Whether intended as a prank or a protest, Orioles right fielder Albert Belle created an organizational swirl last night by posting a petition at his locker to boycott next Monday's exhibition in Rochester.
Belle's handmade sign said simply: Petition to Boycott Exhibition Game in Rochester on Monday, 6/28/99. Below were spaces for players to register their support. Belle was the first to sign, and later on Scott Erickson's signature appeared underneath. Club officials apparently were not amused.
Chief operating officer Joe Foss noted Belle's handiwork during a brief stopover and mentioned it to manager Ray Miller. The sign was removed be fore the end of batting practice.
Club officials chose not to address the matter last night except to deny any suggestion that the exhibition game is up for negotiation. For several weeks players wondered whether the game was canceled as part of a quid pro quo for playing a Cuban all-star team in season May 3.
Player representative Mike Mussina said yesterday that he considers Monday's game a certainty regardless of any clubhouse dissatisfaction.
Tickets for the game were sold out within hours after being made available. According to general manager Frank Wren, the game is mandatory for all players, including Belle.
"There is certainly precedent for playing two exhibitions in season," Wren said last night. "It happens regularly when teams play in the Hall of Fame game. It's happened here before."
The Orioles remain sensitive to the precedent. In 1997, second baseman Roberto Alomar abstained from the game in Rochester immediately after the All-Star Game. Alomar never notified then-manager Davey Johnson of his intention to miss the game in order to travel to Puerto Rico to be with family following his grandmother's death. Johnson subsequently fined Alomar $10,000 without first gaining consent from majority owner Peter Angelos.
Angelos became further enraged when he learned Johnson had asked Alomar to make out a check to a charity that retained Johnson's wife, Susan, as a fund-raiser.
Wren, who spent most of the day at Delmarva and chaperoning two of the club's first-round draft picks, said he was not fully aware of Belle's protest but would investigate further.
Hairston starts in hurry
As the early weeks of the season ticked away, infielder Jerry Hairston was struggling so badly that he said he couldn't hit high school pitching, let alone the stuff being thrown by Triple-A competition.
Hairston eventually found a groove at Rochester, reminding the Orioles why he's regarded as one of their top prospects. And yesterday, he found the home clubhouse at Camden Yards and his name in the lineup against Boston right-hander Pat Rapp.
Hairston, 23, was recalled when second baseman Delino DeShields went on the disabled list retroactive to Sunday with a strained right hamstring. He was hitting .268 with 11 doubles, two triples, six homers, 28 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.
This is Hairston's second tour with the Orioles. He received a September call-up last season and was hitless in seven at-bats. "In my situation, all I really want to do is get better. I was hoping I'd get another opportunity," he said.
When DeShields went on the DL for the first time to open the season, the opportunity went to another middle infielder, Jesse Garcia, whose defensive skills won over manager Ray Miller in spring training. Garcia couldn't be considered for yesterday's promotion because he's on the DL.
"This team's on a roll, and I definitely don't want to hinder them," said Hairston, who hit .326 in 55 games at Double-A Bowie last season. "This is a big series for us, and I really want to be a part of helping this team win."
Hairston began his career as a shortstop, but was shifted to second when Garcia began the season in Baltimore and again when Garcia went on the DL.
His preference? "When the manager puts your name in the lineup, you play wherever he wants you to. It doesn't really matter to me," Hairston said.
"I'm just comfortable playing, being out there and being a part of the game. I try not to think about whether it's short or second."
Hairston said his early struggles at Rochester, when his average stayed below .200 through the first month, were caused by allowing some "situations" to affect him. Though he wouldn't specify, he had to deal with Garcia's moving ahead of him among middle-infield prospects and the signing of DeShields for three years.
"The last six weeks I really turned it around and have been hitting the ball very well," he said. "I really started playing like Jerry again and not worrying about what I can't control."
Miller started Hairston yesterday in part because he wanted to rest Jeff Reboulet, who has been playing through some minor ailments. Reboulet will get most of the starts in place of DeShields, who was told by trainer Richie Bancells that it would be five or six days before he could run. Rather than be short-handed or risk rushing him back and complicating the injury, the club decided to put DeShields on the DL and summon Hairston.
Two first-rounders signed
The Orioles secured two more of their first-round draft picks, including Clemson pitcher Mike Paradis, the 13th overall selection, who had agreed last week to a $1.7 million bonus. Also signed was outfielder Keith Reed, the 23rd overall selection, for $1.15 million.
Paradis, 21, went 6-1 with a 4.43 ERA at Clemson. Reed, 20, was named the Big East Player of the Year at Providence after hitting .398 with 17 homers and a school-record 79 RBIs. Both worked out at Camden Yards yesterday.
Paradis and Reed, who played on the same American Legion team in Auburn, Mass., will report to Rookie League Bluefield.
"I don't have a timetable for any specific player," said Wren. "I'll let the player dictate that based on how he performs. But with a college player, once they get their feet on the ground in pro ball, they can move awfully fast."
Paradis is a sinker/slider pitcher whose stuff is suited for Camden Yards, where any fly ball has a chance to reach the seats. He also mixes in an occasional changeup.
"I'm just going to go out there and go after everybody. Be aggressive," he said. "I'll try to work ahead in the count and use my fastball, my movement, to try to get ground balls."
Moose call
Mussina launched the Orioles Summer Reading Program yesterday by sharing a book with a group of students at the Cherry Hill branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library.
The program, sponsored by The Baltimore Sun, is being offered in 19 library systems across Maryland in addition to the Police Athletic League. "I thought about it as a small part of my time to help promote something to kids that can last them a lifetime if they get interested in reading," Mussina said.
His reading selection yesterday? The children's story "Playing Right Field," by Willy Welch.
Around the horn
Boston reliever Tom Gordon has been told by doctors to rest his ailing right elbow for at least five weeks. Gordon was placed on the disabled list June 14 with an elbow strain. After consulting with Dr. James Andrews in Alabama, the right-hander was told that he has a strained ligament in the elbow and must take an extended break. The 12th annual Orioles Wives Food Drive will take place Saturday and Sunday at Camden Yards. Non-perishable food items will be received at all gates before the games against the New York Yankees, with the collections benefiting the Maryland Food Bank. Former Oriole Leo Gomez hit two home runs in a losing cause as the Yomiuri Giants beat the Central League's front-running Chunichi Dragons, 5-3, in the Nagoya Dome in Tokyo. Gomez, who last played in the majors for the Chicago Cubs, has 17 homers this season.
Late O's game
Last night's Orioles-Red Sox game at Camden Yards did not end in time to be included in this edition. A complete report can be found in later editions or on the Internet at http: //www.sunspot.net. For a report on last night's game and other Orioles information, call SunDial at 410-783-1800, ext. 5023 (in Anne Arundel County, call 410-268-7736, ext. 5023).
Orioles tonight
Opponent: Boston Red Sox
Site: Camden Yards
Time: 7: 35
TV/Radio: HTS/WBAL (1090 AM)
Starters: Red Sox's Bret Saberhagen (2-2, 2.70) vs. Orioles' Juan Guzman (3-5, 4.75)
Tickets: 4,000 remain
Pub Date: 6/23/99