Fast feet, Cool shoes

So it went for James Thomas “Cool Papa” Bell.

Bell, born in Mississippi in 1903, is regarded as one of the premiere speedsters in all of baseball history, but he started out in 1922 as a pitcher for the St. Louis Stars of the Negro National League. A southpaw with a knuckleball, a screwball, and a curve in his repertoire, Bell gained the first half of his nickname for his ability to remain calm and collected on the mound while facing future Hall of Fame batters such as Oscar Charleston.

As for the second half of his nickname, it is said that St. Louis manager Bill Gatewood thought adding “Papa” after “Cool” just made it all sound better.

Bell would transition to center field in 1924 following an arm injury. Though his arm strength was somewhat limited in the outfield, his legs remained strong and proved his best assets in a career that would extend into the mid-1940s with teams in the Negro Leagues, in Mexico, and in the Caribbean.

Statistics for the Negro Leagues are anything but complete, with anecdotes and eyewitness testimony taking over where the numbers dissipate. Bell’s teammates have often spoken of him turning off a light switch and being in bed before the light went out. Bill Yancey, a longtime Negro Leaguer, shared others’ sentiments about Bell’s speed on the basepaths.

“Next time up, he hit another one about the same place. Now nobody got a three-base hit in that little park, I don’t care where they hit the ball,” Yancey recalled, describing the Catholic Protectory Oval in the Bronx where he played with the New York Lincoln Giants. “And I watched this guy run. Well, he came across second base and it looked like his feet weren’t touching the ground! And he never argued, never said anything. That was why they called him Cool Papa; he was a real gentleman.”