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Arthritic hip ends Belle's career
Updated: Friday March 09, 2001 7:24 AM
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- Albert Belle's No. 88 jersey hung alongside eight pairs of pants. On the top shelf of the locker sat a glove with a baseball nestled inside it. When word came that his career was over because of a hip injury, Belle was nowhere to be found. The end came with no fanfare, TV cameras or tears -- just a four-paragraph press release distributed Thursday by the Baltimore Orioles. It said, in part, that Belle was "totally disabled and unable to perform as a major league baseball player." Belle never said much to the media, and this day was no different. Orioles vice president Syd Thrift had no idea where Belle was, and public relations director Bill Stetka couldn't track down the reclusive star. "He's somewhere in the area," Thrift guessed. Belle was examined by two team doctors Wednesday and found to have a severe case of degenerative arthritis of the right hip.
Belle will be placed on the 60-day disabled list Friday -- the first step to protect the Orioles' insurance coverage of his contract, which guarantees the slugger $39 million in the next three years. About 70 percent of that total will be reimbursed to the team by the insurance company. "We have been anticipating this for some time," Thrift said. That didn't make it any easier to watch Belle struggle through a spring training in which the ailing superstar found it difficult to do the most mundane of tasks, such as run to first base or chase down a liner to the corner in right field. "It's a very sad event for a young man 34 years of age not to be able to play baseball again," Thrift said. When he played the game, Belle did it with vigor and sass. He hit 381 homers and drove in 1,239 runs over 12 seasons. He's still the only player to have 50 homers and 50 doubles in one season, a feat he accomplished in 1995. Hours before the announcement, the Orioles already spoke of Belle in the past tense.
"With Albert being gone, it makes getting at-bats for people a lot easier," said manager Mike Hargrove, who had his share of run-ins with Belle when both were with the Cleveland Indians. "We don't have that one true No. 4 hitter now that Albert's out of the picture. But I don't feel that bad about David Segui coming to the plate with a couple of men on base." Segui will bat cleanup and Chris Richard will play right field in most games this season. Jeff Conine will likely get the majority of at-bats as the right-handed designated hitter. Former Cy Young winner Pat Hentgen, obtained by Baltimore as a free agent during the offseason, expected to have Belle providing offensive support for him, following years of battling against him. "I'm really disappointed that he's not going to play this year," the right-hander said. "As an opposing player, the guy always gave everything he had. He was a fierce competitor, the kind of person you love on your side." Hentgen hasn't given up hope that Belle might somehow make it back in 2002. "I was looking forward to playing with him, and still am," the pitcher said. "The guy has played through all sorts of injuries. He just might get better." Given the shape of Belle's hip, that would seem unlikely.
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