Former Baseball Great Albert Belle Is Latest Sports Bad Boy

Albert Belle sits in a county jail, after stalking his ex-girlfriend. Like Terrell Owens, Ron Artest and many more, Belle is the newest Bad Boy in pro sports.

The world of sports is full of "Bad Boys." You know who they are; young athletes with too much money and far too much attitude.

They are guys like Ron Artest, the former Indiana Pacer, who went into the stands after a fan and was suspended for an entire NBA basketball season.

They are NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens, who openly vilifies teammates, coaches and league officials. He is bigger than the game itself - or at least he thinks so.

And they are Albert Belle, arguably the greatest hitter in all of Major League Baseball in the 1990s, who is now sitting in a county jail in Phoenix, awaiting sentencing for stalking his ex-girlfriend.

The list is long and notorious. Yet no matter how much trouble these immature and arrogant athletes find, others are waiting in line for their turn to become the next high profile Bad Boy.

What's wrong with just collecting your millions, playing your game and behaving like a true professional?

It seems simple to those of us watching, but for some ineffable reason it's completely farfetched to the Bad Boys. They all appear to believe that they are above the law, at least until it catches up with them.

The Bad Boys make me appreciate the good guys that much more. I've always said we shouldn't praise people for simply doing things right. Maybe in today's sports world, though, that is a worn-out notion.

So, here's to the good guys. Keep it up; you're all the world of sports has to hang its collective hat on.