Zimmer Will Manage Yankees

The New York Yankees became baseball’s best team because of their unmatched depth--and that includes their coaches.

Because of that abundance, there’s no shortage of candidates to fill in for Joe Torre while the manager undergoes treatment for prostate cancer.

Don Zimmer, Torre’s trusted sidekick the last three seasons, probably will run the team during Torre’s absence. But while Zimmer recovers from knee surgery, the Yankees say Torre’s duties will be split between coaches Mel Stottlemyre, Willie Randolph, Chris Chambliss and former manager Stump Merrill.

Torre spent the day with his family, trying to keep his mind off the cancer before choosing a course of treatment.

Frank Torre said his brother will probably take a few days to make a decision. The route he takes will help determine how long he will be away from the team, which could be as little as three weeks if he takes radiation shots or at least six if he has surgery.

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Albert Belle ended his calm, uneventful spring training Thursday with a tirade in the Baltimore Oriole clubhouse at Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in which he angrily threw his glove, two bats and his helmet into his locker.

The tirade occurred after a questionable third-strike call in the sixth inning of the Orioles’ 4-2 exhibition victory over the New York Mets.

“He was just mad at himself, just like when he gets mad at people when they ask him questions,” Manager Ray Miller said. “It shows me he wants to hit and that he demands excellence from himself. There’s nothing wrong with that; I just told [clubhouse attendant] Jimmy Tyler to stay out of the way.”

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As expected, former Dodger Ramon Martinez agreed to a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox. . . . Right fielder Jose Guillen, who missed more than two weeks of spring training because of visa problems, intends to report to the Pittsburgh Pirates’ camp at Bradenton, Fla., today. . . . The Cleveland Indians renewed pitcher Bartolo Colon’s contract for 1999. Colon, who earned $180,000 in 1998, will make $220,000 this season. . . . Toronto second baseman Joey Cora announced his retirement.