No, I was just an angry black man.
over 2 years ago
rolub
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My favorite hitter. I loved watching him walk into the box- there wasn’t a pitcher in baseball who wasn’t scared of him.
it still makes me angry that he was suspended for this.
by DontCallMeJoey on Jul 20, 2009 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions
I just found it fascinating the Belle calls a local sportswriter without being the subject of an article or on the anniversary of some team/personal milestone. It’s like he woke up one morning, and after fiddling around with his Scottrade account said, “I think I’m gonna give that slug at the PD a call.”
You are reading my signature.
I thought it was more likely that Hoynes got in touch with Belle’s manager and asked him if he’d call.
You think so? Hard to tell with Hoynes. It really says a lot about what a horrible writer he is that he took this out of the blue call from one of the most fascinating players in team history as an opportunity to just throw up a couple quotes. Imagine what Posnanski would have done with this.
Yeah, what a waste
Ride on ye fearsome Horsemen of the Basketball Apocalypse. We got this.
by Turkmenbashi on Jul 15, 2009 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t know, I think he and Belle do this talk every year. You can’t make an historic inteview out of a piece every day.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
Scary thought: Albert Belle managing the Indians.
If you believe it's just a game, you're also probably wondering why Santa keeps skipping your house every year.
Just another example of a suggestion that would have seemed utterly ridiculous in Spring Training, but yes, I’d take Belle as manager right now just for the spectacle and nostalgia.
No, not you. Your helmet!
by PatBordersHelmet on Jul 15, 2009 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s too bad Albert has been so totally uninterested in the game since he retired. I got the impression he was a really smart guy, and he’s probably no more of a jerk than Buck Showalter or Davey Johnson.
I wonder where he would have ranked in that silly list of managers current players want to play for.
Feller is immortal!
No, not you. Your helmet!
by PatBordersHelmet on Jul 15, 2009 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Should’ve been Thome.
Let’s just cut out the middle men and give it to Victor.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Jul 15, 2009 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
His ghost would charge you ten bucks to transfer the banner.
by Logodaedalus on Jul 15, 2009 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions
No need to say Belle was calling from his home in Scottsdale, AZ. I think the anklet device prohibits him from leaving there.
by Wil Cantrell on Jul 15, 2009 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Don’t ask me how that got a rec. We must be giddy cuz the Tribe’s not playing, and we just found out that Lonnie’s good.
I just wish I could buy beer with ghost bucks.
by Logodaedalus on Jul 15, 2009 5:22 PM EDT up reply actions
REC. We’re being charged ten yolks to blog about Feller.
by JulioBernazard on Jul 15, 2009 9:45 PM EDT up reply actions
I miss Albert a little bit. As much as he hated sportswriters, thermometers, and whatever else pissed him off that day, he always played like he hated a pitched baseball way, way more.
Il faut d'abord durer.
And there seems to be a decision made by the front office to not have this kind of guy in the clubhouse anymore. More and more I’m thinking this is not a good decision. It is really such a bad thing to have one guy that is a powderkeg just waiting to unload on the other team?
-Erik
I admit, I do have a thing for badass players. Just as long as they’re not cry baby jerks.
by world dictator on Jul 15, 2009 9:43 PM EDT up reply actions
I think it depends. Milton Bradley? Not so much. Ron Artest in Indiana? Probably not. Terrell Owens anywhere? I don’t want him. But a guy like Belle, whose play can back up that attitude and craziness, on a team with good leadership and guys who won’t get sucked into the mess? Probably often a good thing.
I’ll say it: Fire Wedge. Hire Belle.
Il faut d'abord durer.
How about Ron Artest in LA? or Dennis Rodman in Chicago? better yet how about Brock Lesnatr in the octagon?
On the flip side I’m told that Trot Nixon, Dave Delucci and Aaron Boone are all just swell guys. Gimme a hard swinging lunatic like Belle any time over all three of those mooks.
Resident LGT results-oriented boob.
Artest in LA has done absolutely nothing toward proving this point. By most reports Belle was a good teammate (more the Rodman) but had issues with outsiders. Artest is just a world class jackass in the mold of AJ Alphabet.
You’re right Artest hasn’t shown anything yet. We’ll talk next June when the Lakers are repeating.
Resident LGT results-oriented boob.
“He (Albert Belle) gets criticized a lot for not talking to the media, but that’s indicative of his indifference to how he’s perceived and whether he’s regarded as a superstar or popular. All he wants to do is play baseball. As a teammate, he’s the best you can have.”
- Brady Anderson in USA Today (February 25, 2000)
He’s played well for me. I’ve found him very approachable behind closed doors. Albert (Belle) is Albert, you’re not going to change him. I do like Albert.
-Mike Hargrove to the Associated Press (December 13, 1999)
If you talk to him (Albert Belle) in person, you don’t realize how mean he is. He’s really a sweet guy
- Omar Vizquel to the Associated Press (October 23, 1995)
– Mark Guthrie in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Tribune (October 13, 1995)
“People are shocked when I say Albert (Belle) is a nice guy, but it’s the truth. The only problem Albert has had is he’s too competitive. When he gets involved in a game, a competitiveness comes over him that’s almost dangerous.”
There’s a few. The point remains that you simply shove people into the box you have created for them and then check back occasionally to make sure they are still there. Albert Belle is no more a deranged “lunatic” then Cliff Lee is “self-destructive.” People are a conglomeration of things, they are not just one overpowering trait.
“Hmmm, should we pay a nice guy who probably can’t hit, or the better hitter who’s a jerk?” “Oh the nice guy, absolutely. That’s our thing!”
Am I still the only guy who has a hard time believing that this is what happens in our FO?
Right — very generally. Guys who are good teammates and have good work habits and make quality AB get the benefit of the doubt for roster spots and playing time. Given that player evaluation is so subjective even if you’re only talking about real playing skills, it’s easy to rationalize those kinds of nods.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
There’s also this assumption that only the hard-asses can hit, and only the nice guys are stiffs.
Steel Nick
There are exceptions: Stan Musial is supposedly a nice guy. But there’s a great tradition of great players of dubious character: Grover Cleveland Alexander, Cobb, Johnny “the Human Crab” Evers, Ed Delehanty, etc. Would any of these guys play for the Shapiro Indians? Ty Cobb at the age of 18? Playing for Augusta in the South Atlantic League?
That’s why Durocher said nice guys finish last.
Grover Cleveland, on the other hand, was known for his integrity. Also his non-consecutive terms. Kind of like Kenny Lofton.
by Logodaedalus on Jul 17, 2009 2:14 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
What do you mean supposedly? Pretty sure you can say Stan the Man is a nice guy without throwing any supposedly’s or is said to be’s. Just saying.
Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?
Well it’s not like he’s hung out with him.
by Logodaedalus on Jul 17, 2009 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Brock Lesnar. Interesting. Are you a fan?
by NickFantana on Jul 17, 2009 10:08 AM EDT up reply actions
and let’s not forget albert belle bars… though sadly a google search for “albert belle” + “bar” doesn’t reveal any images of these beauties
by gorilla_baller on Jul 16, 2009 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions
I still have one of those in my freezer, along with an opened box of Pronk bars and a large piece of cake from the 1937 wedding of King Edward VIII.
by JimmyAB on Jul 16, 2009 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
i think he still goes w/ the bicep, no? seems to be pretty applicable in many situations…
by DontCallMeJoey on Jul 20, 2009 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions
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