Sporting News staff reports
Padres closer Heath Bell continues to harbor ill will toward his former team, the Mets, almost four years after New York traded him to San Diego.
Bell told the San Diego Union-Tribune on Monday that Mets management wasn’t always honest with him, in particular in 2006 when it was shuttling him between the majors and Triple-A Norfolk.
The topic came up because a.) the Mets are in San Diego this week and b.) the Padres just sent reliever Adam Russell to the minors because of a need elsewhere on the pitching staff.
"For me, it was 11 times in ’06, but only nine of them counted," Bell told the Union-Tribune.
"There were a few where I got called up, took batting practice and was told, ‘Oh wait, we’re not activating you.’ Or you get the phone call after you get off the plane and they’re telling you ‘Just wait there.’
"Then there are the times when they told me, ‘Go to the hotel, but we’re not sure you’ll be activated.’ So you go to the bar and there are, like, three of us. There’d be two pitchers and a position player, all three of us waiting to find out if we’re going to be activated.
"One time, (the Mets) had me take batting practice because they weren’t sure another (late addition) was going to show up, then he showed up and they had me clear out my locker for him before he got there."
"That’s why I have a lot of hostility toward my ex-team."
"I got told things I found out weren’t true. I wasn’t always hearing the whole story."
Sporting News staff reports
Padres closer Heath Bell continues to harbor ill will toward his former team, the Mets, almost four years after New York traded him to San Diego.
Bell told the San Diego Union-Tribune on Monday that Mets management wasn’t always honest with him, in particular in 2006 when it was shuttling him between the majors and Triple-A Norfolk.
The topic came up because a.) the Mets are in San Diego this week and b.) the Padres just sent reliever Adam Russell to the minors because of a need elsewhere on the pitching staff.
"For me, it was 11 times in ’06, but only nine of them counted," Bell told the Union-Tribune.
"There were a few where I got called up, took batting practice and was told, ‘Oh wait, we’re not activating you.’ Or you get the phone call after you get off the plane and they’re telling you ‘Just wait there.’
"Then there are the times when they told me, ‘Go to the hotel, but we’re not sure you’ll be activated.’ So you go to the bar and there are, like, three of us. There’d be two pitchers and a position player, all three of us waiting to find out if we’re going to be activated.
"One time, (the Mets) had me take batting practice because they weren’t sure another (late addition) was going to show up, then he showed up and they had me clear out my locker for him before he got there."
"That’s why I have a lot of hostility toward my ex-team."
"I got told things I found out weren’t true. I wasn’t always hearing the whole story."