EG>TOM YOUNG was seen kissing Large Marge and telling us:
EG> TY> photographer, use a corked bat and curse out a reporter for no reason
EG> TY> what so ever. Yeah, they have to go so far out of their way to get 
this
EG> TY> information.
EG>Yeah and they sure took great pains to dig into the life of Mantle, didn't
EG>they? :-^
They did not dig into the life of Belle either.  All of the actions he
committed were while he was in the public eye.
EG>A few things that *I* would have done (except the corked bat) if I were in 
t
EG>same position. I have no sympathy for ANYONE who gets the business from 
Bell
EG>They know the risks and if they're stupid enough to get close enough for 
him
EG>take a shot at them -- good. You wouldn't provoke a pit-bull unless you 
like
EG>getting a reaction and most of it lately has been to get a reaction from 
Bel
EG>They already know what he's going to do and yet, they go out of their way 
to
EG>provoke him.
The ever popular blame the victim approach.  Hannah Storm was not
interviewing Belle, she was sitting in the dugout preparing notes.
Certainly a provacation there.  The photographer that he threw a
baseball at was taking pictures of the players while they were on
the baseball diamond.  Yet another provocation of Albert.  Personally, I
expect people to have a little more self control than a dog.  But if you
wish to liken Albert to one, than go ahead.  As for the fan that he
threw a baseball at, I don't have any sympathy for him either, as he was
making a personal attack against Albert, but I don't think throwing the
baseball at virtually point blank range was an acceptable response.  As
for the teenagers throwing an egg against his house, I don't think that
would qualify as justifiable homicide.
EG> TY> What Mantle did has no bearing on what Belle does.  None of this
EG> TY> changes the fact that the Indians still offered to make him the
EG> TY> highest paid player in baseball.  How is this a slight of him?
EG>You're the one that brought up his drinking and how it was a risk. If you 
ca
EG>dance the dance then don't put on the record. Belle deserved more than 
hat
EG>Indians gave him -- for past and future performance. They asked him to 
elp
EG>save the franchise from being the screwups that they had been for decades 
an
EG>then when it was time to pay the piper, they turned out to be tone-deaf.
I brought up Belle and not Mantle.  However I will answer that.  Never
let it be said I can't dance to any tune.  Mantle was not given long
term guaranteed contracts at the beginning of his career.  Belle was.
The Yankees took no risk, Mantle had to negotiate every year at the
beginning of his career and had to take several pay cuts.  Belle was
guaranteed money, more money than players of comparable talent were
making at that point in their career and the team assumed all the risk
of his failure to perform.  He was being rewarded for future performance
at that time.  The offer they made him this time would reward him for
his past performance and for future performance.
EG> TY> I tell you, I see the horrible old media destroying so many player's
EG> TY> careers.  Boy, they really cost Albert a lot of money don't you 
ink.
EG>Again, who in the hell is JUST TALKING ABOUT BELLE. You certainly are but 
I'
EG>sure as hell not.
Ok, what players have the media destroyed.  Give me some examples.  But
don't give them to me unless you can prove the media fabricated the
incidents and are actually the cause of the player's career being
destroyed.  If a player commits actions that are reported and his career
is damaged because of that, it is not the fault of the media.
EG> TY> Maybe without their "unfair" portrayal of him, he could have got a
EG> TY> couple more million out of Reinsdorf.
EG>If they had kept their distance, a lot of this wouldn't have happened. 
Belle
EG>owes NO ONE in the press an interview but most of them act as if he does. 
It
EG>that pettiness that cost him the MVP to Mo Vaughn (Before you say it 
didn't,
EG>Belle won EVERY POY award NOT voted on by the press).
Lets see here.  In an earlier statement on this post, you excuse Belle
for assaulting people by saying they knew what the likely occurence
would be and that they deserve everything that happens to them.  You
remove any blame from Albert whatsoever.  The same logic should apply
here then.  By applying this logic, Albert knew the media would be petty
and not give him the MVP if he didn't play ball with them, so he has
only himself to blame.  Every year there are qualified candidates that
don't win the MVP.  while I probably would have voted for Belle also, I
don't see it as an injustice that Vaughn won, even if he does play for
Boston.
EG> TY> Their transgressions were against themselves.  They did not
assault EG> TY> others.  Not even Howe did that.
EG>Oh, since they didn't harm anyone besides themselves, it's A LOT BETTER. I 
s
EG>-- you have to tell me these things. :-^
Not saying it's better, simply not comparable offenses.
EG> TY> anybody.  And I'm sorry to see that you think sniffing cocaine is
EG> TY> worse than trying to run over a teenager.
EG>I feel NO sympathy for those guys. I would have done the same thing and so
EG>would a lot of other people that I know. You may think it was a silly 
rank
EG>I don't stand for that crap.
So Ed, you're saying throwing eggs at your house is a case for
justifiable homicide?  You would try to run over somebody for that
offense?  Pretty harsh don't you think?
 EG> TY> THEY OFFERED TO MAKE THE MAN THE HIGHEST
PAYED PLAYER IN BASEBALL!!!!
EG>Big Whoopie. He GAVE UP THE HONOR TO BE THE HIGHEST PAID PLAYER for the 
good
EG>the team. He allowed them to have hugh profits for years while sacrificing 
a
EG>hell of a lot more than the team did.
They gave him more money than comparable players were making and the
security of a guaranteed contract to reward him for the "sacrifice" he
was making.  He did not give up being the highest paid player in
baseball for the good of the team.  At the time he would have become
eligible for arbitration, he did not have the stats to move him past
Fielder, Canseco, Mattingly or any of the other high salaried stars of
the time.  You go from comparing Belle to a pit bull to an altruistic
saint who gave up everything for the good of the team.  He signed that
contract, just like he signed the contract with the White Sox because he
thought it was the best deal for Albert Belle, not because he thought it
was the best deal for the Cleveland Indians.
EG> TY> How is that slighting him?  Why do you feel compelled to make asinine
EG> TY> comparisons?
EG>I like that. Maybe I should get personal with you (Been taking lessons 
rom
EG>Cross, I see).
Actually this was in lines with the accusation of my naivetie that you
leveled.
EG> TY> you or I, so I yes, truthfully feel they did not think he would bring
EG> TY> them a title, and chose not to top the White Sox offer.
EG>Baloney. They weren't that far away when they tried to get Belle to "take 
it
EG>leave it." It's that kind of an attitude that destroys a franchise and
EG>Cleveland is acting like they're going to work their way back to their 
ays
EG>being the Yankees' farm club.
>>> Continued to next message
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 þ SLMR 2.1a þ My reality check just bounced.
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