January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | October | December
News, 2000
| JANUARY 2000 |
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Albert's latest journal entry (dated January 4, 2000) is about how he spent the hoidays, New Years, and a little football/suspension talk. He says he spent the holidays with his family. He talks about his grandmother and some of his other family members who are lucky to be reaching such old ages. Albert says one of his resoulutions for 2000 is to "live every day to the fullest". Then he starts talking about football and some guy who got suspeneded (which I do not follow so, I do not understand this part of his journal). Interestingly, he closes his journal with this line.. "Also, I wonder, will John Rocker get a $50,000 fine? "
January 20, 2000
Albert's latest journal entry (dated January 19, 2000) is about football & Orioles Fan Fest. He starts off congratulating Carlton Fisk and Tony Perez on being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He then talks about football and how he was sorry to see the Vikings loose last weekend. He says he's looking foward to O's Fan Fest this weekend and that if you can make it there.. "be sure to let me know you've been checking out the Web site!". Unfourtunately, it doesn't look like I'll be able to go. I live in Virginia and I don't have any way of getting to Maryland. But If you're going be sure to look for Albert there! Albert's scheduled to be there only on Saturday for autographs and/or photo sessions. Saturday hours are from 10 am to 6 pm. You can get tickets the day of the event at the Baltimore Convention Center or through Ticketmaster. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children and seniors, plus proceeds benefit the Orioles Charitable Foundation. OH yeah, back to Albert's journal... he closes offering his sympathies to the families of Bob Lemon & Bobby Phills (whom he knew as a quality individuals when he was in Clevland).
January 23, 2000
I hope that a lot of the Albert fans got to Fan Fest this weekend. I've heard some good stories :). The Orioles official site has been remodeled and the now have wallpapers for you. So if you want Albert on your desktop check that out. They also have a Fan Fest gallery of pictures up and theres a cute picture of Albert & 2 kids in the first column 3rd picture down. If anyone has any nice comments about meeting Albert please check out the Fan Experiences section and e-mail me! Pictures are welcome to. (Anything you send me will be posted in that section so keep that in mind when you do your write up!)
January 28, 2000
Today I added a fan story to the Fan Experiences section. So check that out!
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| FEBRUARY 2000 |
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In Albert's latest journal (Feb 9, 2000) he talks about his parents, Tiger Woods, the Os, and Fan Fest. He starts of with wishes to his parents for a happy anniversary because their anniversary was February 7th and they have been married for 36 years. Then he congratulates Tiger Woods on winning his 6th tournament in a row. Albert says he has been working out everyday and he thinks the Orioles will surprise some people this year. He closes saying it was great interacting with fans face to face at Fan Fest..but it was really cold!
February 20, 2000
Alright, today I'm re-opening the page after 2 days offline. Totally remodeled. Hope you guys like it. I updated just about every section. There's a new article by Albert, new multimedia, pictures in the Fan Exprience section, and a new banner. Let me know if you find any errors or if there are any problems!
Albert News for today: An article came out today saying Albert joined the Spring Training camp today (Which is about 2 days earlier than he had to). It said reporters approached him as he walked off the field saying "Would you mind answering a few questions?"..Albert's reply of course "Yes, I would." Here's what manager Mike Hargrove said about his brief talk with Albert today , "It was fine. I told a joke and he laughed. He told one, and I laughed. That was about it."
February 25, 2000
Running kinda late..quick update...Albert was one of the sports cover stories in today's issue of USA Today newspaper. I am going to try to get my hands on it..but if my local stores ran out I'm sorry! Expect updates tomorrow. Read it online here..not sure if this link will always take you to the story though.
February 26, 2000
I did wind up getting a copy of the paper yesterday so I will be updating the site today.
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| MARCH 2000 |
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Wow, there is actually a good article about Albert in the Baltimore Sun today. I don't get the paper here in VA but I saw it online. Here is a link to it..hopefully this will work. The article is mostly about Albert probably being more settled in with the Orioles after a year. It talks about how he switched to right field last year, how he and Mike Hargrove know each other pretty well, and what Albert thinks of the upcoming season.
