A Tribute: James “Cool Papa” Bell (1903 – 1991)

How fast was James “Cool Papa” Bell? Fast enough to score from first on a sacrifice bunt. Fast enough to steal two bases on a single pitch. And, as Satchel Paige told the story over the years, fast enough to switch off the light and make it into bed before the room went dark.

“Cool Papa” Bell played with Satchel Paige at the peak of both of their careers. They were teammates on the 1930s Pittsburgh Crawfords, one of the best Negro League teams ever. In 1937 both joined the team of Dominican dictator Trujillo, winning a championship with help from Leroy Matlock, Sam Bankhead, and a dozen other Negro Leaguers.

Cool was there again for Satchel in the 1940s, teaching the aging pitcher to throw a knuckleball, which meant gripping the horsehide with the tips, nails, and knuckles of his middle fingers. Slower than his 1930s fastball, but just as hard to hit.

After he stopped playing, Cool Papa spent twenty-one years as a custodian and night watchman at City Hall in St. Louis, never joining Satchel in the Major Leagues. Satchel made sure, though, that Cool was not forgotten, at least in the Paige household. His children spent time with Bell and learned firsthand what it was like to travel in the segregated South, playing great ball despite the daily challenges of Jim Crow.

Like Satchel said, remembering him means remembering all the great Negro Leaguers, including the fastest of all, Cool Papa Bell.