White Sox OF Albert Belle issued a statement through
the team yesterday that "reiterated he has never bet on
baseball," according to Phil Rogers of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE.
Belle "implied he might not have lost as much money as the
$40,000 that has been reported. He asked reporters not to
disturb him with questions about the situation." Belle:
"This will be my last public statement on this topic, and I
do not wish to discuss it after I report to camp" (CHICAGO
TRIBUNE, 2/20). Despite Belle's statement, a "high-ranking
[MLB] official scoffed at the implication by both Belle and
the Sox that an investigation is unnecessary." The official
added that "given our information, this has to be
investigated to see how deep it goes. There's no way we're
ending an investigation. They're not ending it for us" (Joe
Goddard, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 2/20). In DC, Mark Maske:
"Sources continued to indicate that, unless new evidence is
uncovered, baseball officials have no reason to suspect that
Belle bet on baseball and probably will place him on
probation" (WASHINGTON POST, 2/20). SI's "Scorecard"
comments on Belle's gambling: "Even if Belle has his losses
under control, baseball should be worried about other
aspects of his gambling: the possibility that he did bet on
baseball; violated tax or gambling laws; or despite his
denials, did business with a bookie or bookies" (SI, 2/24).