March 5, 2000
As far as I know, the O's Spring Training record is 1-1. I don't really keep up with ST much so don't expect updates every single day..but if Albert has a good game or something of course I'll post that on here. In this article about the games they played vs. the Reds there is a cute picture of Albert signing baseballs for some kids. Aw.
March 10, 2000
Just a quick lil update here..promise more to come when I have some time this weekend. Visit Albert's Official site on athletedirect.com and you'll see it's been remodeled. Also, they took away his AOL site so now AOL memebers have to visit the web version. I'll browse through the site this weekend to say whats updated on it and tell a little about it...I would right now but I can't be online very long this afternoon. One other thing, if you get a chance to, pick up the latest issue of Baseball Weekly (which is only about a dollar) with Pedro Martinez on the cover. There is a rather interesting article about Albert in there and if you want to read it online click here. I'll be picking a copy of it up for myself today and I'll summarize it this weekend as well as updating the various parts of this site with info from it.
March 13, 2000
I got a copy of the Baseball Weekly on Friday. Mine had Albert on the cover..so I guess whoever is on the cover depends on where you live. Sorry for the slow updates lately..a lot going on in my life =) Hope you understand..and I'll add the quotes & more news later on this week.
March 18, 2000
Finally had time to update the quotes, articles, and link sections today. I'm not really following Spring Training, but when the season starts I promise more updates. Especially in the Summer when I don't have school to attend. =)
March 20, 2000
Here's a picture of Albert from 5 days ago....and here are his current spring training stats.
| GP | AB | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | TB | SO | SB | OBP | SLG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 36 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 18 | 4 | 1 | .333 | .500 | .278 |
March 25, 2000
In Albert's latest journal (dated March 24) he talks about preparing for the season and traveling to get more practice in so he can start the season off on good note. He says that when the season starts he will start writing journals about once a week.
In his "My World" section Albert talks about when he might retire..here's what he says: "I am only concerned with earning each day's pay. When my skills decline, which will happen someday, I will consider retirement. For now, I am only worried about the game for that day."
In his "My Opinions" section Albert offers his thoughts about younger people going pro.
On his site there is even an "Ask Me" section where you can send questions to Albert that could be answered. His "Ask Me" answers from yesterday wouldn't show on my screen due to some error..but I'm sure it's just my connection. Go ahead and check those out and send him your own questions. =)
And finally, in his "My Anecdotes" section Albert talks about why elderly people are cool.
By the way...if you ever want to visit Albert's site yourself instead of reading my rather simple summaries...the URL is http://albertbelle.athletedirect.com
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| APRIL 2000 |
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OH wow aren't y'all excited..it's finally opening day!! I just saw Albert get introduced about 5 minutes ago. The game (Cleveland Indians at Baltimore Orioles) is about to start. For those of you who are in the DC/VA/MD area turn on WB50/WJZ to watch. If you'd like to view a TV schedule for this season click here. Albert is batting cleanup today just so you know. I'll have a recap later on today or tomorrow.
Here are Albert's final Spring Training 2000 stats:
| GP | AB | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | TB | SO | BB | SB | OBP | SLG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 70 | 6 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 25 | 9 | 5 | 3 | .280 | .357 | .229 |
April 4, 2000
Albert basically did nothing (well, actually, he walked once) yesterday in the Orioles' opening day loss to the Cleveland Indians. The final score was 4-1. Albert had 3 official at bats..and 0 hits. That's about it, next game is Wednesday, April 5 at 7:05 pm EST.
April 5, 2000
Woo hoo!!! Albert had a 3 run HR tonight against his former team. 1st of many HR this year I hope. I wasn't watching the game because it's on HTS and I don't have cable..and I didn't get it on the radio till right now so, I don't know what happened. But, I hear Chuck Finely hit Albert with a pitch. More on that and more updates tomorrow..game still in progress.
