Some people are saying it's a slap in the face for me to go to a competitor, but it also was a slap in my face that they would go out and trade for Matt Williams, especially when my situation was unsure.

I think a lot of people are aware of the things I do, but maybe because of who I am, they don't want to report the good things about Albert Belle.

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?

I know the Chicago media will write a lot of bad things, but they'll write a lot of good things too. I can live with that. In Cleveland, all I got was negative press.

Some people are saying it's a slap in the face for me to go to a competitor, but it also was a slap in my face that they would go out and trade for Matt Williams, especially when my situation was unsure.

I would rather have come to Baltimore than the Yankees. You look at their situation, they're the kingpin and you want to be that underdog that knocks them off the top. That's pretty much the situation I've been in my whole career. It just makes for a better season when you knock the big guys off the top.

I'm the kind of person that as long as you respect me and don't distract me before the game, then I'll respect you in return and accommodate you after the game. Sometimes the situation dictates that I talk, but everybody should understand I'm not going to talk every day, whether we're in first place or last place.