He's 53. He hasn't played in the big leagues since 2005. But Rafael Palmeiro doesn't see a reason why he can't continue his playing career.
Palmeiro said he believes he is in better shape than he was late in his career, and he is hopeful that a team will give him an opportunity to show that he still has something left in the tank.
Palmeiro's comeback attempt after a 13-year layoff is real. He insists it's not a joke. It's not a publicity stunt.
"There's no specific reason other than I love baseball," Palmeiro said in an interview this week as he headed for a late-night workout.
"This is being serious about getting back to the level that I was when I was playing in 2002, 2003, whenever. I feel that good and I feel that confident.
"It's taken me a long time to _ I guess I can't say that I've gotten over what has happened because I don't think I'll ever get over it _ but I think it's taken me a long time to deal with it and understand it and get to moving on with my life."
Palmeiro is referencing his tarnished legacy as one of the disgraced players from the steroid era. He's more associated with failing a performance-enhancing drug test late in the 2005 season than being one of five members of the 3,000-hit, 500-homer club over a 20-year career with the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles.
