James Thomas "Cool Papa" Bell (May 17, 1903–March 7, 1991) was an American center fielder in Negro league baseball, considered by many baseball observers to have been the fastest man ever to play the game. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located at 62 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, is a semi-official museum operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of baseball-related... Bud Fowler, the first professional black baseball player with one of his teams, Western of Keokuk, Iowa The Negro Leagues were American professional baseball leagues comprising predominantly African-American teams. ... May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (67th in leap years). ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The position of the center fielder A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field - the baseball fielding position between left field and right field (e. ... Bud Fowler, the first professional black baseball player with one of his teams, Western of Keokuk, Iowa The Negro Leagues were American professional baseball leagues comprising predominantly African-American teams. ... The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located at 62 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, is a semi-official museum operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of baseball-related... This article is currently under construction // This year in baseball Events January 16 - The Baseball Writers Association of America elects former New York Yankees teammates Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford to the Hall of Fame. ...

Born in Starkville, Mississippi, Bell joined the St. Louis Stars of the Negro National League as a pitcher in 1922. By 1924, he had become their starting center fielder, and was known as an adept batter and fielder, and the "fastest man in the league". After leading the Stars to league titles in 1929, 1930, and 1931, he moved to the Detroit Wolves of the East-West League when the Negro National League disbanded. Detroit soon folded, leaving Bell to bounce to the Kansas City Monarchs and the Mexican winter leagues until finding a home with the Pittsburgh Crawfords in the reorganized NNL. In Pittsburgh, he played alongside Ted Page and Jimmie Crutchfield to form what is considered by many to have been the best outfield in the Negro Leagues. Bell left the Crawfords in 1938 to return to Mexico, coming back to baseball in the United States in 1942 to play for the Homestead Grays, who won Negro League titles in 1942, 1943, and 1944 with his help. He last played for the semi-pro Detroit Senators in 1946. He coached for the Monarchs in the late 1940s, managing their barnstorming "B" team, scouting for the club, signing prospects, and teaching the ins and outs of the game to future major-league baseball greats Ernie Banks, Jackie Robinson, and Elston Howard, among others. Starkville is a city in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States. ... The St. ... The Negro National League was one of the several Negro Leagues which were established during the period in the United States in which organized baseball was segregated. ... The following are the baseball events of the year 1922 throughout the world. ... The Detroit Wolves were a Negro Leagues baseball club that played for just one year (1932). ... The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseballs Negro Leagues. ... The Pittsburgh Crawfords were a professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which played in the Negro Leagues. ... The second Negro National League was established in 1933, two years after the first Negro National League had disbanded. ... John William Crutchfield, born May 25, 1910 in Ardmore, Missouri, United States – died March 31, 1993 in Chicago, Illinois, was an All-Star baseball player in Negro League baseball. ... The Homestead Grays were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro Leagues in the United States. ... Ernest Ernie Banks (born January 31, 1931) is an American former Major League baseball player who played from 1953 to 1971. ... Jack Roosevelt Jackie Robinson (January 31, 1919 - October 24, 1972) became the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era in 1947. ... Elston Gene Howard (February 23, 1929-December 14, 1980) was a Major League Baseball player. ...

Cool Papa Bell is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame

Because of the opposition the Negro Leagues faced, and because of the lack of reliable press coverage of many of their games, no statistics can be given for Bell with any accuracy. What is undeniable is that Bell was considered to be one of the greats of his time by all the men he played with (including Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson). He is recorded as having rounded the bases in 12 seconds. [1] As Paige himself noted in his autobiography, Maybe I'll Pitch Forever, "If Cool Papa had known about colleges or if colleges had known about Cool Papa, Jesse Owens would have looked like he was walking." Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 915 KB) Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY, Feb. ... The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, is a semi-official museum operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of baseball-related... Leroy Robert Satchel Paige (July 7, 1906(?) – June 8, 1982) was an American right-handed pitcher in the Negro Leagues and Major League Baseball who is considered to be among the greatest pitchers of all time. ... Josh Gibson For the Australian rules footballer, see Joshua Gibson (footballer). ... James Cleveland Jesse Owens (September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete. ...

