JUPITER, Fla. -- Former Orioles outfielder Eric Davis took some swings in the batting cage before yesterday's exhibition game. His hardest cuts, however, were delivered upon returning to the St. Louis Cardinals' clubhouse.
The subject: His departure from the Orioles after two seasons. The mood: It went from relaxed to agitated in a matter of seconds.
Davis signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Cardinals over the winter, money the Orioles didn't want to spend on a projected fourth outfielder and part-time designated hitter.
Manger Ray Miller said yesterday that the organization also had concerns about Davis' right elbow. His throwing was restricted because of bone chips, limiting the number of times Miller could put him in the outfield.
"He had a lot of problems with it last year," Miller said.
The elbow is a sore subject with Davis, who hit in a club-record 30 straight games last year.
"If he was concerned about that, why didn't he pick up a phone and call me and ask how my elbow was?" said Davis, who started in right field yesterday and went 2-for-3 in the Cardinals' 8-5 loss. "Ray didn't call me, Frank [Wren, Orioles general manager] didn't call me, so it couldn't have been a concern.
"Don't you think you should ask instead of assuming? They weren't concerned about it when we were five games out. They weren't concerned when I was hitting in all those games and doing what I'm doing, so during the off-season you're concerned about my elbow? I think it's an excuse.
"They know how I hurt it. Because I was throwing off the mound; that's why my elbow was hurt. It was something I shouldn't have been doing."
Miller explained that Davis was taking part in a drill in which each player is positioned behind the mound, then strides onto it as he throws.
"It's just something you do to perfect your throwing technique," Miller said. "He doesn't have a very good elbow."
Beginning June 30, Davis served as DH in 28 of 36 games before returning to more regular time in right field.
"I could have played right last year," he said, "but they were trying to protect me, saying, 'OK, we have a day game tomorrow and we're going to let you DH because [Mike Mussina] is pitching tomorrow and we want you to play right field.' That's why I was the DH. If I had been a [jerk] like some other people who were complaining about DH-ing, then I would have been a bad guy. But because I went along with the program, they used that against me."
Miller said yesterday he wanted to retain Davis, but that became less likely after the club signed Harold Baines over the summer. Baines' sore knees restrict him to being a DH, so Davis wouldn't get many at-bats there. And signing Albert Belle and retaining B. J. Surhoff left no room in the outfield.
"To be perfectly honest, I'm glad Harold signed but I didn't think it really had to be done at that time," Miller said. "He's a 40-year-old guy who wants to play here, so that's not necessarily a priority at that time. But again, that's not my business. If that's what they want, that's fine.
"The rest of the decision with E. D. really was financial. I was asked if I'd like to have him back. Of course I'd like to have him back. E. D. is a great guy to have on your club."
Wren said the club had "other priorities" over Davis, who hit .327 with 28 homers and 89 RBIs.
"At the money it was going to take, I didn't see a full-time role there. I called him back and he had already signed," Wren said.
Said Davis: "I didn't even talk to them. I didn't talk to Ray, I didn't talk to Frank Wren. All I know is it was told to me I wasn't a priority, so I took that to heart. If I'm not a priority, then I have to go out and do what I have to do to solidify my situation.
"I can't sit here and say I'm not disappointed, because I am disappointed."
Miller often had no choice but to take a cautious approach with Davis after his return from colon-cancer surgery in 1997 and last year's tender elbow. Davis began playing more regularly as he built his hitting streak, and the Orioles went 25-7 during that stretch, including two games when Davis didn't play.
"It wasn't about my hitting streak," he said. "I started playing every day and we started winning every day. And it's not just from my aspect. We had a set lineup after the All-Star break. Those were the same guys we ran out there day in and day out. [Miller] was able to finally understand what it was we were supposed to do. When you're shuffling, it's hard. When you play one day and take two off, or you hit leadoff, you hit second, you hit eighth. It took us 81 games to figure out what our lineup should have been."
Davis was greeted warmly by his former teammates.
"They were like, 'It's not the same around here. You should still be here,' " Davis said. "That's not the case, but it's great to hear."
No pressure for Cuba trip
Miller said that the two members of the club who are of Cuban descent, head trainer Richie Bancells and batting practice pitcher Rudy Arias, will be under no pressure to accompany the Orioles on their trip to Cuba.
"I gave them the option of whether or not they would go," Miller said. "I think you have to be sensitive to somebody from that background. Certainly, if there were players of Cuban descent on this team, they would be given the same option."
Neither Bancells nor Arias has spoken publicly on the subject. Miller said he did not know whether they would accompany the club to Havana for the Feb. 28 game.
The exhibition series has the blessing of Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, but the deal apparently was made with the understanding that no one would be forced to make the trip.
Owner Peter Angelos knew when he first began exploring the possibility of the visit three years ago that there would be some opposition.
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa was quoted on Monday saying he was against the trip, but softened his stance when he learned that former boss and close friend Sandy Alderson had been instrumental in the negotiations that led to the deal.
A Major League Baseball logistics team is scheduled to travel to Cuba tomorrow to work out the details of the game at Havana's Latin American Stadium.
Alderson will be part of a Major League Baseball logistics team scheduled to travel to Cuba tomorrow to work out the details of the exhibition game at Havana's Latin American Stadium. John and Lou Angelos also are expected to make the trip, during which arrangements will be made to accommodate the team, club officials and the large number of media expected to cover the event.
Regan has week to respond
Former Orioles manager Phil Regan has another week to respond to the club's claim that it owns the lineup card Regan filled out on the day Cal Ripken set the major-league record for consecutive games played.
Regan put the card up for auction last year, but the team went to court to block the sale -- saying the manager never should have taken the card or pen he used to fill it out. At a hearing yesterday in Chicago, the suburban Chicago-based auction house, Northshore Sports, asked for permission to drop out of the case and turn the card -- as well as one used for a game the day before -- over to the judge to decide its ownership.
Regan's recently hired attorney, Tom Royce, made his first appearance in the case and was given a week to file a formal response to the team's lawsuit.
"Mr. Regan has instructed me to aggressively and reasonably defend him in this matter. His position is that he has a right to these items," Royce said.
Otanez might go north
Wren has told Miller to wait until next week before focusing on who would fill Delino DeShields' roster spot if the second baseman goes on the disabled list with a fractured thumb.
"I'm going to assume, until I see him on the field, that I have to replace that spot," Miller said.
Asked if he prefers taking another infielder north, Miller made a reference to third baseman Willis Otanez, who went 0-for-2 yesterday but has homered twice. Otanez is out of options.
"If that third baseman keeps bombing the ball, I'm sure not going to let him go somewhere if I've got a spot open," Miller said.
Howard fills power void
Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire was given the day off. David Howard did his part to make sure nobody noticed.
Howard, a utility infielder with 10 career homers in 1,501 at-bats, cleared the fence twice against Orioles starter Sidney Ponson. He homered to right leading off the first inning and opened the third with a drive to left.
Those were the only runs off Ponson, who allowed five hits and struck out two in three innings. "I left those two pitches up and he hit them pretty good. Next time I won't make that mistake," he said.
The Cardinals broke out the big lumber. Catcher Eli Marrero crushed a 2-0 pitch from Rocky Coppinger in the fourth inning that almost left the state.
Sun staff writers Peter Schmuck and Jon Morgan contributed to this article.
Pub Date: 3/10/99