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Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Derek Bell arrested on drug charges

The operation was a success, but the patient got arrested.

A former Major League baseball player who lives in the Bay Area is in jail facing drug charges.

Tampa police arrested Derek Bell, 39, Monday night on four counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Arrest records show he lives in Valrico and is unemployed. Bell was also arrested in Tampa in 2006 on a cocaine possession charge.

Bell was born in Tampa and graduated from King High School. The Toronto Blue Jays drafted in 1987.

Bell is being held at the Orient Road Jail on $2,500 bond.

Repoz Posted: December 02, 2008 at 06:19 PM | 33 comment(s) | Login to Bookmark
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1. Paul The Paranoid Android Posted: December 02, 2008 at 06:26 PM (#3018961)

Arrest records show he lives in Valrico and is unemployed.

He's taken that whole Operation Shutdown thing really seriously, hasn't he?

2. Jimmy P Posted: December 02, 2008 at 06:36 PM (#3018974)

He's taken that whole Operation Shutdown thing really seriously, hasn't he?

The government is going to put him on Operation Shutdown here, soon.

3. Delorians Posted: December 02, 2008 at 06:37 PM (#3018979)

Wow, he's been out of the league for seven years, AND he's six years younger than Jamie Moyer.

4. Gamingboy Posted: December 02, 2008 at 06:40 PM (#3018982)

Does Operation Shutdown extend to the Prison softball team?

5. Shooty: Applying to be Fearless Leader

Posted: December 02, 2008 at 06:42 PM (#3018987)

Does Operation Shutdown extend to the Prison softball team?

Yeah, but it's called Operation Lockdown.

6. Designated Sitter (GGC) Posted: December 02, 2008 at 06:44 PM (#3018992)

Were you around for Operation Shutdown, Gamingboy? That was an early running gag here.

7. Gamingboy Posted: December 02, 2008 at 06:47 PM (#3019000)

I wasn't around (at least, not as a active BTFer, maybe as a lurker), but I remember laughing at the fact he had a whole codename for basically being a selfish ass.

8. I Am Not a Number Posted: December 02, 2008 at 06:50 PM (#3019006)

Arrest records show he lives in Valrico and is unemployed.

What an odd remark. Has any other retired professional athlete been referred to as unemployed? It makes him sound like a vagrant. Is the writer not aware that the arrestee in question has the financial wherewithall to live the life he has chosen for himself?

9. RJ in TO Posted: December 02, 2008 at 06:53 PM (#3019012)

Is the writer not aware that the arrestee in question has the financial wherewithall to live the life he has chosen for himself?

Are we sure that he has the financial wherewithall to live the life he has chosen for himself? He wouldn't be the first pro athlete to blow all his cash.

10. Misirlou's got a busy day, he's wearing a vest Posted: December 02, 2008 at 07:04 PM (#3019025)

Arrest records show he lives in Valrico and is unemployed.

So that's what they're calling independently wealthy retirees in Tampa nowadays.

11. Not The Real Fausto Carmona (Dan Lee) Posted: December 02, 2008 at 07:17 PM (#3019044)

Operation Comedown.

12. AROM Posted: December 02, 2008 at 07:32 PM (#3019064)

Are we sure that he has the financial wherewithall to live the life he has chosen for himself? He wouldn't be the first pro athlete to blow all his cash.

Good point, especially considering what he's arrested for. Cocaine's a hell of a drug.

According to B-Ref, he made 26.9 million in his career. Assume 10 mil for taxes, an extravagant lifestyle spending 500K per year for the last 15, and you'd still have over 9 million left, though I have no idea how he may have invested his money, or if he's done anything to earn money since operation shutdown commenced.

If he's got a serious coke habit and invested his money in Florida real estate, then Derek Bell could indeed be broke and unemployed.

13. I Am Not a Number Posted: December 02, 2008 at 07:45 PM (#3019093)

Would the writer know that Bell was broke? If so, would he intentionally cite Bell's employement status as a further source of misery in his life, as if a job at the local Piggly Wiggly would be his salvation?

14. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: December 02, 2008 at 07:48 PM (#3019098)

"Would the writer know that Bell was broke?"

He might - it's a local paper. Maybe Bell hits him up for change at the parking lot every day.

15. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: December 02, 2008 at 07:49 PM (#3019102)

Also, I didn't love Bell's performance as a Pirate, but it's sad to see him end up like this.

16. SoSH U at work Posted: December 02, 2008 at 07:50 PM (#3019104)

Would the writer know that Bell was broke? If so, would he intentionally cite Bell's employement status as a further source of misery in his life, as if a job at the local Piggly Wiggly would be his salvation?

