Belle Gets Seven Days for Throwing Ball at Fan

Indian outfielder Albert Belle, suspended for seven days Monday by American League President Bobby Brown for throwing a baseball at a fan, apologized for having “lost my spirituality for an instance,” and said he will appeal his sentence.

No date was set for a hearing. In such cases, it usually is held when the player’s team visits New York, where league offices are, so the player can appear before Brown. The Indians’ next series in New York begins July 1.

The suspension is the longest since 1987, when Joe Niekro was set down for 10 days for defacing a ball. It’s the longest for a position player since 1980, when the Angels’ Al Cowens was suspended for seven days and fined $1,000 for charging pitcher Ed Farmer.

Earlier this season, Cincinnati reliever Rob Dibble was suspended for four games and fined an undisclosed amount for throwing a ball into the stands, where it struck a fan on the elbow. Dibble is awaiting ruling on an appeal.

Brown stipulated that Belle’s suspension be without pay and that the Indians give the money he would have earned to a Cleveland charity of Belle’s choosing. Belle, who is earning the major league minimum of $100,000, stands to lose $3,846.15.

Belle, who had problems in college and the minor leagues and spent 10 days at the Cleveland Clinic last summer for treatment of alcoholism, threw a ball at Jeff Pillar Saturday from 15-20 feet after Pillar had referred to Belle’s drinking problems and invited him to a “keg party.”

Pillar, 33, was sitting in the left-field seats and was struck in the chest. Pillar said on a Cleveland radio show that his chest is sore and he hinted at legal action.

Brown based his decision on reports from the umpires and tapes of the incident. He told Belle in a printed statement: “The potential dangers and ramifications of what you did are obvious. The seriousness of your offense cannot be minimized.”

Belle, who started Monday’s game with a club-leading six home runs and 19 runs batted in, was the designated hitter Monday for the second successive day. He has been applauded each time he has come to bat since the incident.

Facing a battery of cameras and microphones before the game, Belle removed a sheet of wadded paper from his glove and read: “I regret that I lost my spirituality for an instance. It will not happen again. I deeply appreciate the support of the fans, especially the ovation prior to my first at-bat (Sunday). Lastly, based on instructions from my attorney, I will not comment on the appeal.”

His attorney, Arn Tellem of Los Angeles, said they will contend that the suspension is unduly long.

Belle was suspended from the LSU team for charging a fan who had insulted him. He has been benched, suspended or both at every minor league level and ejected from the Puerto Rican League.

Dave Parker and Luis Polonia, Angel players who have been taunted by fans over the years, advised Belle to ignore the insults.

Parker said he had once snapped when a fan who had derided him during a game.

“Fans can be real cruel when it comes to things of that nature,” Parker said. “He’s still growing up and he’s got to adjust to it. People are going to be jealous because of what he’s doing and he’s successful.”

Polonia slapped a fan in Oakland last season after the fan had insulted him about his conviction for having sex with an underage girl in 1989. Polonia was not charged in that incident. “There’s people out there who want to get you in trouble so they can get something out of you, and you have to learn to deal with it,” Polonia said. “The best thing you can do is ignore it.”