Paige also liked to tell a tall tale referencing one hotel at which he and Bell stayed, in which there was a short delay between flipping the light switch off and the lights actually going off, sufficient for Bell to jump into bed in the interim. Leaving out the explanatory details, Paige liked to say that Bell was "so fast he can turn off the light and be in bed before the room gets dark!"

Many tales exist of "Cool Papa". For example, one claims that Bell scored from second base on a sacrifice fly. Another states that he went from first to third on a bunt, which is possible for a speedy runner if the fielded ball was thrown to first for the sure out and the first baseman, who rarely have strong throwing arms, was unable to make the long throw to third in time. More astonishing is the claim related in Ken Burns' Baseball that he once scored from first on a sacrifice bunt. In an exhibition game against white all-stars, Bell broke for second on a bunt and run, with Satchel Paige at the plate. By the time the ball reached Paige, Bell was almost to second and rounded the bag, seeing the third baseman had broken towards home to field the bunt. The catcher, Roy Partee of the Boston Red Sox, ran to third to cover the bag and an anticipated return throw from first. To his surprise, Bell rounded third and brushed by him on the way home; pitcher Murry Dickson of the St. Louis Cardinals had not thought to cover home with the catcher moving up the line, and Bell scored standing up. Another states that he stole two bases on a single pitch, which is difficult but feasible if a catcher making the throw to second made a mediocre throw and had a shortstop unable to catch the runner at third with a throw. There are many other, possibly exaggerated anecdotes about Bell, such as running a full trip around the bases in 11 seconds. Perhaps the most unlikely was that he was once called out for being hit by his own batted ball while trying to slide into second base. Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29 [1] [2], 1953) is an American documentary filmmaker. ... Baseball was an Emmy Award-winning 1994 documentary series by Ken Burns about the game of baseball. ...

"Cool Papa" Bell died in his home on Dickson Street in St. Louis, Missouri at age 87. In his honor, the city renamed Dickson Street as "James 'Cool Papa' Bell Avenue". He has also been inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The St. ...

Also named for him is Cool Papa Bell Drive, the road leading into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Jackson, of which he is a member. The Hall and Drive are adjacent to Smith-Wills Stadium, longtime home of the Jackson Generals of the Texas League, now home to the Jackson Senators of the independent Texas-Louisiana League. Nickname: The Best of the New South; The Bold, New City Coordinates: Country United States State Mississippi County Hinds Founded 1822 Mayor Frank Melton Area    - City 276. ... The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. ...

In 1999, Cool Papa Bell was ranked 66th on The Sporting News list of Baseball's Greatest Players, one of five players so honored who played all or most of his career in the Negro Leagues, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. The following are the baseball events of the year 1999 throughout the world. ... In 1998, The Sporting News compiled a list of Baseballs Greatest Players. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Culture

Bell was used in the 1999 mystery novel Hanging Curve by Troy Soos, which takes place in Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois in 1922 with major Ku Klux Klan activity. Troy Soos Troy Soos (1967-) is a writer based in Winter Park, Florida. ... Members of the second Ku Klux Klan at a rally during the 1920s. ...

He was also noted in the 1994 movie Cobb, in which Ty Cobb, played by Tommy Lee Jones, is chided for being a lesser player than Bell. 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... Cobb can refer to: Places: Cobb, California Cobb County, Georgia People: Ty Cobb, baseball player, or the 1994 movie about him David Cobb, American lawyer, activist, and 2004 Green Party presidential candidate. ... Tyrus Raymond Ty Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed The Georgia Peach,[1] was a Hall of Fame Major League Baseball (MLB) player. ... For the musician, see Tommy Lee. ...

Famed actor and little person, Ralphus Johansen, has begun work on an on off-broadway homage to the life of Cool Papa Bell, entitled, "Chicken, bones, and baseball This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

External links

• Baseball Hall of Fame
• BaseballLibrary - profile
• April 6, 1970 transcript of interview at Western Historical Manuscript Collection - University of Missouri-St. Louis
• The Deadball Era