Orioles Defend Belle

The Baltimore Orioles defended Albert Belle on Saturday, insisting his recent clubhouse tirade should never have been reported.

Belle angrily threw his glove, helmet and two bats into his locker Thursday after striking out in the sixth inning of an exhibition game.

Speaking in the Oriole dugout before an exhibition game against Montreal, Oriole General Manager Frank Wren said, “I think the whole situation is unjust. I think some confidences were violated [because] the clubhouse is sanctuary of the players. . . . I would say there’s 55 players in that clubhouse, and if 54 others did what he did it wouldn’t have been a story.”