Bell, James “Cool Papa” 1901–1991

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James “Cool Papa” Bell 1901–1991

Professional baseball player

One of the most legendary of all the Negro League baseball players, James “Cool Papa” Bell played centerfield and batted lead off for three great black baseball dynasties—the St. Louis Stars in the late-1920s, the Pittsburgh Crawfords in the 1930s, and the Homestead Grays in the 1940s. What most set Bell apart from the rest of the players of his era was his speed. Negro League legend and storyteller extraordinaire Satchel Paige was perhaps most responsible for Bell’s legend. When the two were roommates with the Crawfords, Paige said that Bell could turn out the light and be in bed before it got dark. He said that once Bell hit a single up the middle, but was called out because the ball hit him in the back as he was sliding into second.

Bell was born James Thomas Nichols on May 17, 1901, near Starkville, Mississippi. He grew up in a farming community with his two sisters and five brothers. His father, Jonas Bell, was a sharecropper. Bell attended school until the seventh grade. He then moved to St. Louis, where it was easier to make a living and where he could live with some of his brothers. Bell also joined his brothers to play baseball. His first semi-pro team was called the Compton Hill Cubs.

At the age of 20, Bell stood five-feet-eleven inches and weighed only 145 pounds. He played centerfield and was a solid hitter, but he was more known as a knuckleball pitcher. In 1922 Bell worked at the Independent Packing Company for $21.20 a week and earned $20 a week to pitch on Sundays. That spring Bell tried out for the St. Louis Stars of the Negro National League. He made the team and received a healthy salary increase to $90 a week.

Earned Famous Nickname

Bell earned his famous nickname “Cool Papa” for two parts of his personality. “Cool” came after the youngster struck out Negro League Hall of Famer Oscar Charleston late in a game when his teammates thought he would be too scared even to throw the ball near the strike zone. Stars manager Bill Gatewood added “Papa” because of Bell’s maturity. He began to play centerfield more often, a move that allowed him to take advantage of his unmatched speed, quick bat, and his sure fielding glove. Gatewood eventually persuaded him to give up pitching completely and to become a

At a Glance…

Born james Thomas Nichols on May 17, 1901 in Starkville, MS; son of Mary Nichols and Jonas Bell (a sharecropper); died on March 7, 1991, in St. Louis, MO; married Cara Belle Thompson, 1928 (died 1991); children: Connie Bell Brooks.

Career: Signed with the St. Louis Stars of the Negro National League as a pitcher, 1922; became the club’s center fielder and leadoff hitter, 1923-31; played for the Detroit Wolves and the Kansas City Monarchs, 1932; Pittsburgh Crawfords, 1933-36; played in the Dominican Republic for President Rafael Trujillo’s team, 1937; played in the Mexican League for Tampico, Torreon, Vera Cruz, and Monterrey, 1938-41; Chicago American Giants, 1942; Homestead Grays, 1943-46; coached Kansas City Monarchs’ top farm team, 1948-50; returned to St. Louis and worked as a night watchman and custodian until retirement, 1973.

Awards: Played in every East-West all-star game except for the years he was playing out of the country, 1933-44; elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, 1974.

switch hitter. Though he had a mediocre arm, he was so fast that he could play very shallow in the outfield to make up for this deficiency.

But Bekk really made his mark on the basepaths. Every time he got on base he would automatically steal second and usually third. If a teammate got a hit while Bell was on base, he would score. In 1948, at the age of 46, Bell is said to have scored from first on a sacrifice bunt during an exhibition game against the Cleveland Indians.

During his time with the Stars, Bell’s legend had only begun to grow and Bell’s blazing speed changed the game. Opposing managers usually brought the infield in so that they would have a chance to throw him out on an infield hit. Bell explained the effect he had on a game in Shaun McCormack’s book Cool Papa Bell: “We played a different kind of baseball than the white teams. We played tricky baseball. We did things they didn’t expect. We’d bunt and run in the first inning. Then when they would come in for a bunt we’d hit away. We always crossed them up. We’d run the bases hard and make the fielders throw too quick and make wild throws. We’d fake a steal home and rattle the pitcher into a balk.”

It was said that if Bell hit a ball that took two hops in the infield, he was almost always safe. Legend has it that Jackie Robinson switched from shortstop to second base because he could not throw Bell out. Though it is impossible to accurately reconstruct all of Bell’s accomplishments, his statistics survive from a 1940 season playing for Torreon of the Mexican League. In 89 games Bell led the league in runs (119), hits (167), triples (15), home runs (12), and runs batted in (79).

