|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Passing grade Orioles' Belle passes physical, but limps through practice
Updated: Tuesday February 20, 2001 5:17 PM
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- His limp was more telling than the physical he passed hours earlier. Albert Belle worked out with the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, but his arthritic right hip hindered his ability to run and forced him to perform at less than full speed. Belle is coming off arguably the worst season of his career. Forced to miss 20 games in September with an inflamed bursa sac in the right hip pointer, the outfielder finished with a .281 batting average and only 23 homers, the first time since the strike-shortened 1991 season he failed to hit at least 30. He worked during the offseason to rehabilitate the degenerative hip, but at this point he's striving primarily to prevent it from getting any worse. Belle also put on 15 pounds in his upper body during the winter -- some in his chest but a good portion in his belly. After being examined by team physicians Tuesday morning, Belle was hindered by a restrictive limp as he participated in his first practice this spring. Right from the outset, as he hobbled in the outfield while jogging in line with his teammates, Belle showed that he is not nearly at 100 percent. "Swinging the bat, he looked fine," manager Mike Hargrove said. "I thought he looked a little limited in his running, but it was only the first day." Hargrove, who has projected Belle to be his starting right fielder, did not back off that assertion. "If Albert either proves to himself, or to us, or breaks down or something happens that says he can't, obviously we will adjust," Hargrove said. "But until that happens, Albert is the right fielder." Passing the physical was an important step for Belle, but it didn't provide any assurance that he will be able to play effectively, if at all, when the regular season gets underway in April. "We just have to wait and see what he does and see how he reacts to baseball activities," said Syd Thrift, the Orioles' vice president of baseball operations. "The first thing we're going to do is see if he can play the outfield. We have to see how he plays the outfield, how he runs, how he hits." Belle did not talk to the media after practice. But he told reporters Sunday that he was healthy enough to man his usual spot in right field. "I feel like right now I can play. How many games, I couldn't tell you," Belle said. "It'll just be day by day. But I'm pretty much on course." Belle has three years left on his $65 million, five-year guaranteed contract. He will receive the remaining $39 million even if his injury prevents him from playing for any or part of that time. Orioles third baseman Cal Ripken, who once played in 2,632 straight games, missed dozens of games over the past two seasons with a back injury. He can sympathize with Belle, whose string of playing in 232 consecutive games ended on August 27. Belle never sat out more than 20 games in a full season before last year. "I can relate," Ripken said. "I would imagine that there's a lot of frustration inside Albert."
| ||||||||||||||||||||
