Lyle Alzado, the Heart and Soul of the Kardiac Kids: Reliving Yesteryear
November 26, 2014What We’re Thankful For
November 27, 2014Editor’s Note: In the new book “Glory Days in Tribe Town” (softcover $15.95/ebook $9.99), Terry Pluto teams up with legendary broadcaster Tom Hamilton to tell the story of the Cleveland Indians of the 1990s. The 336-page book also includes personal recollections from dozens of Tribe fans. This excerpt looks at Albert Belle’s stunning career and his superstations on and off the field.
Albert Belle.
All you have to do is say that name and Tribe fans have an instant opinion.
Make that a very strong instant opinion.
Albert Belle.
In 1996, Belle was climbing the Tribe’s all-time home run list, passing the likes of Earl Averill (franchise leader at the start of 1996 with 226 career homers from 1929 to 1939), Rocky Colavito, Larry Doby, Andre Thornton and Al Rosen. In 1995, Belle became the first hitter in big-league history to hit 50 homers and 50 doubles in the same season. Those 50 home runs passed the Tribe’s single-season mark of 43 set by Rosen in 1953. For his career, Belle was a .368 hitter with the bases loaded, including 13 grand slams.
“Albert was such a great hitter,” said Tribe broadcaster Tom Hamilton. “I never wanted to miss one of his at-bats. If I was off the air and had to go to the restroom, I’d wait another minute to watch Albert bat. He was the most fearsome slugger in the game. The way he stood at the plate as if he owned it. The way he stared at the pitcher, just glaring. The way he swung the bat, everything was ferocious. I never saw a hitter quite like that.”
One day, Albert got four hits in his first four at-bats. In his last at bat, he popped out. He threw his helmet. We won that game, and went into the clubhouse. I was really hungry, but Albert was still so mad about popping out, he had turned over the table with all the food. He could be a little kid in that way.
— Omar Vizquel
As Mike Hargrove said, “If only Albert had done some things differently, he could have been the Michael Jordan of Cleveland.”
The former Tribe manager is so right. How the fans longed to embrace Belle. The same was true of his teammates. They loved Belle being on their team, even if they didn’t always like being around Belle.
“One day, Albert got four hits in his first four at-bats,” said Omar Vizquel. “In his last at bat, he popped out. He threw his helmet. We won that game, and went into the clubhouse. I was really hungry, but Albert was still so mad about popping out, he had turned over the table with all the food. He could be a little kid in that way.”
Vizquel also had stories about cookies and food tossed around the locker room when Belle was angry. For years, Kenny Lofton’s locker was next to Belle’s.
“He was so superstitious,” said Lofton. “No one was supposed to touch his bats. No one was supposed to touch any of his stuff. If he talked to Hoynsie [Plain Dealer baseball writer Paul Hoynes] and got three hits, then he wanted to talk to him again. If he talked to him and had no hits, then he wanted nothing to do with [him].
Belle had several superstitions. He never left the on-deck circle until his name was announced. He didn’t want any music played when he came to bat. He demanded silence. He immediately erased the back line of the batter’s box. After every pitch, he stepped out of the box and took two swings. Always two swings. Then he stepped back into the batter’s box.
Lofton added, “Albert would say, ‘Don’t touch my stuff, don’t want nobody touching my stuff.'”
In 1995, Plain Dealer columnist Bud Shaw wrote a very flattering article about how Belle kept a notebook with data about opposing pitchers. Hargrove and a couple of Tribe coaches told Shaw about the notebook. Shaw never saw it. Belle read the article and was enraged. He was convinced Shaw had been looking at things in his locker. No matter how many times Shaw said he never touched his locker, Belle refused to believe it. He loathed anyone who seemed to step into his world, even a reporter who tried to write a complimentary story.
One year, Belle said his goal was to break Al Rosen’s team record of 43 homers in a season. He did that with 50 in 1995.
“Hank Greenberg had 100 RBI at the All-Star break,” Belle once said. “I wanted to break that record.”
He never did. But most players in the 1990s had never heard of Greenberg, a star in the 1930s. Or Rosen, a star in the 1950s.
“What I want to be is the best run-producer,” Belle once said. “That’s the guy who drives in more runs than anyone else. That’s what I want.”
Lofton said baseball people now devalue the leadoff man and the stolen base. They forget that for a player to drive in 100 runs, someone has to be on base.
“I was like when you put food on the table and [Belle] has to eat it,” said Lofton. “When we got on base, he was hungry. He wanted all the RBI he could get.”
In his last six years with the Tribe (1991-96), Belle averaged 39 homers and 118 RBI per season.
“He was like a genius with crossword puzzles,” said Lofton. “He had charts about what pitches were thrown to him. He could tell you from this at-bat to the next at-bat, how they pitched him. He was the most intense hitter, and most prepared that I have ever seen. He was never as bad as people made him out to be.”
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2 Comments
If they ever link to footage of Belle’s 50 HR on the home run terrace, that ball came out of the sun and right at my friend, who had his hands on it and was immediately tackled into that black iron gating. I had been with him the first at bats by Belle that game then decided it there were some hooligans and would rather tempt fate in my seat (180 row 9 IIRC). My friend just got blown up LOL, we still laugh about it.
He was a strange guy, but I find the preparation aspect most interesting. I don’t think he’s generally portrayed as smart. A friend’s father was his professor and I believe said he was a very quiet, intense, decent student.
A couple we know where he’s a 6’2 tribe fan and she’s a 4’9 w. sox fan once helped out a car on the highway that had run out of gas on their way to spring training. Turns out it was Belle right after signing with Chicago. He told them to come over after the next game; as they waited behind a huge crowd with her jumping up and down trying to get his attention he was as usual ignoring everyone. Suddenly he sees her, wades through the crowd, signs a couple things, and leaves. Everyone else stands there confused.
My sister was at the Lee Smith game, which is one of the most memorable ever – perfectly evidenced by everyone knowing exactly what that game is. I miss Albert – that raw intensity gave baseball something it really lacks overall.