Wednesday, December 2, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Baltimore signs Belle for five years
Section B · Page 5
Ex-White Sox slugger to earn $65 million
The Associated Press
BALTIMORE — Albert Belle arrived in Baltimore today wielding a pen instead of his potent bat, becoming the highest-paid player in the history of the Orioles.
Belle finally agreed to a $65 million, fiveyear contract Monday night and signed on with the Orioles before being introduced during a news conference at Camden Yards.
and Eddie Murray, now a coach for the team, was one of his heroes.
Belle said Baltimore was always his favorite team when he was growing up
Before checking into Baltimore, however, Belle checked out all his options. According to a source who was in contact with several major league teams, Belle personally placed telephone calls Monday to Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman and Chicago White Sox General Manager Ron Schueler, asking if they were interested in him.
New York withdrew its offer last week after Bernie Williams resigned for $87.5 million in a period of seven years.
Belle had until today to return to the White Sox and complete a $55 million, five-year deal that guaranteed him $35 million in the next three seasons, but
Chicago refused to increase Belle's salary.
So Belle chose the Orioles, who were lagging behind the other American League contenders in the free-agent sweepstakes and felt compelled to overlook Belle's
It took until Monday for an agreement on
the final detail, the extent of the no-trade clause in the contract.
checkered past by offering him one of the most lucrative contracts in baseball history.
Belle's deal is the sixth highest in total dollars.
Belle became available because his contract with the White Sox included a clause
that allowed him to ask for a raise or become a free agent if his average salary didn't remain among the top three in baseball. Belle was knocked out of the top three when Sheffield received an additional $7.5 million for agreeing to waive his no-trade clause and go from Florida to the Los Angeles Dodgers last spring.
Belle's deal with the Orioles does not include a similar reopener clause, one source said.
But his prolific bat is only part of the package. Belle has been suspended for destroying part of a bathroom, hitting a taunting fan in the chest with a thrown baseball, twice charging the mound, using a corked bat and hitting an infielder with his forearm.
Diamondbacks make long-term plans
The Associated Press
PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks have spent a fortune to build one of the best starting rotations in the National League, and don't think for a second these are the Florida Marlins West.
Jerry Colangelo is not renting a World Series title.
The Marlins raised their payroll to $52.5 million to win the championship in 1997, then dismantled the team in a fire sale, cut the payroll to $19.1 million and finished 54-108, the worst record for an NL team since 1969.
owner of the Diamondbacks and the NBA's Phoenix Suns, plans to win sooner, and later too.
Colangelo, the ever-ambitious
After spending $97.4 million on Randy Johnson, Todd Stolt-
remyle
Armando
Reynoso
G re g
Swindell and
Greg
Colbrunn.
Colangelo
insisted the
Diamondbacks are not abandoning their long-term goals.
"I've said from day one that everything we do is long term," he said. "I'm in it for the long
haul. This franchise is going to be one of the more solid franchises in baseball, and nothing will change that game plan."
Arizona manager Buck Showalter said the presence of older, accomplished pitchers will help the development of the younger players.
The Diamondbacks' rotation of Johnson, Stottlemyre, Reynoso, Andy Benes and either Omar Daal or Brian Anderson might be second only to the Atlanta Braves in the NL. But, as an expansion team that lost 97 games last year, the Diamondbacks have plenty of other deficiencies.
hitting with a .246 average, and set an NL record for strikeouts with 1,239. With Colangelo concentrating almost entirely on pitching, the team has barely addressed its other problems.
They were last in the league in
No matter how good the pitching, somebody has to score runs.
The Diamondbacks like the offensive potential of their infield, figuring third baseman Matt Williams and second baseman Jay Bell will have better seasons than a year ago and Travis Lee, who finished third in Rookie of the Year balloting, will continue to improve at first base. At shortstop, Tony Batista will get a chance to see if his big
The big trouble spot, though,
is the outfield. If the season
began today, Arizona likely
would have Bernard Gilkey in
left, Dante Powell in center and
Andy Fox in right.
hitting numbers (.273 and 18 homers in 293 at bats) will hold up through an entire season.
The Diamondbacks are counting on Gilkey returning to his old form after laser eye surgery. Fox, the hustling leadoff hitter in the second half of last season, is hard to keep out of the lineup.
