Juan Bell

MILWAUKEE -- Second baseman Bill Ripken may be back on the active roster, but he was not in the starting lineup for last night's series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers.Juan Bell played last night and will be in the starting lineup again tonight, though manager John Oates insists that Ripken is the club's everyday second baseman."Billy is our second baseman," Oates said before last night's game, "but Billy's stats are very average against [Don] August and [Jaime] Navarro. Last week, Tito went 2-for-2 against one of them and had a triple and two RBI against the other."

Dear Mr. Baseball:In 1992, I participated in "The Maryland Marathon Baseball Day" -- seeing games in Hagerstown, Frederick and Camden Yards all on the same day. My question is: Will they do it in 1995?John F. RoystonDover, Del.Dear John F. Royston:No.Goodbye.That's about the way the conversation transpired when Mr. Baseball phoned state tourism officials recently to ask about the tour.Like you, Mr. Baseball thinks the demise of the trip is a shame, considering professional baseball is one of Maryland's top tourist attractions, if you don't count outlet shopping in Hancock.

BASEBALL American League * Orioles -- Agreed to terms with Sam Horn and Juan Bell (infielders) on one-year contracts.* Milwaukee Brewers -- Renewed the contract of George Canale (first baseman).

What would you expect from an autumn game in which three key performers were a pinch-runner, the player in the on-deck circle and a guy who went 0-for-6?Try 14 innings for openers. Then add a game time roughly equivalent to a pair of marathons (4 hours, 21 minutes).Throw in 20 deserted runners, a couple of basepath blunders and 385 deep knee bends for umpire Mike Reilly, who was in charge of calling strikes (251) and balls (134). For best results mix with a touch of pennant fever.Get the idea?

Dear Mr. Baseball:In 1992, I participated in "The Maryland Marathon Baseball Day" -- seeing games in Hagerstown, Frederick and Camden Yards all on the same day. My question is: Will they do it in 1995?John F. RoystonDover, Del.Dear John F. Royston:No.Goodbye.That's about the way the conversation transpired when Mr. Baseball phoned state tourism officials recently to ask about the tour.Like you, Mr. Baseball thinks the demise of the trip is a shame, considering professional baseball is one of Maryland's top tourist attractions, if you don't count outlet shopping in Hancock.

HAINES CITY, Fla. -- If anyone was wondering what kind of team the Orioles hope to be in 1992, they need only look at their four-run fourth inning in yesterday's 10-4 exhibition victory over the Kansas City Royals.Bill Ripken delivered a perfect hit-and-run single to send Leo Gomez from first to third, then catcher Jeff Tackett brought Gomez home with a successful squeeze bunt.Manager John Oates has been saying for months that the club's running game would be a spring priority, and he has followed through.

ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Mickey Tettleton's agent said yesterday that the free-agent catcher will strongly consider accepting the Orioles' offer of salary arbitration, pending the outcome of contract talks with one other club.The chances of Tettleton returning to Baltimore are now better than ever. By accepting the Orioles' offer, he would be agreeing to a one-year contract. His salary would be determined later, through further negotiations or an arbitrator's ruling."There's one more thing that has to fall in order for the deal we're looking for to be made," said Tettleton's agent, Tony Attanasio.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Baltimore Orioles' latest Missouri marathon lasted 5 1/2 hours and featured 40 hits, but in the early hours yesterday morning, the focus was on two questionable defensive plays by reserve second baseman Juan Bell.The Kansas City Royals came back from an early seven-run deficit to send Wednesday night's game into yesterday, defeating the Orioles, 9-8, on an RBI single by Bill Pecota in the bottom of the 15th.But the game might have been over in the ninth had Bell not fielded a two-out bouncer and thrown the ball into the third-base dugout to allow the tying run to score.

No one ever thinks of Frank Robinson as a quitter, but he actually resigned as manager of a Mexican League team in 1978 -- after losing 12 pounds the first month, drinking soft drink after soft drink and finding the language barrier too much to bear.The California Angels fired him as hitting coach during that period, yet that's not what Robinson remembers most. "The walls literally started to close in on me," he recalls, referring to the hours he spent alone in his hotel room, flies buzzing around his head.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Barring unforeseen complications, or perhaps a continuation of what's happened the last two nights, Juan Bell's trial as the Orioles' second baseman will continue indefinitely.With Bill Ripken on the disabled list, Bell will be given every opportunity to support the organization's contention that he has the ability to play every day in the big leagues. The fact Bell has made costly errors that were pivotal in two straight gut-wrenching losses will have no bearing on his immediate status.

