Belle Outside the Lines Again

Temperamental outfielder Albert Belle threw a ball that hit a photographer who had taken his picture before a game two weeks ago, the Cleveland Indians confirmed.

Photographer Tony Tomsic, whose hand was cut by the ball, was satisfied with the team’s response and has not filed a complaint, said Bob DiBiasio, the Indians’ vice president of public relations.

“We informed the American League that the incident happened,” DiBiasio said. “We dealt with it the way we felt was appropriate.”

Tomsic, working for Sports Illustrated, was standing near the Indians’ dugout before the April 6 game against Toronto when he was struck in the left hand by a ball Belle threw from the outfield. Belle had been angered because Tomsic took his picture while he was stretching earlier.

The incident was not disclosed publicly until a reporter for The Plain Dealer heard about it and questioned Tomsic on Saturday.

“I didn’t want to make a big thing out of it,” Tomsic told the paper. “But when a player is on the field, he is fair game.”

Tomsic said he had backed off after Belle shook his finger at him for taking his picture. Tomsic was hit by the ball a short time later.

Manager Mike Hargrove said Belle told him the ball hit Tomsic by accident while Belle was long-tossing with teammate Manny Ramirez.

“Internally, Albert was castigated by his teammates,” DiBiasio said. “We told the league that as far as we know, Tony felt it was taken care of. The fact that [Orel] Hershiser, [Alvaro] Espinoza and Omar [Vizquel] came to his rescue satisfied him.”