Pittsburgh stadiums await financing bill
Center is the biggest worry. Devon White, the team's MVP, signed a $12.4 million, three-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
City could lose teams without governor's help
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy, discouraged by the Legislature's failure to partially finance two new stadiums, said yesterday only Gov. Tom Ridge can prevent the Pirates and Steelers from moving.
With the Penguins in bankruptcy court
and co-owner Roger Marino scouting other cities, a dejected Murphy said, "It is possible that Pittsburgh, within the next year, could lose its three major league sports teams."
"What's next is of great uncertainty," Murphy said, one day after Ridge chose to veto an obscure bill that potentially provided a back-door method to fund the stadiums. "We need more than empty words and promises."
Two-thirds of the $800 million needed for the stadiums and a renovated conven-
But Ridge hasn't provided the one third share he promised months ago, and the General Assembly recessed last week with only the Senate approving the funding.
The governor says he will lobby legislative leaders to vote again on raising the state's debt ceiling soon after the new General Assembly reconvenes in January. However, there usually is little legislative action that month and a vote is more likely in February.
Pirates managing general partner Kevin McClatchy plans to explore selling or moving the team if the state doesn't make a commitment by Dec. 21.
Murphy's worry is the Pirates might get away before the Legislature acts, even if no cities have stepped forward to court the franchise. Neither of the two baseball markets interested in a team, northern Virginia or Charlotte, is planning to build a ballpark.
Baseball moves All-Star game to Braves' home
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves were expecting to be the host to the All-Star game in 2002. Instead, major league baseball came to them with a surprising offer: How would you like to have the midsummer classic two years earlier?
"I told them we needed 24 to 48 hours to make some phone calls," Braves president Stan Kasten recalled yesterday. "After that, we were ready to go."
During a news conference at Turner Field, NL president Len Coleman formally announced the 2000 All-Star game will be played in Atlanta instead of Miami's Pro Player Stadium.
"It was a very difficult decision," Coleman said. "But we felt it was a decision that needed to be made right now. Certainly, we plan on giving that franchise (the Marlins) highest priority for future All-Star games."
Marlins owner H. Wayne Huizenga is in the process of selling his troubled franchise to commodities broker John Henry, who plans to push for a new baseball-only park to replace Pro Player Stadium.
After winning the World Series in 1987, Huizenga dismantled his roster and the Marlins plunged to 54-108 this year, the worst record in the NL since 1969.
The Braves, owned by Time Warner Inc., have been to the playoffs seven times in a row and are viewed as one of baseball's strongest franchises.
The Braves bid for the game in 1995, knowing they would be moving into Turner Field two years later. When the Marlins were selected, Atlanta became the favorite for the 2002 contest.
Atlanta built its new stadium for the 1996 Olympics, then converted it to a 50,062-seat baseball facility that reopened for the 97 season. Turner Field's most unique feature is a large pedestrian plaza beyond the outfield stands, allowing plenty of room for fan events during the All-Star festivities.
In addition to the All-Star game, the NFL's Super Bowl and the PGA's season-ending Tour Championship also will be held in Atlanta in 2000.
"Atlanta is on a major-league roll in every way," Mayor Bill Campbell said. "I remember when someone wrote an article that called Atlanta 'Losersville.' I think we've put that to rest. It's our belief that we're the premier sports town in America."
"ACCOMPLISHED AND FUNNY..." - DAILY VARIETY Stockholm International Film Festival Official Selection 1998
"A DARK COMEDY IN THE VEIN OF THE BEST OF JOHN WATERS,
FEDERICO FELLINI, ANDY WARHOL ..." Lloyd Kaufman, Hollywood Reporter
"A DAVID LYNCH-ESQUE BLACK COMEDY ABOUT
VIOLENCE IN A RURAL HIGH SCHOOL," Pleasant Gehman, BIKINI Magazine
"A FUTURE CLASSIC IN ITS GENRE." Emma Rydquist, Stockholm
"MOVES WITH A PULSATING RHYTHM." LouAnn Thomas, Topeka Capital Journal
BROOKE BALDERSON IS "RAGING." Daily Variety
"VERY CATCHY, TONGUE-IN-CHEEK SCORE BY CONCRETE BLONDE FOUNDER
JOHNETTE NAPOLITANO." Daily Variety
LIBERTY HALL
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