Filed Under » MLB

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols received an MRI yesterday for his ailing back. The scan showed no structural damage, but did reveal what seems to be shrapnel from action in the Vietnam War.

"I have treated many veterans in my regular practice," said Cardinals team physician Dr. Rick Wright. "And what I saw on the MRI was pretty clearly remnants from a mine only used by the Viet Cong."

The find again brings into question the age of Pujols, who claims to have been born in 1980, although it has long been assumed he is much older. If the shrapnel is indeed from action in Vietnam, Pujols is likely between 55 and 65 years of age. Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa deflected questions about his star's true birth date.

"This is ridiculous. I thought we put this issue to bed years ago," said LaRussa. "It's disrespectful to Albert, who has never lied about anything and has done nothing but respect the game of baseball. Our brave veterans don't need these sort of cynical questions. We owe them more than that."

Not only does the MRI put into questions Pujols' age, but also his nationality — as the Dominican Republic did not have a military presence in Vietnam.

"I'm not surprised," said the general manager of a rival NL Central team. "We all know he's older. I didn't realize he's not even Dominican. But I should have. I mean … Pujols. That's clearly a made up, joke name. This guy's been screwing with us for years. And you have to question why he changed his name after coming home from the war. Is he a war criminal? Did he take on the identity of a fallen soldier? And why did he wait until his later forties to start playing baseball?"

Pujols refused to comment on the allegations. And his back appears to be feeling better. He took some swings today wearing his usual batting practice attire: a Cardinals batting practice jersey and his VFW hat.

SportsPickle is previewing each MLB team in the lead up to Opening Day 2010. Today:Chicago Cubs (2009: 83-78, 2nd in NL Central)

SportsPickle is previewing each MLB team in the lead up to Opening Day 2010. Today:Milwaukee Brewers(2009: 80-82, 3rd in NL Central)

SportsPickle is previewing each MLB team in the lead up to Opening Day 2010. Today: Chicago White Sox (2009: 79-83, 3rd in AL Central)

SportsPickle is previewing each MLB team in the lead up to Opening Day 2010.

Today:Cincinnati Reds (2009: 78-84, 4th in NL Central)

SportsPickle is previewing each MLB team in the lead up to Opening Day 2010.

Today: San Diego Padres (2009: 75-87, 4th in NL West)

SportsPickle is previewing each MLB team in the lead up to Opening Day 2010.

Today: TorontoBlue Jays (2009: 75-87, 4th in AL East)

Good ole' Glen from accounting, who was slated to retire at the end of the month, announced today that he will sign a one-day contract with the Yankees and retire as a New York Yankee.

Glen has worked in those cubicles over by the men's bathroom for the past 17 years, but he says he has always thought of himself as a Yankee after having an accounting internship with the team in 1971 while he was in college.

"My accounting career has taken me many different places," says Glen. "Hepfer's Waste Management for 12 years, the start-up I joined in the '80s that was going to build flying cars, serving as volunteer treasurer of my son's Little League, and here to this company for the past 17 years. But I always wanted to get back to where it started: in the Bronx as a New York Yankee."

Yankees president Randy Levine says the organization has no record of Glen working for the team "because we didn't keep paperwork on unpaid college interns in the '70s," but will still allow him to retire as a Yankee.

"I don't know why we didn't think of this earlier," said Levine. "We charge a fee — Glen is paying $1,500 — and let someone say they are a Yankee for 24 hours, well … only eight working hours, contractually. And then they're gone. Easy money. We do this for a couple weeks and we'll have enough money to install platinum toilet seats in the luxury box bathrooms."

Glen says he is especially happy about the retirement package the Yankees will give him.

"They're class all the way," he said. "I get a certificate that says 'Congrats, BLANK, on retiring a Yankee.' And also 10-percent off any one box seat ticket to a game against the Orioles and a signed baseball card from Alfredo Aceves."