By Adam Sarson Every year in every professional sport, players come along that seem destined for greatness. There is always a hotshot young pitcher, a running back that will torch defenses, an unstoppable big man in the post, and the next dominant young goalie. However, these players do not always pan out the way the fans and certainly the organizations hope. Whether it is an injury, drug addictions, or any other factors, careers often get derailed. While we often see flashes of greatness, and in some cases, prolonged greatness, many times, we are left thinking about the possibilities. How much better would our team have been? How would he have stacked up against the all-time greats? y How great would he have been? These are the questions that plague sports fans on a daily basis. In this series of articles, several players will be examined. Maybe we won?t find a true answer to all of our questions, but it is always interesting to look back at what may have been. Today, Albert ?Joey? Belle. "Albert (Belle) is capable of almost anything you can achieve as a hitter. I look at him as one of the best hitters of all time." - Brady Anderson on April 6,1999 The term ?feared hitter? gets thrown around often these days in Major League Baseball. There are handfuls of players that when you see them come to the plate, anything could be possible. The prime example of a feared hitter in the 90?s was none other than Albert Belle. The perfect combination of contact and power hitting, Belle was a menace for any pitcher to face. In his ten seasons as a major leaguer, he never finished with less than 95 RBI, ending up with staggering career numbers: 381 home runs, 1239 RBI, a career average of .295, and he is one of only six players to have nine consecutive 100 RBI seasons. So what happened? Well, let?s find out by starting at the beginning. Albert Belle was born on August 25th, 1966 in Shreveport, Louisiana. As a young boy, Belle would join the Boy Scouts and while in high school, would be the vice president of his local Future Business Leaders of America club. He would also be a member of the National Honor Society, which honors the best in character, leadership, and academics. In 1984, Belle played for the United States in the Junior Olympics, where he played outfield and pitched, winning one game. Belle would then make his way to college, opting to stay at home and go to Louisiana State University. Belle would put up astounding numbers at LSU, making 1st team All-SEC in 1986 and 1987. ON TO THE PROS "Back in 1987 when they drafted me, the Indians were the only team interested in taking a chance on Albert Belle, and I made the most of it. Hopefully, they got as much from me as I got from them." - USA Today (November 20, 1996) To say there were questions surrounding Belle before he entered the majors would be an understatement. Due to a wild temper and drinking problems, many teams were unwilling to take a chance on the burly outfielder. Bobby Cox, then GM of the Atlanta Braves, allegedly suggested to his staff that if Belle were picked in any round, they would be fired. The Cleveland Indians decided that Belle?s talent far outweighed any personal problems and took him in the 2nd round of the 1987 entry draft. There were problems almost from the outset, as in the fall of ?87, Belle was suspended during the College World Series by LSU?s Skip Bertman for jogging to first base on a ball hit to the outfield wall. Belle would make his major league debut on July 15th, 1989 against the Texas Rangers, going 1-4 with an RBI and a stolen base off Hall Of Famer Nolan Ryan. Belle would finish the 1989 season with the Indians and after a slow start in 1990, wouldn?t be seen in the majors again until the 1991 season. Despite not being on the major league roster, Belle was not far away from the public eye. In June of 1990, Belle destroys a sink after a game in Colorado Springs. He is suspended for five games and is admitted into the Cleveland Clinic for anger management and alcohol problems. Belle would go on to post good numbers in his first ?full? pro season, but once again, his season was marred by controversy. On May 11th, Belle threw a ball at a heckling fan and hit him in the chest from fifteen feet away, leading to a suspension and a week?s pay going to charity. Belle would also be called out by his manager John McNamara for failing to run out a double play. McNamara said it was the most blatant lack of hustle he had seen in his career. Despite leading the team in homers and RBI, Belle was sent down to the minors for a period of twenty days. The career-defining year for Belle was 1992 when he began his streak of nine consecutive 100 RBI seasons. Belle would finish with 34 homers and 112 RBI and was virtually incident free. One of the quirks about Belle was the simple fact that he did not like when people would call him by his given name Joey. In 1993, Belle called security to silence hecklers at Jacobs Field. Later that year, Belle would run into an Orioles' fan calling him Joey in a pool hall. Despite the police report of the man having cuts on his face, Belle maintained his innocence. These incidents would not get Belle down as he would post more great numbers in 1993, including 23 stolen bases. The 1994 season was much of the same, great stats and more controversy. This account is courtesy of www.albertbelle.net: July 15, 1994: Chicago Manager Gene Lamont accuses Albert of using a corked bat. Umpire Dave Phillips confiscates the bat and stores it in the ump's dressing room. In 1999 it is revealed that Jason Grimsley crawled 100 feet along a ceiling and dropped down into the dressing room to switch Albert's bat with one of Paul Sorrento's. After the game, the switch is discovered and the Indians then turn over one of his other bats, which is found to contain cork. He has since stuck to his story that the White Sox stole his bat and corked it. Belle would be suspended seven games. 