Albert Belle

Step 1. Consider this: "As kids, Albert and his twin brother became Eagle Scouts and junior deacons at church. `I'm speaking for Terry also when I say this,' Belle said when he was in high school. `We put God first in our lives. ... We feel good about ourselves and good in games because we know the Lord is with us.' " -- from "Albert Belle," a biography for kids from the "Baseball Legends" series by Chelsea House Publishers Step 2. Today's mantra: Remember: When Albert Belle was growing up, his baseball idols were Orioles' stars Jim Palmer and Eddie Murray.

April 5, 1999: In his first game with the Orioles, Albert Belle belted a three-run home run on Opening Day. The Orioles beat the Devil Rays, 10-7.

Welcome Albert Belle to Baltimore townWhere baseball's the king and he's wearing his crownHe can call Camden Yards his new placeAs the season draws near for the World Series chaseAs of Dec. 1, 1998, he has been blessedHe became an Oriole, the best of the best $65 million, not a bad dealFive years with this club, boy what a steal He's the batterin' Belle, the Behemoth of BustThose magnificent catches and home runs a mustThough Ripken and Anderson are our...

Baltimore sports fans can be defensive when it comes to their athletic heroes, and any top 50 list about athletes who are heroes or otherwise will create debate. Thus is the case with the top 50 list of all-time sports jerks on CBS Sports Line.com. OK, so some don't want to hear anything negative about Ray Lewis (No. 49), Babe Ruth (No. 42) and Art Modell (No. 38). But there are others on the list whom Baltimore fans would have no problems with - Albert Belle (No. 44), Reggie Jackson (No. 14; remember he played here in 1976)

I'VE BEEN carrying the guilt for a long time now -- since Dec. 1, 1998, as a matter of fact.That's the date Albert Belle put on an Orioles cap and offered up a $13 million smile.Trouble was, he looked darn good. Must have been the hat.And the guilt came with it. Until Dec. 1, I'd actually been very proud of myself -- and the day I struck out Mr. Belle with the bases loaded.Until he became Oriole Albert Belle, I had never given a second thought to that outrageous moment a few years back when I exercised the right of being a hometown fan and attempted to change the course of a baseball game.

I SEE WHERE Albert Belle likes to fish. Lenny Webster, the Orioles' nice-guy catcher, let that slip Wednesday night after Bad Albert -- oh, he of short fuse -- blew up at Ray Miller in the dugout. Reporters were looking for explanations. "Albert likes to fish," Webster explained. "He was just inviting Ray to go fishing with him."These players know one another, in a way we fans can never know them. Webster must have heard a clubhouse conversation about fishing, and he might have heard Albert mention that he likes to fish.

New Oriole Albert Belle has decided to extend Christmas wishes to Baltimore in the form of this poem. Belle informs us that this is his second published holiday poem -- the first ran in the Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal in December 1995, addressed to Cleveland fans.Belles are ringingChristmas Belles are ringing again we can hearMerry Christmas and a Happy New YearTo the Windy City I know and lived in a while,And to the one where I'll go this spring in styleTo the friends and fans in Chicago I know,In Shreveport, to my family, friends, and Galilee and so.To Baltimore where I'm going real soon.

THE NEXT TIME Albert Belle telephones here, will somebody please tell him I'm not in?You know how Albert is: Yakety-yakety-yak. All the time, the guy's got to chat up some reporter, cornering one of them in the locker room for one of his "special" talks, wrapping an affectionate hug around another guy's Adam's apple out by the batting cage, or telephoning at any hour of the day, just to see if everything's as swell in our perfect little world as it is...

Albert Belle is first-time eligible for baseball's Hall of Fame, and he seemed a lock - despite his surly attitude toward the media - before a degenerative hip condition prematurely ended his career. No right-handed hitter was more feared than Belle, and not just by reporters. Nobody was more prolific driving in runs. He was a dominant force, but it's doubtful that he stayed around long enough to warrant induction. Feel free to disagree. I'll never forget his last spring training, and the last time we saw him as an Oriole.

O's get no recognition for signing big name The Orioles' ownership should have learned the disastrous lesson of signing an aging and disgruntled name-brand player. From the Era of Albert Belle to the acquisition of Sammy "Corky" Sosa, it seems to illustrate that Peter Angelos believes Orioles fans are clueless cheerleaders for celebrity baseball. Do Orioles fans really want change strictly for player name recognition, regardless of its lack of priority need and in addition to its likely contribution to team dysfunction?

Pessimists don't go to tattoo parlors. If you're looking for a sign that the Orioles have finally turned the corner toward baseball respectability, that the pox on the House of Angelos has passed, that it's OK to pull those orange foam fingers out of storage and dream big again, then check out Dan Teubner's leg. On Friday, the 37-year-old bachelor and fan about town paid a visit to Full Color Coverage in Annapolis. He brought along a 1983-era Orioles hat and paid $105 to have a replica of that glory-days, cartoon-bird face tattooed onto the sweet spot of his calf muscle.

Moves Baseball EXPOS: Named Eddie Rodriguez bench coach. REDS: Agreed with P Jesus Sanchez and P Scott Randall on minor league contracts. Purchased contract of P Todd Van Poppel from Triple-A Louisville. ROCKIES: Agreed with P Shawn Estes, who had been with Cubs, on minor league contract. ROYALS: Agreed with P Darrell May on two-year, $4.95 million contract. Basketball CELTICS: Activated C Kendrick Perkins. Suspended F Vin Baker indefinitely for non-compliance with his treatment program.

When the Orioles go through baseball's yearly ritual of expanding their roster next week, with temporary lockers shoved together in the middle of the clubhouse, they'll exert more energy by sifting through the disabled list than the available talent at their minor league affiliates. Club officials met last week to discuss September call-ups, and though they didn't compose a final draft, they have a pretty good idea of which players will be coming to Baltimore. It shouldn't get too crowded.

FORT MYERS, Fla. - It can be done. If the Minnesota Twins, working under severe budget constraints and the threat of contraction, can build a competitive team from the ground up, it certainly can be done in Baltimore. The Twins reached the playoffs last year with a roster full of young stars who came up through the organization and weathered some difficult rebuilding years. They remain well-configured to defend their American League Central title, though they can expect to get a strong argument from the improved Chicago White Sox. Though it seems like an amazing success story, general manager Terry Ryan said there is nothing amazing about it. The young, exciting Twins are the product of old-fashioned baseball values.

Minus four members of last seasonM-vs team and $4 million in severance, the Orioles yesterday completed the grinding task of constructing their 40-man roster. This time they added rather than deleted by promoting four valued pitchers and their most prized position prospect. Pitchers Steve Bechler, Erik Bedard, Mike Paradis and John Stephens plus 20-year-old shortstop Ed Rogers joined the major-league roster for the first time, leaving the Orioles with 22 pitchers, three catchers and 15 other position players on a list submitted yesterday to the commissioner's office.

UP -- Josh Towers He has been impressive enough in four starts that Sidney Ponson now tries to emulate him. First complete-game shutout by an Orioles rookie in nine years. Strong. DOWN -- Rochester Red Wings We know they're the youngest team in the International League, but does that excuse having the worst record in Triple-A and one of the three worst records in the National Association? If the folks in Rochester were ready to mutiny two years ago, what do they think now? Damon Buford and John Wasdin aren't the answer.