Indian Manager Has Surgery

Charlie Manuel waited his whole career to manage in the major leagues. Now he’ll do it from his hospital bed.

The 56-year-old Cleveland Indian manager had emergency colon surgery Monday night and will be away from the American League Central champions for at least a week. The team said Tuesday that doctors expect a full recovery.

“There will be no lasting effect from this,” General Manager John Hart said in Winter Haven, Fla.

Manuel had eight inches removed from his colon after being diagnosed with diverticulitis. Doctors found his colon had ruptured.

Manuel, who replaced Mike Hargrove as manager in November, has had two heart attacks and open-heart surgery. He had cramps and stomach pain since the weekend, taking ill Friday night after a staff dinner. He drove himself to Winter Haven Hospital on Monday.

Hart said doctors also checked Manuel for cancer and none was found.

Still, Manuel will make the calls. The Indians, who open their exhibition season Thursday, are setting up a video monitor and VCR in Manuel’s hospital room so he can review game tapes. He will get a laptop computer, allowing him to download live broadcasts of the Indians’ spring games.

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Reliever John Rocker, suspended until May 1 for his offensive comments against gays, foreigners and minorities, agreed to a one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves.

Terms of the contract were not disclosed. The 25-year-old left-hander was one of the Braves’ lowest-paid players last year at $217,500.

Rocker had 38 saves, one short of the franchise record, but does not have enough major league service to be eligible for arbitration. That severely limited his bargaining power and probably meant a contract of about $300,000.

The players’ association has appealed Rocker’s suspension, which covers all of spring training and the first 28 days of the regular season. A decision by arbitrator Shyam Das is expected this week.

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After skipping his throwing program two days in a row because of shoulder stiffness, Philadelphia Phillie right-hander Curt Schilling played catch for 13 minutes with bullpen catcher Ramon Henderson. Schilling had arthroscopic surgery Dec. 13 and probably will be sidelined at least the first six weeks of the season. . . . Chicago White Sox catcher Brook Fordyce suffered a broken bone in his left foot during an intrasquad game and is expected to be sidelined four to six weeks. . . . Seattle Mariner backup catcher Tom Lampkin will be sidelined four to six weeks after suffering torn knee ligaments during drills Monday, the club said. . . . Right-hander Roy Halladay agreed on a $3.7-million, three-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. . . . Dustin Hermanson is expected to pitch the regular-season opener for the Montreal Expos against the Dodgers on April 3. . . . Pitcher Rocky Coppinger, 25, and backup catcher Bobby Hughes, 28, agreed to one-year contracts with the Milwaukee Brewers. . . . Infielder Frank Catalanotto, acquired by the Texas Rangers in the trade that sent Juan Gonzalez to the Detroit Tigers, and pitcher Ryan Glynn agreed to one-year contracts. Catalanotto is expected to share time at second base with Luis Alicea. . . . The Seattle Mariners finished in the black last season with a net profit of $2.6 million for the first time under the current ownership of the Baseball Club of Seattle, headed by Hiroshi Yamauchi, president of Nintendo Co. Ltd. of Kyoto, Japan. . . . Already owning a 10% stake in the team, Cal Ripken is negotiating to take over primary ownership of the Baltimore BayRunners of the International Basketball League. The IBL owns the rest of the first-year minor league club.