Or perhaps the paper routinely lists the employment status of those who are arrested, though having worked the police beat, I've never seen this information available on arrest reports.

17. Shooty: Applying to be Fearless Leader

Posted: December 02, 2008 at 07:51 PM (#3019107)

He might - it's a local paper. Maybe Bell hits him up for change at the parking lot every day.

Maybe he pushes around a shopping cart full of whiteys, condoms and potato chips?

18. PreservedFish Posted: December 02, 2008 at 07:59 PM (#3019118)

Does he still live on a houseboat?

19. Hurdle's Heroes (SuperBaes) Posted: December 02, 2008 at 08:06 PM (#3019127)

I have no idea how he may have invested his money, or if he's done anything to earn money since operation shutdown commenced.

I'm pretty sure the jetski dealership he opened up has since folded. Couldn't find any info on it online, at least. Continuing my watch on Operation: Shutdown is kind of a pet project of mine.

20. PreservedFish Posted: December 02, 2008 at 08:12 PM (#3019136)

I saw this guy in Walgreen's. He was wearing full length plaid pajamas, very cheap nylon ones. This was probably 4 pm. He got in line, and in his hands he had two new packages of the exact same pajamas as he was wearing. When he got to the register he fumbled with his cash, realized he was short, and bought only one pair of pajamas.

21. gay guy in cut-offs smoking the objective pipe Posted: December 02, 2008 at 08:22 PM (#3019147)

What constitutes "drug paraphernalia", anyway? Can I be busted for having a hand mirror and a rolled-up $20 bill on me?

22. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: December 02, 2008 at 08:22 PM (#3019149)

"...or if he's done anything to earn money since operation shutdown commenced."

FWIW, BA said a while back that he was coaching Michael Burgess pre-draft in '07. A few of us Pirate wags joked at the time that Bell's teachings were what pushed Burgess out of the first round.

23. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: December 02, 2008 at 08:24 PM (#3019150)

"What constitutes "drug paraphernalia", anyway?"

Crack pipe, bong, syringe and cooking spoon, stuff like that.

24. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: December 02, 2008 at 08:40 PM (#3019179)

According to the local Fox affiliate, the information about him being unemployed came from jail records.

25. SoSH U at work Posted: December 02, 2008 at 08:44 PM (#3019189)

According to the local Fox affiliate, the information about him being unemployed came from jail records.

Our jails never provided employment information on the folks who were arrested. Obviously Florida is different. I'd presume the news outlet in question always lists the employment status of those jailed, so that Bell's listing as unemployed is standard procedure and not meant to be seen as a judgment of his life.

26. Long John McCaine Mutiny on the Bounty (scott) Posted: December 02, 2008 at 08:58 PM (#3019221)

an extravagant lifestyle spending 500K per year for the last 15

You clearly do not know how to live extravagantly. Your membership to BTF Platinum has been denied.

What constitutes "drug paraphernalia", anyway? Can I be busted for having a hand mirror and a rolled-up $20 bill on me?

What Vlad said, but if you're in a high crime area depending on the DA they might toss it on as something they'll drop during a plea deal or the judge will throw out at a preliminary hearing.

27. Craig Calcaterra Posted: December 02, 2008 at 09:14 PM (#3019246)

One of the articles I saw on this said that he was in jail and that bail was set at $2500. If he had that, doesn't he just pay it on the spot? Unless this article was filed in the few minutes between bail was set and Bell could pay it . . .

28. AJM Posted: December 02, 2008 at 09:34 PM (#3019277)

He's moved on to Operation Snortdown.

29. A triple short of the cycle

Posted: December 02, 2008 at 10:19 PM (#3019315)

This article says he's being held on $2,500 bail. I'd say the fact that he can't post $2,500 to get out of jail is further evidence that he's broke... and also that he has no friends or family.

30. Styles P. Deadball Posted: December 02, 2008 at 10:35 PM (#3019328)

Has he gotten his eyes circumcised yet?

31. jwb Posted: December 02, 2008 at 11:28 PM (#3019369)

Does he still live on a houseboat?

Doubtful. Valrico doesn't appear to have any ocean or bayfront property.

32. phredbird

Posted: December 02, 2008 at 11:46 PM (#3019380)

Has he gotten his eyes circumcised yet?

the bags didn't look so bad in his mug shot. maybe he got them done before he burned through his $$$.

33. Halofan Posted: December 03, 2008 at 12:08 AM (#3019386)

COP: (filling out arrest report) Where do you work?
BELL: (agitated) I ain't go no job.
COP: Okay (writes "unemployed" in arrest report).

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Derek Bell arrested on drug charges

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