Belliard back in familiar groove

He played for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.
SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) -- Three weeks of relative peace and tranquility ended Tuesday for the Cleveland Indians.
The volume was up again in their clubhouse. There was more laughter than usual. And, just as the dreaded dog days of spring training had set in, everyone seemed to have a bounce back in their steps.
That could mean only one thing: Ronnie Belliard was around.
"It's good to be here," said Cleveland's spark plug and second baseman, chomping on an ever-present wad of chewing tobacco. "Now I want to hit the ball. I don't know if I'm going to walk or something, but I want to hit the ball."
Belliard got his wish in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds, connecting for a home run in his first at-bat since rejoining the Indians after playing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.
It didn't take long for Belliard to slide back into a familiar groove at the plate -- or in the clubhouse. Before taking the field for pre-game batting practice, Belliard, his pant legs pulled up above his knees, joked around with Victor Martinez and Eduardo Perez.
As reporters entered the clubhouse, Martinez said, "Here he is guys, go get him."
Urged to ask the first question, Martinez posed to Belliard, "So, what was the [WBC] experience like?"
"I don't know," the bubbly Belliard said with a smile. "I didn't get to play."
Reduced to role player
Belliard, one of the Indians' lineup mainstays who played in 145 games last season and 152 in 2004, was reduced to a role player for the powerful Dominicans, whose roster included Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, Moises Alou and Miguel Tejada.
"Those guys make a lot of money," he said. "I mean, those guys are superstars."
Belliard only got seven at-bats in seven games during the WBC for the Dominican Republic, eliminated in the semifinals by Cuba. The down time was rough on Belliard, who is rarely stationary.
After the Dominicans were ousted, Belliard wanted to make sure that when he got back to Florida, Indians manager Eric Wedge was going to play him -- a lot.
"I called one of the trainers from San Diego and I was like, 'Hey, tell Wedgie when I get back there I want to be playing every day, nine innings. I want five or six at-bats every game."'
Wedge, who only played Belliard for five innings on Tuesday, confirmed that Belliard was pushing him hard for more work.
Wedge didn't miss a chance to have fun with Belliard as he dressed for Tuesday's game.
"Where ya been?" Wedge said, looking at his watch. "You're late. Victor, he's late."
Wedge's type of player
Truth is, Belliard is Wedge's type of player: a hard-nosed hustler, who batted .284 and posted career-highs with 17 homers and 78 RBIs last season.
The Indians weren't excepting much when they signed the 31-year-old as a free agent in 2003. But Belliard, who previously played in Milwaukee and Colorado, has become invaluable asset.
Now that he's back, would Belliard play in another WBC?
"I don't know," he said. "It was a good experience. I wasn't playing a lot, but I was just happy to be there."