Whatever happened to Albert Belle?
Friday, May 15, 2009
Albert Belle was like a meteor that streaked across the night sky. He appeared suddenly, burned bright for a moment, and then disappeared. Belle had eight tremendous seasons, where he was one of the most feared hitters in baseball. Injuries brought a quick and unceremonious end to his career. Might he have been better, traded to another organization?
Since leaving baseball after the 2000 season – he homered in his final at-bat – Belle has been prone to an occasional outburst that's gotten him in trouble. He exhibited the same temper during his major league career, once firing a ball at a heckler in the stands and often screaming at reporters who were covering the team.
Since leaving professional baseball, Belle has twice been arrested on suspicion of stalking his former girlfriend. In 2006 he was convicted of stalking and sentenced to serve 90 days in jail, with five years of supervised probation. Belle issued an apology for obtaining phone records from the woman and attaching an electronic tracking device onto her car. It was not a better trade, switching freedom for incarceration.
Albert Belle was born in Shreveport, La., and was no dumb jock. He was an Eagle Scout. He was No. 6 in his high school graduation class and was offered scholarships to LSU, Notre Dame and an appointment to the Air Force Academy. But Belle had a bad temper that seemed to hurt his chances for advancement in professional baseball. The anger issues, as well as a stint in an alcohol rehab center, probably slowed his development and his arrival in the major leagues.
After reaching the major leagues as a 6-foot-2, 210-pound outfielder with the Cleveland Indians in 1989, Belle became one of the American League's biggest stars. In 1993 he began a streak of five consecutive appearances in the All-Star game. In 1994, he lost the batting title by two points. In 1995, he became the first player in baseball history to hit 50 homers and 50 doubles in the same season. Twice he was runner-up in the Most Valuable Player voting.
In 1997, Belle signed with the Chicago White Sox and became the highest paid player in baseball, with a five-year, $55 million deal. He opted out of the deal after the 1998 season and signed a five-year, $65 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles. But osteoarthritis in his hip forced Belle to retire after the second season with the Os and he had to retired at age 34.
Despite his dominance for nearly a decade, Belle was not inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. He fell off the ballot after his second season of eligibility after failing to get enough support from the writers he had ignored and harassed throughout his career. He was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.
Very few people felt sorry for Albert Belle's decline; he was not a warm, cuddly person that people could get behind. But those who knew Belle insist he is a good person and describe his personality as "sweet." But Belle preferred privacy over public relations and was content with being out of the spotlight whenever possible.
Belle did surface a few years when he tried to qualify for the U.S. Open. He didn't come close, shooting an 84 in a local qualifier. "It's an individual sport (golf), so it's the exact opposite of baseball. If you hit a bad shot, you can't say, 'Well, this happened.' It's just you. It's your shot. You can't point the finger at anybody but yourself," he said.
