ATLANTA -- Even as club officials and family members minimized the aftershocks of Wednesday night's dugout confrontation between Orioles right fielder Albert Belle and manager Ray Miller, the incident provided a glimpse into what many see as an expanding swirl around the combustible slugger and his new team.
"It's an internal matter, which by definition means it will be handled internally," general manager Frank Wren said yesterday. "The situation will be dealt with."
Rightly or wrongly, Belle has become the poster child for the Orioles' calamitous 22-36 season. He is the game's highest-paid annual player with a no-trade guarantee through 2001 but is receiving increased attention for indifferent defensive play and jogs to first base.
Wednesday's incident was preceded by Belle's failure to hustle on a two-out grounder against the Florida Marlins in the ninth inning. When the throw from third base sailed wide, pulling first baseman Kevin Millar from the bag, Belle was still too far down the line to beat the play. It cost the Orioles a run in a 4-2 game and left Miller to replace him with Rich Amaral in a double switch. At first Belle didn't notice the maneuver, continuing to right field and awaiting his hat and glove. When no one came out with them, he returned to the dugout, found out he had been replaced and immediately engaged Miller in a nose-to-nose profanity-laced tirade before teammates Jeff Reboulet and Harold Baines pulled them apart. Miller eventually waved Belle off.
When the manager approached Belle in the clubhouse after the game to further explain the situation, Belle turned on Miller and said, "Don't back me up again."
As the Orioles continued to handle the issue like a live grenade, Belle again had no comment yesterday but his brother, Terry, insisted the incident was a result of frustration rather than a longstanding problem with the manager.
"Albert likes Ray. If anything happened, it happened in the heat of battle. It's over with. They're going to work it out. They both want to win," said Terry Belle. "It amazes me how this is sensationalized whereas 400 kids go to see their first game in Texas and that was barely covered and four kids received Albert Belle scholarships to college and that wasn't covered either."
Miller also has refused further comment on the matter. However, before Wednesday's game he downplayed Belle's recent lapses by saying they aren't unique to the right fielder. "Everything looks worse when a team isn't playing well," Miller said. "Albert's not the only guy who hasn't run out everything. I can remember it happening with Brady [Anderson] and Harold on a pop-up. But Albert has been struggling. That probably magnifies it."
Like the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox before them, the Orioles have tread carefully with Belle ever since signing him to a five-year, $65 million contract last Dec. 1. At the time Wren declared the move as a "no-brainer" while Belle pledged to establish at least a passing relationship with Orioles fans and local media.
During spring training Belle cooperated with autograph-seekers and gave an extended interview to national media gathered at the team's Fort Lauderdale training facility. Sports Illustrated, among others, produced a favorable article regarding his apparent transformation.
Belle's tone changed abruptly on March 11. Frustrated over a poor at-bat during an exhibition game, Belle attacked his locker with a bat with reporters nearby. When a wire service reporter wrote about the incident, Belle cut off contact with Baltimore media. The club immediately reacted by tightening clubhouse access for the rest of spring training.
Belle wasted little time demonstrating his well-publicized intensity; meanwhile, the Orioles consistently turned a blind eye to several embarrassing incidents.
Working in an indoor batting cage one March morning, Belle noticed a bystander looking on. Protective of his work environment, Belle loudly cursed the onlooker, who wore a daily pass authorized by the club. Jarred, the man retreated. No one told Belle the man watching him was former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Dave Concepcion.
Belle typically refuses to acknowledge the presence of reporters, including those attempting to speak with him about his Web site or his cereal, Slugger. He also has refused to deal with Orioles rights holders WBAL and Home Team Sports, neither of which specializes in controversy.
Less than three weeks into the season, Belle hurled a beer bottle through a television inside the visitors clubhouse at Tropicana Field. Belle paid for the damage and no fine was levied.
On several occasions Wren has urged fining Belle but, according to club sources, has been blocked by majority owner Peter Angelos, who must approve all significant penalties.
Belle's relationship with hitting coach Terry Crowley also has become an issue. In Cleveland, Belle enjoyed a rapport with hitting coach Charlie Manuel. However, Belle and Crowley experienced a falling out last month that remains unresolved.
Belle's pre-game preparation has not included input from Crowley for about a month, coincidentally about the same length of time he has experienced a profound funk. According to a club source, Terry Belle rather than Albert phoned Crowley to seek a reconciliation after the team returned from its West Coast trip. The attempt lasted only day, the source said, when Belle used Crowley as little more than a batting practice pitcher while refusing to swing.
In search of timing, he has consistently struggled to drive the ball while pulling outside pitches for ground balls. Several strong defensive plays against him have only worsened his problems.
