TOM YOUNG was seen kissing Large Marge and telling us:
 TY> Not to comment so much on this post, as it is true, but I do want to
 TY> comment on one of your earlier posts, regarding Belle "sacrificing
 TY> himself" by signing a long term contract early in his career.  The
 TY> Indians took all the risks on that deal.  They gave a guaranteed
 TY> contract to a player who had not hit 50 home runs, driven in the runs he
 TY> has now, hit 50 doubles, or become the offensive force he has today.
 TY> They gave this money to a player who was a self admitted alcoholic,
Albert Belle has his problems but most of what you described happened AFTER 
he had signed AND New York did quite well, thank you, with an alcoholic power 
hitter by the name of Mickey Mantle (Whose transgressions were kept from the 
public for many years until Bouton published Ball Four). Albert Belle was no 
more of a risk than Mantle. Mantle got to answer a lot of softballs being 
thrown at him by the press (even by New York standards) and his life wasn't 
under the kind of scrutiny that Belle (or any other athlete today) has had to 
endure.
--- TrekEd 1.00
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