April 7, 2000
Yay. The O's went on to win that game on the fifth and they also won last night, imrpoving to 2-1 on the season. Albert had his first OF assist of the year last night. Go Orioles! Albert's stats so far are 1 hit, 1 run, 4 RBI, and 1 HR. OH yea...about Chuck Finely hitting Albert with a pitch in the game on April 5th.. Finely said, "I was trying to throw a strike on the inside part of the plate. I hung onto the ball too long. It tailed back over the plate. Albert was being Albert." After he hit Albert both benches cleared. That's it for today, tonight the O's play the Tigers at 7:05.
April 8, 2000
Woo hoo! 3 straight wins for the O's last night. They beat the Tigers, 14-10. I did not see the game, but I did catch glimpses of it (to find the score etc) and I did see when Albert hit his first double of the season. It was so funny, me and my friend were laughin our butts off because the left fielder fell when he was running to get the ball. LOL!! Sorry. You just had to see it in order to laugh. Anywho, Albert also hit his second homer of the year and finished with 4 RBI last night. Looks good to me so far..wish I could have seen his homer! Next game is Orioles vs. Tigers, today ay 1:35pm.
April 12, 2000
Albert's site has been updated. Check it out at http://albertbelle.athletedirect.com. In his latest journal (April 12) Albert congratulates other athletes, talks about the O's start, Charles Johnson's start, and his start. In his "My Opinions" section he talks about Chuck Finley hitting him with a pitch. He also updated the Bank On Belle section and you can bid on an Albert Belle autographed baseball.
April 15, 2000
The Orioles snapped their 4 game losing streak tonight with a 6-4 win over the Minnesota Twins. Albert had his 5th double of the season which I take note of because if I remember correctlly, last year he didn't even get his 2nd double until May. Also, (and this has nothing to do with Albert) Cal Rikpen Jr. got his 3,000th hit tonight.
April 28, 2000
There has not been much to report on Albert lately. He's been hitting more doubles lately though. I'm posting today because I changed the mailing list from egroups to CBS Sportsline. Please join the Albert Belle fan club at CBS Sportsline! I'm really hoping I can find a lot of people so we can have more discussions than we did on the old list.
April 28, 2000 (More News)
AH! Albert's site has been updated. And woo hoo he answered my question in the "Ask Me" section. Look what he said:
Gyrl4Belle asked: Where did you get that chain you always where around your neck, and what is on it? I think it's a cross but I'm not sure. Is there any special meaning to it? Any particular reason why you ALWAYS wear it? Is it for good luck? I'm just curious. :) From a big fan, Molly
Albert: It is a cross. I have had it a very long time, and it is very sacred to me.
Go check it out! He also congratulates Cal Ripken on getting his 3,000th hit.
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| MAY 2000 |
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I'm sooooo sorry for the lack of updates the past few weeks. Things have been real busy for me. There hasn't been much to report on either..but Albert hit his 4th HR last night. I have been keeping the HR counter up to date. That's it for this update but I'll post his stats soon.
May 13, 2000
Pedro Martinez only gave up 2 hits to the Orioles last night, shutting them out 9-0. Albert had one of those 2 hits and it was his first ever hit against Martinez. Also, stop by Albert's official site and read his new journal about how he is optimistic about the season.
May 13, 2000 (More News)
Online All-Star Game voting has started! Now we can start voting for Albert! =). Well, if you'd like to see him in the All-Star game...please vote. You are allowed 25 votes for each e-mail address you use. To vote online click here. Results will be posted daily starting May 30. Online voting ends July 1 at 11:50pm EST. The actual game is on July 11.
May 16, 2000
Albert just hit his 5th HR. More updates soon.
