Shaun Assael wrote about Albert Belle in one of the first issues of ESPN The Magazine. We asked him for his thoughts on the apparent end of Belle's career.

When I heard the news about Albert Belle today, I remembered a trip I took to his hometown of Shreveport, La., some years ago in search of what could make a man so angry. I didn't find my answer there, but I found his family priest, a wonderful man who took me to the diamond where young Albert batted every day, usually taking pitches from his twin brother. Even if there was snow on the ground, he still batted. He made his swing mechanical -- it wouldn't let him down when the rest of the world did.

Of course, in those days in Shreveport, there wasn't the slightest suggestion the world would disappoint him. I discovered that in another thing I found there, a copy of his high school yearbook. Albert, or Joey as he was then known, was a member of the Future Business Leaders of America, the National Honor Society, and the football and baseball teams. In every picture he was smiling, seemingly happy and eager to please.

I took that yearbook with me to New York and looked at it for a long time. In fact, I was looking at it when the phone rang. The voice on the other end was gravelly and rushed, as if the very act of speaking pained him. "I didn't give you permission to write a story," Albert said. "There are 600 other ballplayers. Go write a story about them." I was startled and tried to draw him out, but he hung up too quickly.

I thought about his journey into anger every time I saw him after that. How can a man be so filled with rage when he plays a game that has made him so rich, so easily?