Belle Tolls For Albert's Career

Albert Belle's career ended Thursday when the Baltimore Orioles said the outfielder was "totally disabled and unable to perform as a major league baseball player."

Belle was examined by two team doctors Wednesday and found to have a severe case of degenerative arthritis of the right hip.

"Belle has agreed that he is physically incapable of performing as a player and concurs with the findings of the doctors," the Orioles said in a statement.

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," said Syd Thrift, the Orioles' vice president of baseball operations.

Belle never said much to the media, and when the end came, he was nowhere to be found.

Thrift said he had no idea where Belle was, and public relations director Bill Stetka had no success in trying to track down the reclusive star.

"He's somewhere in the area," Thrift guessed.

Belle's locker was untouched Thursday afternoon. His No. 88 jersey hung alongside eight pairs of pants. On the top shelf sat a glove with a baseball nestled inside it.

On the floor, a pair of cleats and shower shoes, ready for wear.

For the Orioles, it was difficult 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.

The announcement came early Thursday evening, but hours earlier the Orioles 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 Richarwill 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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