BELLE BECOMES BASEBALL'S RICHEST.Byline: Ken Berger Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. Albert Belle After that, Belle continued to make things interesting during his six-plus seasons with the Cleveland Indians  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. .
There was the 50th home run, the grand slam in the playoffs against Baltimore, all the game-ending homers. There was also the corked bat, the ``look at my huge biceps'' pose, the dugout tirade and a new game: fling the ball at the photographer. ``It was always an adventure with Albert,'' Indians catcher Sandy Alomar said. While helping lead the Indians to two consecutive division titles, Belle did not just become one of the most-feared power hitters in the game. He was the muscle-bound mus·cle·bound also mus·cle-bound adj. 1. Having inelastic, overdeveloped muscles, usually as the result of excessive exercise. 2. a. Hindered by or as if by overdeveloped muscles. b. bully who snatched up the wimpy Wimpy sloppily dressed comic strip character; always “forgets” to pay for hamburgers. [Comics: “Popeye” in Horn, 657–658] See : Irresponsibility Indians and carried them to respectability, and then to the World Series. The Cleveland Indians! In the World Series! Belle didn't do it all by himself, but he was the symbol - four decades of a city's frustration released with a searing sear 1 v. seared, sear·ing, sears v.tr. 1. To char, scorch, or burn the surface of with or as if with a hot instrument. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. swing of his bat, 30 or 40 or 50 times a year. WHOMP whomp Informal n. A loud, heavy blow or thud. v. whomped, whomp·ing, whomps v.tr. 1. To hit or strike. 2. ! Take that. ``Albert is part of a turnaround for a city that just did not have a chance to have much to cheer about for 40 years,'' said general manager John Hart, who watched unhappily as Belle signed a $55 million, five-year contract with the rival Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are a professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the White Sox have played in U.S. this week. ``This was a franchise that could never get out of the second division. Albert was here as we turned it around.'' Belle didn't just play baseball, he attacked it. His off-the-field troubles were marked by the same volatility, which Hart called ``a lack of maturity.'' He earned the nickname ``Mr. Freeze'' for smashing the clubhouse thermometer with a bat one day when the temperature wasn't sufficiently cool. ``I was pretty much accustomed to the things Albert used to do,'' Alomar said. ``It wasn't news to me. He's always been like that. Sometimes you got a little bit scared when things were flying around the clubhouse, but what can you say? Albert's a great hitter.'' It's difficult to pick out Belle's biggest hit, his best home run. He hit so many so far in such clutch situations that the memories have coalesced co·a·lesce intr.v. co·a·lesced, co·a·lesc·ing, co·a·lesc·es 1. To grow together; fuse. 2. To come together so as to form one whole; unite: into one reel-to-reel replay of Belle cocking, hitching, swinging and trotting, a scowl on his face. His first major league hit was an RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in single off Ryan, the strikeout king, on July 15, 1989. His last hit in an Indians uniform was a dramatic, tiebreaking grand slam in Game 3 of the divisional playoff series against Baltimore. Belle stood on the dugout steps and incited the fans, pumping his arms in a fitting climax to, it turns out, Part I of his career. ``We will always thank Albert for the job he did here,'' Hart said. As for the player himself, he doesn't think he abandoned Cleveland. ``There were some scenarios I would have stayed in Cleveland,'' Belle said. ``But the situation worked out in my best interest to come to Chicago. ... I was very happy that the (Cleveland) fans struck by me through some tough times, but things didn't work out. I'm looking forward to moving on.'' Given his tumultuous history, it figured that when Belle decided to change teams, he'd land with a splash that would get all of sports wet. Belle's departure for Chicago, the Indians' chief competitor in the AL Central, only adds spice to the rivalry. ``We didn't just add a player with Albert Belle's numbers, we added Albert Belle, therefore Cleveland is not going to be able to replace those numbers,'' White Sox manager Terry Bevington said. It will be quite a sight when Belle returns to the plate at Jacobs Field, clothed clothe tr.v. clothed or clad , cloth·ing, clothes 1. To put clothes on; dress. 2. To provide clothes for. 3. To cover as if with clothing. in White Sox black and looking like an outlaw. Jacobs Field was where Belle gave Cleveland fans their money's worth. He also fooled them into thinking that all those moments in which the applause washed over him and the flash bulbs popped would keep him from leaving one day. More and more in sports, those moments are eclipsed by one like this: Millionaire owner and millionaire athlete on a stage somewhere, making another announcement. And that is how the end of Belle's Indians career will be remembered - another imperfect sports star bidding another city goodbye. ``He's gone,'' Alomar said. ``What other reaction are you going to have?'' CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1) Albert Belle (2) Albert Belle, the top offensive player in the AL the past two seasons, left Cleveland this week for a five-year, $55 million contract. Associated Press |
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