All in all, Bell spent ten years with the Stars. When the team added Willie Wells at shortstop and Mule Suttles at first base, St. Louis became a Negro National League power challenging the Kansas City Monarchs and winning the league championship in 1928, 1929, and 1930. The St. Louis Stars were swept away by the Depression in 1931. Bell moved on to the Detroit Wolves, but that team was also pulled under by the horrible economic conditions.

Bell married Clara Belle Thompson in 1928, the woman with whom he would spend the next 62 years of his life. The two honeymooned in Cuba, where Bell began the first of four winters playing baseball there. In his first season he became the first player to hit three home runs in one game and led the league in home runs and stolen bases.

Played for Dominican Dictator’s Team

In 1933 Bell moved to another Negro League power—the Pittsburgh Crawfords. The team already featured four future Hall of Famers—Satchel Paige, Judy Johnson, Oscar Charleston, and Josh Gibson. With Bell leading off, the team won championships in 1933, 1935, and 1936. In 1937 Bell followed his teammate Paige and seven other Crawfords in a journey south of the border to play in the Dominican Republic as members of President Rafael Trujillo’s team. Negro League players often played outside the United States because the pay was better and the living conditions were better for blacks in Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico.

Despite the increase in salary, playing for the Dominican dictator had its drawbacks. The Crawfords were under guard when they were not playing baseball, and Trujillo threatened to have them shot if they did not win the championship—win they did. The club also played in the international Denver Post Tournament, during which Bell hit .450 and stole 11 bases in 13 games. The Forgotten Leagues website reports that a Denver Post sports editor wrote: “All these years I’ve been looking for a player who could steal first base. I’ve found my man: his name is Cool Papa Bell.”

Bell started the 1938 season with the Crawfords in Pittsburgh but then went to play in Mexico until 1941. He played with Tampico, Torreon, Vera Cruz, and Monterrey and earned $450 a month, $200 more a month than the brightest stars of the Negro Leagues would earn. Bell came back to the United States in 1942 to play for the Chicago American Giants, but then he got a better offer and joined the Negro League’s last great dynasty—the Homestead Grays. The team captured three consecutive league crowns and beat the Birmingham Black Barons in the Negro League World Series in 1943 and 1944. In 1945 the Grays lost the series to the Cleveland Buckeyes.

Bell played baseball until the age of 45 and retired after 24 years in the game. He participated in every East-West all-star game from 1933 to 1944, except for the years he was playing ball in Mexico. Bell hit .400 over the course of several seasons and estimates of his lifetime batting average range from .345 to .391.

Coached Kansas City Farm Team

In 1948 Bell coached the Kansas City Monarch farm team, tutoring such future major league stars as Ernie Banks and Elston Howard. Bell was also offered another job as a player for the St. Louis Browns, the major league franchise who employed a one armed player and once sent a dwarf up to bat in order to draw a walk. Though it had been his dream to play major league baseball, he realized that he was too old to compete at the level he would like to, and he did not want to be just another attraction.

After two years in Kansas City, Bell moved back to St. Louis and got a job as a custodian at the St. Louis City Hall. He worked the next 21 years there before retiring from his night watchman position in 1973. One year later Bell became the fifth Negro League player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His street was also renamed James Cool Papa Bell Avenue. In 1991 Bell’s wife, Clara, died. Just one month later, Bell himself entered the hospital after a heart attack. He died on March 7, 1991 at the age of 89.

After his death he was honored as a true American sports icon in 1996 when he appeared on a box of Wheaties to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Negro Leagues. His daughter, Connie Bell Brooks, told Ed Barmakian of The Star-Ledger that the recognition was for many more players than just her father: “If Pop were alive, I know he would say that even though he’s on the box, he’s representing all men who played in the Negro Leagues. I hope that all those who see Pop on the box will feel included.” Despite the fact that he received little recognition and less money to play the game as one of the best ever, Bell was never bitter about his lot in life. In McCormack’s biography Bell gave thanks for his time in the Negro Leagues: “Because of baseball, I smelled the rose of life. I wanted to meet people, to travel, and to have nice clothes. Baseball allowed me to do all those things, and most important, during my time with the Crawfords, it allowed me to become a member of a brotherhood of friendship which will last forever.”