  players like Pujols to forgo a title because of the past)? Not tradition in the sense that customs are being passed down from generation to generation... but rather tradition in the sense that great baseball players will remain great and no one should try to step in place of the greatness of these players. It seems to me that instead of completely denying the title "el hombre," Pjuols should be honored to have the same nick-name as a great Hall of Fame Baseball player. But that is only my opinion and whether you care doesn't matter to me.

In his introduction to The Cambridge Companion To Baseball, Leonard Cassuto made a statement in which I feel relates to this story. He stated that "the notion of baseball is in essence a boy's game possessing a lovable innocence that it is somehow able to identify and celebrate" (Cassuto 3). Stories, like that of the legendary Stanley "the man" Musial hold an important place in the traditional baseball game rhetoric. But these stories of the past should not interfere with the success and accepted praise of present ball players. Sometimes I think people get too wrapped up in the innocence of the game, idealizing a player for what he was instead of looking at present players for who they are...