Reading Time, Two Minutes:Believe it or not, there was a time when the Orioles could swing a mean trade. Somebody out on 33rd Street would snap his fingers and, voila, out of the sky (or the National League) terrific ballplayers would tumble.It all seemed to start with Frank Robinson, who showed up here as "an old 30," but just in time to win the Triple Crown and lead the O's to a World Series sweep of the Dodgers. Frank cost the Birds a couple of easily replaced pitchers and an outfielder who probably has forgotten his own name by now.Later came Mike Cuellar, who ended up winning about 10 dozen games for Baltimore; underrated Pat Dobson, who had two big years here; and Don Buford, merely the league's best leadoff man. In each case, the cost was hardly prohibitive.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Play him or trade him. The Orioles should do one or the other with Juan Bell, but for the second straight year, they can't make up their minds.Bell isn't competing at second base with Bill Ripken, he's battling to keep his utility infielder's job. Make a decision already: The impasse is unfair both to Bell and the club.The kid is not yet 24. He can't play until he improves. He can't improve until he plays. It's catch-22, baseball style. And, make no mistake, it's the Orioles' own doing.

HAINES CITY, Fla. -- If anyone was wondering what kind of team the Orioles hope to be in 1992, they need only look at their four-run fourth inning in yesterday's 10-4 exhibition victory over the Kansas City Royals.Bill Ripken delivered a perfect hit-and-run single to send Leo Gomez from first to third, then catcher Jeff Tackett brought Gomez home with a successful squeeze bunt.Manager John Oates has been saying for months that the club's running game would be a spring priority, and he has followed through.

SARASOTA -- Juan Bell and Luis Mercedes, the last two Orioles to report for spring training, worked out for the first time yesterday.They arrived from the Dominican Republic late Friday.Though both missed the first two full-squad workouts, they were not obligated to report until the mandatory date, this Wednesday.Club officials were not visibly upset over their delayed arrival.Bell's sister was married earlier in the week, and he was a participant in the wedding. Mercedes, who had a long winter-league season, encountered a minor visa problem.

No one ever thinks of Frank Robinson as a quitter, but he actually resigned as manager of a Mexican League team in 1978 -- after losing 12 pounds the first month, drinking soft drink after soft drink and finding the language barrier too much to bear.The California Angels fired him as hitting coach during that period, yet that's not what Robinson remembers most. "The walls literally started to close in on me," he recalls, referring to the hours he spent alone in his hotel room, flies buzzing around his head.

MILWAUKEE -- Second baseman Bill Ripken may be back on the active roster, but he was not in the starting lineup for last night's series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers.Juan Bell played last night and will be in the starting lineup again tonight, though manager John Oates insists that Ripken is the club's everyday second baseman."Billy is our second baseman," Oates said before last night's game, "but Billy's stats are very average against [Don] August and [Jaime] Navarro. Last week, Tito went 2-for-2 against one of them and had a triple and two RBI against the other."

SARASOTA -- Juan Bell and Luis Mercedes, the last two Orioles to report for spring training, worked out for the first time yesterday.They arrived from the Dominican Republic late Friday.Though both missed the first two full-squad workouts, they were not obligated to report until the mandatory date, this Wednesday.Club officials were not visibly upset over their delayed arrival.Bell's sister was married earlier in the week, and he was a participant in the wedding. Mercedes, who had a long winter-league season, encountered a minor visa problem.

MIAMI -- The Baltimore Orioles sent third baseman Pete Rose II to the Chicago White Sox yesterday for 19-year-old right-hander Joe Borowski.Rose, 21, batted .232 with one home run and 41 RBI last year for the Class A Frederick Keys. Borowski pitched for the rookie league Sarasota White Sox last year, compiling a 2-8 record with a 5.58 ERA, but struck out 67 in 74 innings."We felt with Leo Gomez and [Craig] Worthington, Tim Holland and T.R. Lewis, we had some depth at third base," assistant general manager Doug Melvin said.

While Ben McDonald continues to be a mystery, Juan Bell has become a marvel.Silver linings are hard to come by for the Orioles these days, especially with McDonald laboring through his learning period. But in the last two weeks Bell has more than backed up the opinions of those who have insisted he has the tools to be a regular in the big leagues.For different reasons, McDonald and Bell were the center of conversation after the Orioles lost a 4-2 decision to Milwaukee at Memorial Stadium last night.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Baltimore Orioles' latest Missouri marathon lasted 5 1/2 hours and featured 40 hits, but in the early hours yesterday morning, the focus was on two questionable defensive plays by reserve second baseman Juan Bell.The Kansas City Royals came back from an early seven-run deficit to send Wednesday night's game into yesterday, defeating the Orioles, 9-8, on an RBI single by Bill Pecota in the bottom of the 15th.But the game might have been over in the ninth had Bell not fielded a two-out bouncer and thrown the ball into the third-base dugout to allow the tying run to score.