MLB.com: Bell has a bright future

ST. PETERSBURG -- A hopeful glimpse into the future came for Rob Bell on Oct. 1, 2004, in Detroit.

"It was definitely one of my best outings, obviously," Bell said. "Complete game, no earned runs, at the end of the season.

"That's a lot better than getting roughed up or having a mediocre outing and having to wonder where you sit in the teeter-totter of the business world of the Rays."

It should be remembered -- though Bell didn't bring it up -- that his complete-game 4-1 victory should have been a shutout and would have been, had B.J. Upton's error not opened the door for a two-out RBI double by Pudge Rodriguez. Bell's win clinched the team's fourth-place finish, its highest to date. He finished the 2004 season at 8-8 with a 4.46 ERA and a "can't wait for next season" attitude.