Padres Stick a Fork in Wells

With Kevin Towers on speaker phone in Bud Black's office Tuesday night, David Wells learned that his second tenure with his hometown club had come to an end. The organization is giving Wells a day to decide if he'd like to continue playing, in which case the club will designate him for assignment, or simply retire. Wells is mulling over that decision while reportedly hunting at his Michigan ranch. Fellow southpaw and deadline acquisition Wil Ledezma will handle Wells next spot in the rotation; no long run decision has been made for his rotation slot. It's possible that Wells' subsequent starts may be filled by Clay Hensley, who is eligible to return from AAA Portland on August 16, a day before the second open turn in the rotation. Then again, the front office has mentioned that they'd like to stretch Ledezma out into a starter.

Wells currently sports a 235-156 record and will always be known for throwing a 120 pitch perfect game. That game and its incredible tie with fellow Point Loma High School perfect game winner Don Larsen, coupled with his larger than life personality, will make him missed not only in San Diego, but across the league in the case of his retirement.