Belle's offensive descent has been as alarming as it has been mystifying. The Orioles insist he is healthy; Belle has confided to some that he has so far found it impossible to maintain timing. In the meantime, the Orioles offer a doughnut attack with the cleanup spot as its hole.
The game's most prolific run producer from 1991-98 enters this weekend's series against the Atlanta Braves with one home run in his last 21 games, a span covering 94 plate appearances. After taking the club lead with 33 RBIs in the Orioles' first 42 games, Belle has only two RBIs in 15 games since May 16 when he homered twice with five RBIs in a 16-5 rout of the Texas Rangers.
Belle hammered at least 45 doubles in three of the previous four seasons but has failed to rediscover his gap power this season. In perhaps the most staggering statistic of an offense-crazed season, Belle went without a double for 45 games from April 10-May 29, a span of 146 at-bats, and still has only three for the season.
The Orioles can no longer rationalize that Belle is not getting pitches to hit. After walking a league-leading 43 times through May 23, Belle has walked only four times the last 15 games. Belle went consecutive games without a walk only three times through 45 games but is now consistently attacked by pitchers able to exploit his expanded strike zone. Miller remains optimistic.
"I think he's bordering on coming alive. I'm seeing more hits," said Miller. "Obviously he hasn't done what he's done in the past as far as driving the ball and extra-base hits. What you have to do is wait it out."
Said catcher Lenny Webster, "Everyone in this clubhouse knows the guy's a great player. Everyone knows what he's capable of. He'll get going at some point. You know that. We just have to be in a position to make it matter."
After raising eyebrows last December by suggesting Belle would bat third, Miller has adamantly refused to replace him as cleanup hitter despite the right fielder carrying only the club's eighth-highest slugging percentage. Club sources say Wren has suggested a move to no avail.
Pressed on his stance, Wren says the lineup is the manager's prerogative.
Asked before Wednesday's game if he intends to keep Belle in the lineup, Miller answered, "I don't think you have much of a choice."
Though Miller admits considering dropping Belle within the lineup, he partially attributes the protracted success of No. 3 hitter B. J. Surhoff and No. 5 hitter Harold Baines to Belle's proximity.
"No matter how much you tweak what Albert's done, you've got to look at what the guy in front of him and the guy behind him have done. They've done pretty good," said Miller. "How much you alter them if you drop him I don't know."
Within a clubhouse used to lineup politics -- Cal Ripken's shift to No. 7 in the order last season was significant enough for Miller to first clear it with the third baseman -- such moves are closely monitored. One player recently suggested that Miller is "terrified" of jostling Belle, a creature of habit who receives three neatly aligned yogurts after every home game and is prone to erupt if his spikes are not precisely arranged beneath his chair.
"None of this is new, so why should it change now?" said one player aware of clubhouse double standards before Belle's arrival. "Everybody sees what's going on. But do you think something will happen? No way."
Orioles tonight
Opponent: Atlanta Braves
Site: Turner Field, Atlanta
Time: 7: 40
TV/Radio: Ch. 13/WBAL (1090 AM)
Starters: Orioles' Sidney Ponson (5-4, 4.26) vs. Braves' Greg Maddux (5-3, 4.65)
The book on Belle
Dec. 1, 1998: New Oriole
Belle signs a five-year contract with the Orioles for a club-record $65 million. Asked how he'll get along with Orioles fans, Belle said: "I think over the last couple years I've made great strides in my approach with the fans. I enjoy being interactive with the fans."
March 11, 1999: Outburst
Belle hurled bats, his helmet and spikes in the clubhouse after being called out on strikes in a spring training game. Reports on the incident led Belle to stop talking to the Baltimore media, a silence he still imposes. Said manager Ray Miller, "I wish everybody had the same intensity in every at-bat that Albert Belle does. Because if we do, we're going to be something to be reckoned with."
May 3: Second Cuba game
A jogging Belle was tagged out in the third inning when a wild throw pulled first baseman Orestes Kindelan off the bag. At one point, he took 11 consecutive pitches, six of them strikes, and didn't shake hands with the Cubans after the game.
May 4: Praising Miller
Talking to Chicago media, Belle said: "You can never say anything bad about a manager who wants you to bat cleanup and play the outfield every day."
June 6: Not hustling
Belle failed to run out a ground ball down the third base line in the ninth inning and was booed loudly. Replays showed that the ball appeared to go foul before reaching Phillies third baseman Scott Rolen. Miller defended Belle, saying, "Not only did I see the home plate ump signal foul, I heard someone yell 'foul.' "
June 9: The double switch
Belle and Miller went nose-to-nose in the dugout after Miller made a double switch and pulled Belle out. In the top of the ninth, Belle completed an 0-for-5 night by grounding out to third and not running at full speed as the throw pulled first baseman Kevin Millar off the bag.