Rapidly aging Guerrero

Vladimir Guerrero is one year older than previously thought. He's 34, not 33.

In a morning interview session with reporters, Scioscia said Guerrero's October surgery to clean out scar tissue and repair cartilage damage in his right knee could "point to a guy maybe turning back the clock a couple of years."

Relayed that quote through an interpreter, Guerrero smiled and said, "I feel good. I can't say [like] 25, because, you know, I'm 34. But I feel a lot better. That's where I'm at right now."

The Angels list Guerrero's birth date as Feb. 9, 1976, which would make him 33. Guerrero admitted to a team executive later in the day that he was born on the same date in 1975, making him 34.

The team plans to change the media guide to reflect Guerrero's correct age.

Though Guerrero, as it turns out, is one of hundreds of players from the Dominican Republic who faked their age when signing contracts with major league teams, the timing of Friday's discovery could be costly.

Guerrero, who will make $15 million this season, is in the final year of a contract, and any new extension he signs probably will be for one less year than he would have signed for, which would cost him millions.

I'm wondering if Vlad might be even older than 34.

Fantasy Impact: This revelation means Guerrero's slip in numbers last season might not be an off year as much as it could be the beginning of the end. His .521 SLG and .302 AVG were his worst since 1997. His 27 home runs matched his 2008 total, but both were also his worst since '97 when he only played a half-season. Guerrero is still a viable fantasy option, but he's no longer a second-round draft pick. If he slips to round five, however, Guerrero could be a major steal, especially if offseason knee surgery helps him bounce back.

Venezuela kings Italy

Felix Hernandez looked like the king of the hill Saturday in Toronto. The Venezuelan ace over matched Team Italy, striking out four in four innings on the way to a 7-0 victory. King Felix gave up just three base runners.

Hernandez looks like he's dropped weight. He was in solid form, and might be able to put up some gaudy fantasy numbers. He's only 23, and he's already won 39 MLB games.

Anyone think the Italians uniforms looked like the Dodgers?

Japan jumps Korea

Japan whipped Korea 14-2 to become the first team to advance from pool play in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

All five MLB players in the Japanese starting lineup contributed in the lopsided win: Ichiro recorded three hits and three runs. Kenji Johjima had three hits, two runs and two RBI. Kosuke Fukudome had a hit and a run. Akinori Iwamura scored twice on a pair of walks.

Daisuke Matsuzaka picked up the win, giving up two runs in four innings.

Puerto Rico rips Panama

Pudge Rodriguez certainly took to auditioning for a MLB job. He hit two home runs for Puerto Rico, going 4-4 in his home country's 7-0 win over Panama. Pudge contributed three runs and four RBI.

John Kruk mentioned Houston, Florida and the NY Mets as the three teams he expects to contend for Rodriguez's services behind the plate. Houston especially should give Pudge a look. Look at the bind they got into last year with the J.R. Towles experiment.

Also worth a mention: Carlos Delgado had three hits and a homer in four at bats. Delgado took a lot of heat for his inabilities early last season. Everyone said his bat looked slow and he was no longer the power hitter he once was. Then Delgado went nuts in the second half, hitting 27 home runs and driving in 80 runs in his last 84 games. He looked far from washed up.

Team USA defeates Canada

Team USA got off on the right foot with a 6-5 win over Canada, but it was a tough win. The Canadians have a nice lineup with Russell Martin, Joey Votto, Justin Morneau and Jason Bay occupying the No. 2 thru 5 slots. Votto stole the show with a 4-5 afternoon, including a home run and a ninth-inning RBI double to halve the American lead at 6-5. J.J. Putz, however, was able to get out of his own jam for the save.

The USA now plays the winner of Italy and Venezuela.

Kevin Youkilis, Adam Dunn and Brian McCann provided the power for Team USA, each connecting for a home run. The three bombs accounted for five of the six American runs. I don't think they're necessarily a station-to-station team, however, and the USA should be manufacture runs with probably the best lineup in the classic.

One more note on Votto. The Canadian coaching staff must be very high on him if they're willing to bat Votto ahead of Morneau and Bay in the third slot.

Dutch Treat even with Dominican dominance on the hill

Quite the shocker in the WBC. The Dominican Republic fell to the Netherlands, 3-2, despite DR pitching staff holding the Netherlands to three hits. In fact, the Dutch team struggled to make solid contact, failing to record an extra base hit. Two first-inning errors led to a three-run first from which the Dominicans never recovered.

With Randall Simon and Gene Kingsale the only Dutch players in the starting lineup with significant MLB experience, DR pitchers mostly had their way. Edinson Volquez struggled with the strike zone at times, missing the zone with 21 of his 58 pitches. He still managed three strike outs in three innings.

Pedro Martinez looked better than Volquez, zipping 32 strikes on 40 pitches. He struck out four in three innings, giving up just one hit. There was no gun available in the telecast, but here's guessing this outing turned the heads of several scouts regardless of the velocity.