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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Cleveland’s Belle Continues To Act Like A Ding-A-Ling

Terry Pluto Akron Beacon Journal

NBC’s Hannah Storm has just joined a club big enough to fill Jacobs Field - those who have been dumped on by Albert Belle.

It’s not just sportswriters and broadcasters. It’s not something that just started because he is under the World Series gun.

The Tribe’s left fielder has been acting like a bully for years, and often he has insulted fans for no reason whatsoever other than “Albert’s having a bad day.”

It is an issue now because Belle did it during the World Series, and he did it to a person representing a TV network that is paying millions to broadcast these games. They don’t like their people “cussed out,” to quote Rich Levin, the public relations director for the commissioner’s office.

The bizarre twist about this latest incident is that NBC didn’t even want to talk to Belle. They set up a camera and some lights in the corner of the dugout - which is allowed before the game - and Storm was waiting to interview Kenny Lofton.

Belle didn’t like them being in his dugout and said so in the kind of language that would peel paint right off the walls. It was ugly and it was dumb - and Belle knows better.

But he did it, anyway.

As one Indians official has often said, “Albert’s people skills leave something to be desired.”

A fellow who ran into Belle in the lobby of Seattle’s Crown Center during the ALCS can attest to that. The man happened to walk close to Belle, who decided the fellow was taking his space. Instead of saying something like, “Excuse me, would you mind moving?” Belle told the guy … actually, we can’t print what Belle told the guy, other than to say that he put together a string of obscenities, insulting the man’s sexuality among other things.

This gentleman told several Cleveland scribes, “That Albert Belle sure has a foul mouth.”

Any sportswriter who has been around Belle for any period of time isn’t surprised by any of this. Belle is the son of two teachers. He is from a middle-class home. He was an honor student in high school and did well in his accounting courses at LSU.

Belle’s twin brother, Terry, is an accountant in Memphis.

The point is, Belle didn’t crawl out of some gutter; there are times when he just talks that way.

No doubt his parents would have cringed in July when ABC’s Lesley Visser tried to interview Belle about making the All-Star team.

Belle just turned his back on her, walking away as if she weren’t there.

“The least you can do is be polite,” Visser said.

“What do I care about polite?” Belle shot back, then walked out of the room.

Well, he should care. Just because you can hit home runs and make millions of dollars doesn’t mean you have the right to resign from the human race when it suits you.

OK, here comes the disclaimer.

On his good days, Albert visits hospitals. Albert is nice to young children and old ladies. Albert signs autographs and shakes hands.

No one has worked any harder at becoming a great hitter. He lifts weights, studies videos of pitchers and keeps a notebook on every pitcher he has faced. He cares deeply about greatness and is one of the most driven men ever to play this game.

There are a lot of good things about Belle, not the least of which is that he hit 50 homers this season.

A lot of other baseball stars have been slugs, far worse than Belle. Ty Cobb was a bigot who nearly beat a black man to death because the man was black. Rogers Hornsby was a .400 hitter and one of the most surly SOBs ever to wear a uniform. Ted Williams could scowl and growl with the best of them.

But that doesn’t make it right.

The commissioner’s office is threatening to take some sort of action against Belle. Like what? Suspend him for the month of November? Fine him 50 bucks?

None of it matters.

Belle is 29 years old. He has a choice. He can act like an adult, or he can keep going through life with a chip on his shoulder alienating those around him - most of whom mean no harm.