Hart: No Hard Feelings Toward Belle

Cleveland Indian General Manager John Hart said there were no hard feelings between he and Chicago White Sox slugger Albert Belle, who played against his former team for the fist time Monday.

“The guy did a great job for us,” Hart said. “There have been a lot of dramatic things happen in Cleveland the last five or six years and he was part of it. He made his choice and went somewhere else.”

So far the Indians have not missed Belle, who signed a five-year, $55 million contract last November with the White Sox. That’s because they’ve signed players like Matt Williams and David Justice. Entering Monday’s game, the Indians led the majors with 75 homers, a pace that would give them 264 for the season.

“We’ve got guys swinging bats who can make up for it. With this offense we really haven’t missed Albert at this point. . . We’ve been able to fill in a number of positions for less money,” Hart said.

Hart stopped short of saying that Belle’s absence had made the Indians’ clubhouse a better place. The addition of Williams, Justice and Marquis Grissom has helped do that.

“It’s a different flavor in the clubhouse, but that’s the word--different,” Hart said.

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The Minnesota Twins activated outfielder Marty Cordova from the 15-day disabled list and placed right-handed pitcher Dan Naulty on the 15-day disabled list. Cordova batted .375 with four doubles a home run and four runs batted in during a six-game rehabilitation assignment at triple-A Salt Lake.