When it comes to talking about today's great guys in baseball, you'd be remiss if you omitted Jay Bell from the conversation.

The recent Duke City visitor didn't need directions: He'd played with Colorado Springs, then the Indians' top farm club, back in 1988, at the old Sports Stadium; and after the Arizona Diamondbacks inaugural season of 1998, Bell, coach Bob Brenly, shortstop Danny Klassen and pitchers Greg Olson and Armando Reynoso visited an Albuquerque hotel as part of the team's caravan through the Southwest, aiming to win more fans.

Bell, who retired after the 2002 season, was asked if he ever misses the excitement of the game? "Absolutely not," he said last month during Major League Weekend at Isotopes Park. "I know my last year in New York was a wonderful year; it was the first time in my career I didn't have a home run so I knew it was time to give it up.

"I had the opportunity to play 20 years and had a blast doing that; I had a year-and-a-half off, you know, after the 2003 season through last year, and really enjoyed that," he continued. "It was time to get back on the field in this capacity; I am not envious of those guys having to go out and worry about getting hits and making pitches and fielding ground balls. I'd just as soon handle my fungo (bat)."

So, this season Bell's a bench coach with the Diamondbacks, the team that signed him in December of 1997, prior to their first game as a team in 1998.

Bell, who turns 40 in December, was drafted by Minnesota in the first round of the June 1984 amateur draft, and then traded him one year later to Cleveland for Bert Blyleven.

Ironically, when Bell made his major league debut in 1986, the pitcher on the mound for the Twins was Blyleven; his first pitch to Bell was clouted for a home run. He became only the 11th player in major league history to accomplish that feat.

Bell stayed with the Indians through 1988, getting into 73 games in '88, before being dealt to Pittsburgh for shortstop Felix Fermin in late March of 1989.

He stayed with the Bucs through 1996, and then was dealt to Kansas City for the '97 season. He opted for free agency after one season with the Royals, then inked a deal with the new team in the Valley of the Sun.

He was with the D-Backs in 2001 when they beat the Yankees in the World Series and then, after the 2002 season, chose to be a free agent and inked a deal with the Mets. The writing was on the wall for Bell, as he said; he batted a paltry .188 in 72 games with the Mets without a homer - he finished with 195 for his career and a lifetime average of .265.

Bell played in two all-star games and, few people realize, snapped shortstop Ozzie Smith's 13-year stranglehold on the N.L.'s Gold Glove, becoming only the second Pirates shortstop to win the award.

He said he doesn't expect to spend much time with the Arizona infielders, helping them hone their skills.

"We've got a nice group of infielders that don't have to be told a whole bunch," he explained. "You got (Craig) Counsell at second, (Royce) Clayton at short, and (Troy) Glaus at third; (Chad) Tracy's the only one that's new to a position (moving from third to first).

"Those guys understand how to do it; if you have anything to say to them, it's not 'You should do it this way,' it's 'Maybe you ought to think about doing it this way' and giving them an option - there's no one way to do anything out there on the field."

Bell said Bob Melvin, the new manager in Phoenix, called him and asked if he'd return to the team.

"We were planning on moving back to Florida; when 'BobMel' called and asked if I'd be his bench coach, I certainly agreed to that and was happy to get back on the field again.

"It was kind of a no-brainer for me: Stay at home, be at the big-league level there at home, so it was good."

Bell has been active in community service: He's been a participant with Young Life, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and "I'm real big in the church, so I've got my plate full right now."

Since having laser surgery on his eyes, he no longer wears glasses, he said, and isn't as recognizable on the streets in the Phoenix area.

There are some sidebars to Bell's first-pitch homer off Blyleven, helped by teammate Mike Hargrove's advice to "Look for the first-pitch fastball." Bell got to know Blyleven later, which he said, "was really fascinating for me," and trying to obtain the baseball from the fan that caught the ball. "I knew he got it; we tried to give him some balls and bats and stuff; of course, it was a record for Bert - it was the home run that put him over Robin Roberts for most home runs given up."

Another obvious highlight was scoring the winning run in the 2001 World Series: Bell was on third base when Luis Gonzalez lofted a Texas League single into left field

"I grew up a Dodgers fan and hated the Yankees and so, for me, it was doubly special to have the opportunity to beat the Yankees in the World Series.

"Probably the number-one thing that I was able to do was, we had a promotion back in '99; it was called Grand Slam Sundays. A random fan was picked to pick a player and the inning he would hit a grand slam. I walked up having the opportunity to do that very thing; ended up working the count to 3-2, hit a grand-slam home run to win a lady a million dollars.

"But overall, those three things were probably the most memorable," Bell said.