Yankee Pitcher Wells Adds Gout to Tale of Woe

David Wells, already slowed because a broken left hand, found out Tuesday that he also has gout.

The pitcher thought he had turf toe, but tests performed detected gout, a condition caused by excess uric acid in the blood.

Diet and alcohol consumption can be a contributing factor to gout. Yankee Manager Joe Torre said team officials will talk with Wells, who weighed in this spring at 248 pounds.

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Roberto Alomar entered a new baseball season by facing the same old questions, as he tried to put his confrontation with umpire John Hirschbeck behind him.

Alomar arrived at the Baltimore Orioles’ camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on crutches, nursing a badly sprained left ankle that could keep him sidelined for a week or two.

The crutches prompted a barrage of inquiries. After a few minutes, though, the subject turned to Alomar’s conflict with Hirschbeck.

“The only thing I can say about that is it’s already over and I don’t even want to talk about it,” Alomar said.

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Baseball’s realignment committee didn’t make any major decisions when it held its first meeting.

The committee, scheduled to issue its report to the ruling executive council, must decide on the format for the 1998 schedule. It also must deal with what division the Tampa Bay Devil Rays will play in--apparently the AL West--and Kansas City’s desire to leave the American League and join the NL.