David Michael Bell (born September 14, 1972) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman who is currently the third base coach of the Chicago Cubs. He formerly was the manager of the Triple-A Louisville Bats and the former Double-A Carolina Mudcats. A member of one of the major leagues' three-generation families, he is the brother of Mike Bell, the son of Buddy Bell, and the grandson of Gus Bell.
As a junior at Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Bell led his team to a state baseball title.
On April 15, 1998, he hit the first inside-the-park home run in Jacobs Field history, and the first for the Indians since 1989.
Bell scored the 2002 NLCS winning run for the San Francisco Giants from second on Kenny Lofton's single. Bell was the runner bearing down on home plate in Game 5 of the 2002 World Series when J.T. Snow lifted 3 year old batboy Darren Baker out of harm's way. Near the end of the season, he won the 2002 Willie Mac Award for his spirit and leadership - as voted on by his teammates and coaching staff..
Bell made Major League history on June 28, 2004, by joining his grandfather, Gus Bell, as the first grandfather-grandson combination to hit for the cycle.
Bell was traded from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Milwaukee Brewers on July 28, 2006, in a deal that swapped him for minor league pitcher Wilfrido Laureano. The Brewers chose not to re-sign Bell after the 2006 season, and he became a free agent.
On October 31, 2008, the Cincinnati Reds named Bell the manager for their Double-A affiliate, the Carolina Mudcats. Bell spent three seasons as the Mudcats manager. In November 2011 he was named manager of the Reds' Triple-A affiliate Louisville Bats.
On October 23, 2012, the Chicago Cubs named Bell the third base coach for the major league club.
Famous quotes containing the words david and/or bell:
“Though the hen should sit all day, she could lay only one egg, and, besides, would not have picked up materials for another.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“One of the most difficult aspects of being a parent during the middle years is feeling powerless to protect our children from hurt. However “growthful” it may be for them to experience failure, disappointment and rejection, it is nearly impossible to maintain an intellectual perspective when our sobbing child or rageful child comes in to us for help. . . . We can’t turn the hurt around by kissing the sore spot to make it better. We are no longer the all-powerful parent.”
—Ruth Davidson Bell (20th century)