Mazeroski ‘Pretty Happy’ After His Election to Hall

Bill Mazeroski, who hit one of baseball’s most famous home runs, was elected to the Hall of Fame on Tuesday by the Veterans Committee, along with former Negro leagues player Hilton Smith.

Dick Williams, Gil Hodges, Dom DiMaggio and Marvin Miller were bypassed by the panel, down to 14 members because of Ted Williams’ recent open-heart surgery. It took 75%--11 votes--for election.

“I’m pretty happy,” said Mazeroski, who was at the site of the committee’s meeting in Tampa, Fla. “I don’t really know what to say. I never, ever expected to be here. You dream of a lot of things. You want to be in the big leagues. You want to make the All-Star game. You want to be in a World Series.

“You want to do all those things, but you never dream of this. It’s pretty exciting. I just hope I can live up to it.”

Induction ceremonies will be held Aug. 5 at Cooperstown, N.Y. Kirby Puckett and Dave Winfield were elected in January by the Baseball Writers’ Assn. of America.

Mazeroski’s homer at Forbes Field won Game 7 of the 1960 World Series for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the New York Yankees.

He came within one vote of election last year, when, for the first time since 1993, the Vets did not select a former major leaguer.

Mazeroski, a .260 hitter, was a seven-time All-Star and won eight Gold Gloves for the Pirates. He took part in a record 1,706 double plays at second base, and many consider him the finest fielder ever at the position.

Smith, a teammate of Satchel Paige on the Kansas City Monarchs, died in 1983. He was 72-32 in 146 games from 1937 to 1948. His best season was 1941, when he went 10-0.

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Albert Belle, hobbled by an injured hip, will announce his retirement this week, the Baltimore Orioles’ flagship radio station reported.

WBAL radio, citing unidentified sources close to the situation, reported Belle will announce his retirement by Thursday.

Earlier Tuesday, Oriole Manager Mike Hargrove discussed that possibility. Belle’s degenerative right hip began bothering him in the second half of last season.

“We’re much farther down that road than we were two days ago, much farther down that road,” Hargrove said.

Belle refused comment Tuesday.

Belle, 34, has three seasons left on a five-year, $65-million contract. He will receive the remaining $39 million whether he plays or not. The Orioles have an insurance policy that will cover 70% of that amount, the Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun have reported.

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Tim Raines doesn’t usually make a habit of pocketing the lineup card of a spring training game. This one, however, was a keeper.

Raines batted leadoff for the Montreal Expos at Fort Lauderdale, Fla. His son, Tim Jr., occupied the same spot for the Baltimore Orioles.

“It’s not every day that you get to play against your son,” the elder Raines said. “This is something special.”

Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Jr. are believed to be the only father and son to play together in a regular-season major league game.

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Boston Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra will wear a cast on his injured wrist for another one to two weeks, adding nearly a week to the estimate made last Wednesday, General Manager Dan Duquette said.

Garciaparra has a split tendon and inflammation in the wrist, an injury traced back to Sept. 25, 1999 when he was hit by a pitch.