Right Field

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Melvin Mora's uniform meets the standards enforced by Major League Baseball, even as he continues to wear many hats for the Orioles. A player who was supposed to spend more games on the bench this season while filling a utility role instead keeps invading the lineup -- and in many different roles. After starting in left field, center, shortstop and second base, Mora replaced Jay Gibbons in right against Tampa Bay Devil Rays left-hander Joe Kennedy. It was just another day at the ballpark for Mora, who ran down a fly ball near the line to end the fourth inning and strand a runner after Tampa Bay scored once.

The seasons seemed to change. Blue skies turned gray and then back again. There was a snow dispute and a snow delay. Day became night. The Orioles looked listless and cursed, and then they looked like charmed, comeback kings. Opening Day at Camden Yards turned into an epic saga yesterday - the longest home opener by innings in Orioles history and their longest opener anywhere since 1966. An announced sellout crowd of 46,257 turned into a sea of scattered individuals. The Cleveland Indians took a 12th-inning lead on Omar Vizquel's run-scoring single, and the Orioles scored the tying run on a passed ball.

MINNEAPOLIS - They boldly went where no home run had ever gone before, all for the love of their home team. More than 44,000 ventured into the Metrodome last night for the Final Four. Thousands would have been better off in front of a television, but they nonetheless forked over hundreds of dollars for seats that were as far away from the action as you could get and still be breathing the same air as Juan Dixon. "We knew what we were buying," Severn resident Richard Carr said. "A guy at work won eight seats in the [NCAA]

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Without learning everything, Chris Richard learned enough during January's FanFest. The Orioles had just signed David Segui to a four-year, $28 million contract, seemingly incongruous with public comments about getting younger and committing to rebuilding from within. But that was before manager Mike Hargrove sought out the 26-year-old during the team's winter festival to tell him things would work out. "He told me I'd get my 350 or 400 at-bats," Richard said. "He didn't have to tell me that, and I didn't have to really hear it, but it was nice to know."

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Though Camden Yards still isn't regarded within baseball circles as being a pitcher-friendly ballpark, it should begin treating them a little better in 2001. About 7 feet better. That's how far home plate has been moved back, altering the outfield dimensions and perhaps softening the reputation of the Orioles' stomping grounds as a claustrophobic bandbox where routine fly balls drift into the first row of seats. Now, the left-field line measures 337 feet to the fence, while a shot down the right-field line must travel 320 feet to reach it. The deepest portion of Camden Yards measures 417 feet, compared to 410 in previous years.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - If Jay Gibbons fails to remain with the Orioles this season, he'll go down swinging - and making solid contact. Gibbons, 23, continues to push for inclusion on the 25-man roster. He shined again in yesterday's intrasquad game, driving in two runs with a sharp single to right and a sacrifice fly to deep right-center field. A Rule 5 pick, Gibbons must remain on the roster all season or be offered back to the Toronto Blue Jays. The club might attempt to work out a trade so he can play at Triple-A Rochester, but Gibbons hardly looks like a minor-league talent when wielding a bat. "We heard coming in that that was his one big plus, and he hasn't done anything to disprove that," manager Mike Hargrove said.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The fly balls that crashed down on the other side of the outfield fence yesterday were a pretty good indication that the Orioles' Albert Belle had found his rhythm in the batting cage. But a more daunting task awaits him with today's start in right field in the club's first intrasquad game. Though his movements remain restricted because of a degenerative hip condition, Belle had his most productive morning of hitting since arriving at camp. He teed off on third base coach Tom Trebelhorn, who was throwing batting practice, before signing autographs beside the Orioles' dugout and heading into the clubhouse.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Noticeably thicker and more optimistic than on the October day he limped from Baltimore, Albert Belle insisted yesterday that four months of intense rehabilitation to his arthritic right hip enables him to still see himself as the Orioles' right fielder. Position players don't officially report to camp until today, but yesterday marked the third consecutive day Belle walked through the facility exchanging pleasantries with teammates and tossing briefly in the outfield with clubhouse manager Fred Tyler.

NEW YORK - With his options limited by a thin bench and the opponents' left-handed pitcher, Orioles manager Mike Hargrove gave rookie Luis Matos another start in right field and used Albert Belle as the designated hitter. Hargrove made the same moves on Wednesday when the New York Yankees started left-hander Andy Pettitte. Matos responded with a double, triple and walk, and used his speed and instincts to make a few difficult plays in the field. Matos, who was 0-for-2 with two walks yesterday, had played four games in center field before moving to right on Monday.

As the Baltimore Oriole mascot danced down the bleachers trying to entertain fans in May, a Philadelphia man made a scene of a different sort: He pushed the Bird into right field. The Bird bit back. On Thursday, a Baltimore Circuit Court judge ordered Louis G. Vitagliano to pay the Bird, John J. Krownapple, $60,000. The money is to cover medical expenses, lost wages and the pain and suffering endured when Krownapple fell 15 feet from the bleachers on May 4. "It is kind of sick to attack the mascot," said Krownapple's lawyer, F. Todd Taylor.