DENZEL WASHINGTON - WASHINGTON: I'M NOT JACKIE ROBINSON

DENZEL WASHINGTON has wrecked pal SPIKE LEE's dreams of bringing baseball icon JACKIE ROBINSON's story to the big screen - because he's too old to play the slugger.

Lee has been trying to persuade the OSCAR winner to suit up for the role of the black sporting hero for many years, but Washington, who has brought boxer REUBEN CARTER, MALCOLM X and STEPHEN BIKO to the big screen, insists he isn't the right man for the job.

He says, "I talked to Spike the other day and he said, 'Dude, we can do this.'

"I said, 'Spike, I'm 49. I can't slide. I can hardly walk. I've got bad wheels. I can't run. Get somebody younger.' I can't be everybody."