In the past I've tended to overreact. I was sure I'd be a superstar by the time I was twenty-one. Baseball messed up my plan of life. When I fail I get upset. Sometimes I get upset too quickly, without thinking of consequences.

I feel like myself and the city of Cleveland are in the same boat. We're made for each other. A few years ago, everybody had bad thoughts on Albert Belle. I feel that has changed.

Going to a new team is like going to a new high school. Nobody knows you. It's a chance to rebuild your image.

The way I figure is we win as a team and we lose as a team, but I've got to figure out some way where I can have a better April and help the team get off to a better start. I normally heat up when it gets warm, but it would be nice to come out of April and everybody is chasing you.

The Indians didn't help me in dealing with the media. I think they wanted to keep my market value down. I'm moody. I know that. I've made some mistakes, but if I was a bad person, would someone want to pay me $55 million, would I have a scholarship fund my mother runs that pays for kids to go to school?

I'm pretty much right on schedule. Start off slow, finish up strong. I don't know why everyone panics. I've been doing this for ten years now. Why change?

When you talk about locker room betting, we bet on everything... It's no different than anyone else's office pool. Money changes hands in the locker room; it's whatever you want.