The Angels have released pitcher Trevor Bell after he returned from the AAA disabled list. The story behind the story is that this clears a spot on the 40-Man roster and might be an indication that a trade is imminent.

But the story is that the Angels have released a former first round pick who spent parts of three seasons on the major league roster. Trevor Bell was the 37th player taken in the 2005 amateur draft. He was compensation for the Tigers signing Troy Percival. The Red Sox got the Angels actual first round pick as compensation for us signing Orlando Cabrera and chose Jacoby Ellsbury. Oh wait it gets more maddening. Clay Buchholz was taken a few picks later.

Bell gained instant notoriety for two trivial tidbits form his personal life. The baseball public quickly learned that he was the grandson of actor Bob Bell who played Bozo the Clown. To hardcore Angels fans the date of his birth, October 12, 1986 carried intense significance. This was the date of the infamous "Donnie Moore Game" where the Angels came to within one strike of beating the Red Sox in the ALCS and going to their first World Series only to see their closer blow the game and then go on to lose two road games. It took me about an hour to write that last sentence it still hurts so much. Bell was on the roster of the club when thy finally defeated the Red Sox in a postgame series, the 2009 ALDS, so if his mediocre numbers make his tenure with the club forgettable, let the mojo contained in the franchise coming full circle against a nemesis glow to never tarnish his halo.

His numbers as an Angel, though:
76 K in 115 IP, 4-8, 156 hits allowed and 67 ER in 52 Games with 42 BB and a 1.7 WHIP