1995 would prove to be Belle?s most productive season in an Indians' uniform. He would become the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and 50 doubles in the same season and only the eighth to register over 100 extra base hits. Belle would have several run-ins with media during the 1995 season, including chasing reporter Hannah Storm out of the dugout while she was conducting an interview with Kenny Lofton and a highly publicized incident on Halloween that year. Belle?s house was the target of an egging, and Belle proceeded to chase down the teens in his car. Despite having superior numbers and both clubs making the playoffs, Belle was edged out by Boston?s Mo Vaughn for the American League MVP. It was speculated that Belle?s tenuous relationship with the media may have prevented him from winning the MVP that season. Belle would go on to question the process, suggesting that Vaughn wasn?t even the MVP on the Red Sox, saying Tim Wakefield was more deserving that season. Belle would go on to have another phenomenal season in 1996, with 48 homers and 148 RBI. It would be his last season in Cleveland. 1996 would prove to be a tumultuous season off the field for Belle. Again, this info from www.albertbelle.net: February 1996: Albert blows off an event hosted by Ted Williams honoring 4 of baseball's best hitters. Later Roy Firestone flies to LA for an interview with him, but Albert refuses to talk to him. February 29,1996: Belle is fined $50,000 for the Hannah Storm World Series incident. April 6, 1996: Albert hits Sports Illustrated photographer Tony Tomsic, who was photographing him, with a baseball. He contends that it wasn't deliberate. May 16, 1996: AL President Gene Budig orders Belle to undergo counseling and perform community service. May 31, 1996: After getting hit by a pitch in the 8th inning of a game vs. the Milwaukee Brewers, Albert hits Fernando Vina with his forearm on a double-play ground ball, blaming Vina for standing in the baseline. June 4, 1996: AL President Gene Budig suspends Belle and 2 others for 5 games after their roles in coming off the bench into a brawl in the 9th inning a game on May 30th. June 14, 1996: The Yankees vs. Indians game is delayed twice due to fans throwing objects at Albert (such as baseballs). June 21, 1996: Belle serves his suspension (reduced to 2 games) and is fined $25,000 for the Vina incident. Belle would sign a 5-year/$55 million contract with the Chicago White Sox in 1996, making him the highest paid player in baseball. Belle had two great seasons in Chicago, including nearly hitting the 50/50 mark again in 1998. Belle?s contract with the White Sox included a clause that kept Belle in the top-3 highest players in the majors. Belle invoked the clause after the ?98 season, and after the White Sox refused to give him a raise he signed with the Baltimore Orioles. Belle was rewarded with a 5-year/$65 million contract and once again was baseball?s highest paid player. After a productive 1999 season, when Belle gets his eighth straight 30 home run/100 RBI season, he would have a frustrating 2000 season. Belle would have his first injury of his career in September and sit out most of the month. Orioles' doctors determined that Belle was unfit to play and was ?totally disabled? due to degenerative osteoarthritis in his hip. Belle would reach his 100 RBI plateau once again, for the last time in 2000, hitting only 23 home runs. He went out in style, with a home run off New York?s Denny Neagle in his last at-bat. He was kept on Baltimore?s 40-man roster and was paid in full for the remainder of his contract until 2003. In Belle?s first year of Hall of Fame eligibility, he garnered just enough votes to remain on the ballot for the following year. In 2007, he received only 3.5% of the vote thus removing him from future consideration. In 2006, Belle was arrested and sentenced to 90 days in jail for stalking a woman, who was identified as a former escort. The story of Albert Belle can be summed up in one word: controversy. Belle was universally liked by his teammates and most fans while he was admittedly surly and difficult with the media. There is no doubt that during his time, Belle was one of the most prolific players and faces in North American sports. His talent on the field was matched by very few, and his propensity to deal with the media the way he did made national headlines. I would hate to think that the unfortunate relationship he had with the media led to him receiving few votes for the Hall of Fame, but that very well may have been the case. Belle?s career was shortened by a hip injury, and it is a shame to think that at the age of 41, he could still be playing today. There is no doubt in this writer?s mind that Albert Belle is not only one of a kind, but one of the greatest hitters to ever step out onto the field to play the game we all love. It is certainly unfortunate that not everyone feels that same way. We are now left to wonder, what may have been?