May 16, 2000
Albert had his 6th HR last night in the O's win over Tampa Bay. Albert is now only 36 HR away from 400 career HR! I don't seem to update this page as much as I should, so I guess I'll start doing the stats at the end of each month. Also, I want to remind you all to keep voting for Albert to make the All-Star team. Show your fan support! For the ballot click here. Here are Albert's stats as of May 30:
| GP | AB | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | TB | SO | BB | SB | OBP | SLG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | 186 | 28 | 52 | 3 | 6 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 0 | .358 | .473 | .280 |
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| JUNE 2000 |
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Last night Albert hit his 7th HR of the season. Heres another reminder to keep voting for Albert to make All-Stars. You can have 25 votes online per e-mail address. Show your fan support guys!!!!! For the All-Star ballot online click here. Currently...Albert is 14th among AL outfielders in the voting results:
1) J. Dye 342,209
2) B. Williams 337,611
3) M. Ramirez 264,728
4) C. Everett 240,659
5) P. O'Neill 212,719
6) D. Erstad 209,901
7) K. Lofton 190,537
8) D. Justice 152,218
9) J. Cruz 96,374
10) R. Ledee 81,566
11) R. Mondesi 76,851
12) J. Gonzalez 74,684
13) M. Ordonez 73,569
14) A. Belle 72,547
15) T. Nixon 67,208
16) J. Buhner 66,509
17) G. Vaughn 61,286
18) C. Beltran 60,650
19) B. Anderson 59,188
20) J. Damon 57,933
21) B. Grieve 49,856
22) M. Lawton 41,269
23) T. O'Leary 39,410
24) T. Salmon 36,449
25) M. Cameron 36,212
26) C. Singleton 36,056
June 10, 2000
Albert hit his 9th HR last night. Also, I wanna remind you..only 22 more days to vote for MLB All-Stars!
June 11, 2000
Albert had a great game last night! He extended his hitting streak to 12, drove in 4 runs, and hit his 10th homer! Plus, the Orioles beat the Phillies, 11-4. Go Albert, and go O's!
June 14, 2000
Albert went 0-3 last night, ending his 13 game hitting streak. Continue voting for him!
June 15, 2000
Albert's been hot as of late!! Last night he hit another homer, his 5th HR in the past 11 games. Plus, it was a grand slam!(His 12th career GS). It was the first grand slam he's hit since 1997. Woo hoo!
June 16, 2000
!!!!!! Albert is HOT! Last night he hit ANOTHER GRAND SLAM! Plus, he had another HR! In that game he had 6 RBI which ties his career high. So his total for the season is now at 13 (as well as his career grand slam total). O's have won 5 straight! woo hoo. One more reminder, keep voting for Albert for MLB All-Stars at this link..Let's show everyone that he has a great fan base! Here are the current results:
1) J. Dye 552,522
2) B. Williams 543,014
3) M. Ramirez 479,961
4) K. Lofton 387,981
5) C. Everett 383,929
6) D. Erstad 339,514
7) D. Justice 336,552
8) P. O'Neill 336,271
9) J. Cruz 155,273
10) A. Belle 152,512
11) R. Ledee 131,409
12) B. Anderson 130,872
13) C. Beltran 126,806
14) J. Gonzalez 125,795
15) J. Damon 124,765
16) R. Mondesi 124,277
17) J. Buhner 121,199
18) M. Ordonez 114,054
19) G. Vaughn 113,867
20) T. Nixon 105,719
21) B. J. Surhoff 103,097
22) B. Grieve 84,710
23) M. Cameron 68,448
24) T. Salmon 68,307
25) M. Lawton 64,670
26) T. O'Leary 61,412
27) R. Greer 60,677
28) M. Stairs 57,064
29) C. Singleton 56,273
June 16, 2000 (More News)
OHHHH MAN! Albert just hit another one in the first inning of tonight's game. Also, I wanted to tell you all he has a new journal up on his site dated June 13th and it's about how the Orioles are a great team but have yet to find their middle ground. Check that out as well as a team story all at http://albertbelle.athletedirect.com.
June 18, 2000
AH, a few minutes after I updated on Friday, Albert had another HR in that game, hehe. And, last night he had a HR as well. That makes 4 straight games with a HR and it was his 10th HR in 14 games! Awesome week for Albert. Today, unfortunately, he went 0-4. Keep on voting for All-Stars and supporting Albert. Only about 15 more days to vote!
June 19, 2000 (Game in progress)
Albert hit his 17th HR in the 5th inning of tonight's game vs. the A's. The game is still going on and it's like 1:15 AM here on the east coast..so he should get at least 1 more at bat. Also, Albert DID NOT win AL player of the week..that stinks right! Grr.. Here's the article.
