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Albert Belle to write column for Baltimore newspaper

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Posted: Friday June 25, 1999 04:17 PM

Albert Belle wrote that he doesn't want to be a teacher, which is probably a good thing considering his temper. AP

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Albert Belle, who won't talk to the Baltimore media, is now a part of it.

The Baltimore Orioles' outfielder has agreed to periodically write a column for The Baltimore Press, a relatively new tabloid trying to make an impression in a newspaper market dominated by The Sun.

Belle's first column, which appeared Friday, tackled the topic of paying teachers a decent wage and ensuring they work in a safe environment.

Belle provided statistics showing that the starting salary for engineers and computer science experts is far greater than the $25,735 allotted teachers. He failed to mention that he will receive $65 million over the next five years to play baseball.

Both of Belle's parents were teachers, and he was a substitute teacher while attending Louisiana State University.

"Times have changed since my days as a substitute teacher. Would I choose substitute teaching as a way to put myself through college today? Or more so, if I were not a professional athlete, would I work full time as a teacher? The answer in both cases would be: NO," Belle wrote in the copyrighted article.

Belle has refused to talk to the Baltimore media since the middle of spring training and has long had a rocky relationship with sportswriters.

Despite his silence, the moody slugger has found other ways to make his views known. He's had his own Web site for months, and now his own column.

"The idea is that he wants an opportunity to let himself be known without possibly saying something wrong," said Andrew Hahn, vice president of The Baltimore Press. "We sent him a tongue-in-cheek message, saying that we are not the normal media -- we have a very laid-back attitude, we'll run what you submit and will not edit it heavily."

The column ended with this postscript: "Albert Belle is a freelancer writer who plays for the Baltimore Orioles."

 

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