Angered by a USA Today story that incorrectly reported he was paid a $50,000 bonus for making the All-Star team, Albert Belle called his participation in Tuesday’s game in Cleveland “pretty much a no-win situation.”
While teammate Frank Thomas was criticized by some for staying home after being picked as a reserve, Belle finds himself under fire for keeping such a low profile at the game. He didn’t take batting practice Monday, skipped the team photo session Tuesday and was the only position player from either team to not get into the game itself.
In a Friday story written by baseball writer Rod Beaton, USA Today reported that Belle showed up for “an undisguised cash grab.” The story said that Belle came only to collect his $50,000 bonus and that his presence “cheated” another arguably deserving All-Star. It listed Cleveland’s Manny Ramirez, Detroit’s Tony Clark, Anaheim’s Jim Edmonds and Texas’ Rusty Greer as players who were done “a serious injustice” by Belle.
One problem: Belle’s five-year, $55 million contract with the White Sox does not include bonuses for being selected to the All-Star team. Under terms of his old deal with Cleveland, Belle received a $25,000 All-Star bonus in 1993 and $50,000 All-Star bonuses in 1994, ’95 and ’96.
In his Sox contract, the only mention of being an All-Star is in language that potentially could raise the buyout on the club’s option for the 2002 season from $5 million to as much as $8 million. But even that requires other achievements and does not become relevant until 2000.
“The story was wrong from start to finish,” Belle said before Friday’s game. “This is a pretty good example of a national sportswriter for a national newspaper just putting things (in a story) that aren’t true. . . . It was pretty much a no-win situation going to the All-Star Game in Cleveland. No matter what I did, I would get punished. No matter what I didn’t do, I would get punished.”
Beaton was not available for comment.
Belle said it was Yankees manager Joe Torre’s decision not to play him. But he told the Tribune Monday that he had told Torre he didn’t care if he played.
Belle, the target of fans’ abuse throughout a three-game series at Jacobs Field in early June, did not want a repeat at the All-Star Game. He said he skipped the team picture out of concern that fans would throw objects at him from the nearby bleachers.
“It was taken in left field after batting practice, after the (stadium) gates opened,” Belle said. “If someone wanted to cause an incident, who knows what would have happened. Maybe somebody would have thrown something. What if they missed me and hit another player? That crossed my mind.”
Torre was concerned, as well.
“You had security from Major League Baseball ask, `Tell us when you’re going to put (Belle) in the game.’ That did it for me,” he said. “I wasn’t going to mess with it.”
Baseball had developed a plan to move many of its security people in the ballpark to left field if Belle was inserted into the game.
Belle was also upset that Fox broadcasters discussed his absence from the bench in the late innings. He said he spent the first six innings on the bench, sitting next to a television cameraman for much of the time, and then went to the clubhouse to stretch in case he was needed in the game.
“After Javy Lopez hit that (game-tying) home run in the seventh inning, I figured I’d have to pinch-hit, play a couple innings,” Belle said. “It’s a good thing Sandy (Alomar) came up with the big homer in the bottom of the inning. That pretty much put the game out of reach.”
Sox GM Ron Schueler said it was unfair to criticize Belle for not working out Monday. “We talked Saturday and Sunday, and he told me he was really tired and didn’t know whether he wanted to participate in the workout,” Schueler said. “I said, `It’s not mandatory. Why don’t you do me a favor: Take your bag over there, thank Torre and go get your rest.’ He did exactly what I asked him to do.”