June 24, 2000
Only 8 more days to vote for All-Stars! Albert is still in 10th place grrrr. O's are still in 4th place in the AL East...but the weird thing is the Yankees are in 3rd! =)
June 24, 2000 (More News)
GRR! The Baltimore Press Newspaper website has taken most of their archived articles offline...so those of you who visit the article section for articles by Albert...I'm sorry. =(
June 30, 2000
Albert hit his 18th HR last night and had 3 RBI giving him 61 total on the season. Also, a reminder to vote for Albert for the All-Star Game because you only have about 2 more days!
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| JULY 2000 |
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Albert finished up June yesterday with 2 RBI giving him 63 on the year. For the month of June Albert had 12 HR, 37 RBI, and hit .331. Today is the last day for All-Star voting..Albert's 9th among AL OFers...continue to vote.
July 3, 2000
Not much to report on except the O's lost today and missed a 4 game sweep of the Blue Jays. I just wanted to post Albert's stats as of today so here goes.....
| GP | AB | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | TB | SO | BB | SB | OBP | SLG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79 | 305 | 47 | 93 | 21 | 18 | 64 | 170 | 40 | 35 | 0 | .376 | .572 | .297 |
July 4, 2000 (Happy 4th of July!)
YES! Orioles beat the Yankees today 7-6. Also, Albert was named AL Player of the Month for June! I don't have a link yet but I should tomorrow. OH Yeah, All-Star starters were announced. Albert was 9th among AL OFers. Woo hoo. I think he was 8th last year. Here are the final totals:
1. Bernie Williams, NY 1,568,209
2. Jermaine Dye, KC 1,486,448
3. Manny Ramirez, CLE 1,232,335
4. Carl Everett, BOS 1,202,637
5. Kenny Lofton, CLE 1,126,846
6. David Justice, NY 1,029,362
7. Darin Erstad, ANA 1,019,694
8. Paul O'Neill, NY 954,540
9. Albert Belle, BAL 520,385
10. Jose Cruz, TOR 437,674
11. Raul Mondesi, TOR 422,473
12. Ben Grieve, OAK 407,984
13. Johnny Damon, KC 406,696
14. Brady Anderson, BAL 397,210
One other note: Indians manager Charlie Manuel decided to take away the ping pong table from the Indians Clubhouse because he felt it was a distraction for the team. The table was first put in back in 1994 at Albert's request.
July 5, 2000
Here is the official press release about Albert's achievement of June 2000 Player of the Month.
July 7, 2000
All-Star reserves were announced a few days ago. Unfortunately, Albert did not make it.
Also, yesterday the Associated Press reported that the Yankees billed the Orioles $300 for damages Albert apparently caused to the visitor's clubhouse by throwing two bottles against a wall.
July 22, 2000
Hasn't been much to report lately. Albert has been hitting well but no HRs. I wanted to let you all know there are new things up on Albert's site such as his thoughts on the teams to beat in the second half, his thoughts on the All-Star game.. and more. Check it out.
July 24, 2000
Albert went 0-4 yesterday, ending his short hitting streak at 7.
One other thing is that I added a countdown to 400 HR for Albert. As of today, Albert needs only 24 HR.
July 27, 2000
Grrrr...Albert is riding a career high 24 game homerless streak going into tonights game. He is still having the RBIs, hits, doubles..just no HRs in a while. Hopefully he will heat up come August.
July 31, 2000 -- Finally!
Hallelujah!! Albert's career high 27 game/109 at bat homerless streak has finally ended. He hit his 19th HR of the season tonight. That was his only homer of July since he hadn't homered since June 29. Whoa! Let's hope August is another story. I'll have Albert's stats for you either later tonight or tomorrow.
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| AUGUST 2000 |
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Here are Albert's stats as of yesterday's game (July 31):
| GP | AB | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | TB | SO | BB | SB | OBP | SLG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 104 | 407 | 54 | 120 | 29 | 19 | 78 | 208 | 45 | 41 | 0 | .361 | .511 | .295 |
August 1, 2000 (Second update -- game in progress)
My oh my, the Orioles are doing good against the Twins tonight!! Albert just hit his 20th HR of the season, a 3 run blast, giving him 81 RBI. Go Albert!
