I learned tonight that Wally Bell, who lived in the Youngstown area, has passed away due to a heart attack. I remember Wally way back when he would referee high school basketball games in Mahoning County during the offseason. He was a character, to be sure, always cutting up and making everyone around him feel good. My wife and I used to go to the players entrance at Busch Stadium whenever he worked a Cardinals series out here and he always remembered us, showing off the rings, bracelets and other things he got for working postseason and All-Star games. Sadly, Wally was only 48. He will be missed by many in and out of baseball.

Sad day around town.

Today's Y'Town Vindicator...http://www.vindy.com/news/2013/oct/15/baseball-umpire-wally-bell-dies/?newswatch

i met him a bunch of years ago. crazy that he had open heart surgery when he was only 34.

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I too, remember Wally from his high school ref days. Don't think there was ever a game when he didn't toss someone out like a baseball game? Lol. Good guy.

I was was at a Pirates game that he was doing this year and commented to my bud that I thought he looked bad. Such a shame.

I heard that he had already made plans for an Irish wake before he died. It's going to be one hell of a party.

GoPens;1519876 wrote:I heard that he had already made plans for an Irish wake before he died. It's going to be one hell of a party.

To be fair, in Youngstown that's basically just a run of the mill Saturday.

But it's definitely sad to see someone die at such a young age from heart issues. A coworker of mine knew him fairly well, and when he was working RF during the Division Series in Pittsburgh my coworker was in the stands and said hi to him, then he's dead a few days later.