August 2, 2000
Albert's HR last night marked the 10th straight season he has had at least 20 HR!!! He also had a double, giving him 5 RBI last night. WOO HOO! Today's game is at 3:05pm .... just a reminder =)
August 4, 2000
Albert has hit his 21st HR of the season! YEAH! His HR bursts are so weird, he goes all of July with just 1 and now he already has 2 in the month of August. Only 21 more HR till 400!!!! I wonder if he will be able to do it this season or if we'll have to wait till next. We'll see.
August 11, 2000
Albert has been in a mini-slump (nothing TOO big) due to a sore hip. I think it has been sore for about a month or so. Also, you can check out his new answers to the ask me questions and read his journal on his official website which was updated on August 9.
August 12, 2000
Albert hit a 2 run homer tonight bringing his total to 22.
August 21, 2000
Albert is in a little sump once again... 2-19 over his last 5 games. OH Yeah..I want to remind you all that Friday (August 25) will be Albert's 34th Birthday! YEAH! And in site news, I added a fan story today so check that out.
August 25, 2000
Today (the 25th of August) is Albert's 34th Birthday!
August 25, 2000
GRR, Albert went 0-5 on his Birthday. He's 5-for-37 over his last 9 games. Manager Mike Hargrove says that Albert's sore hip is not the cause of this and that Albert is just in a slump. "More is being made of it than it should be," Hargrove said.
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| OCTOBER 2000 |
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Check out Albert's website and read his latest journal. It's dated September 19 and it talks about how the Cleveland media is on him for nothing.
Albert had 3 hits last night as the O's beat the Yankees once again last night. I will not be going to the game today as I had planned. My sister LIED to me and she doesn't want to take me anymore :*(.
October 2, 2000
What a way to end the season :) The O's swept the Yankees 3-0! I was so sad I couldn't go to a game. ALBERT HIT A HR!!!!!!!!!! I soooo wish I could have been there. Did anyone get to one? Did anyone participate in the fan appreciation stuff??
I read a press release today stating Albert had wrote an article for/with the Baltimore Sun. I thought he hated that paper (or was it just Joe Strauss?). It said he was talking about some of the great African American players that faced prejudice in their careers. "I have never received prestigious accolades, been acclaimed as a hard worker, winner, or team player, and have received unwarranted treatment that only Jackie Robinson, Curt Flood and Hank Aaron could have experienced," Albert wrote. I haven't been able to locate the article online, so if you have please send me a link so I can share it with all the other fans.
And lastly, here are Albert's final stats for the 2000 season. He had a HR and 2 RBI to end the season.
| GP | AB | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | TB | SO | BB | SB | OBP | SLG | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 141 | 4559 | 71 | 157 | 37 | 23 | 103 | 265 | 67 | 52 | 0 | .342 | .474 | .281 |
October 6, 2000
Alright, I heard Peter Angelos was on a local radio talk show today and Albert's status was one of the topics. Here's some info I got from an AP article:
"The problem that he has with the hip, while susceptible to rehab and treatment, is not an absolute certainty to come around to the level that he can function to which he once did," Angelos said Thursday on WBAL-AM, the team's flagship station.
"There is no indication that he won't be able to continue, but nonetheless it is an injury of serious proportions."
The Orioles would consider trading Belle if he can rehabilitate the hip and waives his no-trade status, the team's majority owner said.
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| DECEMBER 2000 |
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OK I know, lack of updates. There really hasn't been much Albert Belle news to report. The main thing I'd just like to inform everyone on is the status of Albert's hip injury. I have read that he will in fact not be playing outfield next season due to the injury being worse than was thought. He will DH for the Orioles and Brady Anderson is expected to take his place in the outfield. And a bit of Oriole news is that Mike Mussina signed with the New York Yankees. So, Cal, Albert, and Brady will be the vets on this young team next season.
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