The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell by Lonnie Wheeler is the first full biography of the star Negro Leaguer and Hall of Famer.
James “Cool Papa” Bell (1903-1991) was a black baseball legend, a lightning fast switch hitter was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. Bell’s speed is extraordinary; as Satchel Paige quipped, he is so fast that he can tap the light switch and then lie on the bed before the room turns black.
In The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell, experienced baseball writer and historian Lonnie Wheeler tells the life of this extraordinary player, who was a key member of some of the greatest Negro League teams in history.
Bell was born in the crops of Mississippi and was once part of the “Great Migration.” In St. Louis, baseball freed Bell from working in an abattoir. Wheeler charted Bell’s life and the ups and downs of baseball in the United States, the Dominican Republic and Mexico, where he escaped racism in the United States and racial discrimination in Major League Baseball.
Rich background knowledge and suffused in myth, this book is a special kind of enjoyment for baseball history lovers.
Lonnie Wheeler Baseball Books
| The Cincinnati Game | (1988) | Shop at Amazon |
| Bleachers: A Summer in Wrigley Field | (1988) | Shop at Amazon |
| I Had a Hammer: The Hank Aaron Story (w/Hank Aaron) | (1991) | Shop at Amazon |
| Stranger to the Game: The Autobiography of Bob Gibson (w/Bob Gibson) | (1994) | Shop at Amazon |
| Sixty Feet, Six Inches: A Hall of Fame Pitcher & a Hall of Fame Hitter Talk About How the Game Is Played (w/Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson) | (2009) | Shop at Amazon |
| Long Shot (w/Mike Piazza) | (2014) | Shop at Amazon |
| Intangiball: The Subtle Things That Win Baseball Games | (2015) | Shop at Amazon |
| Pitch by Pitch: My View of One Unforgettable Game (w/Bob Gibson) | (2015) | Shop at Amazon |
| The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell: Speed, Grace, and the Negro Leagues | (2021) | Shop at Amazon |
Other Lonnie Wheeler Books
| Hard Stuff: The Autobiography of Mayor Coleman Young (w/Coleman Young) | (1994) | Shop at Amazon |
| Blue Yonder: Kentucky: The United State of Basketball | (1998) | Shop at Amazon |
About Cool Papa Bell
James Thomas “Cool Pap” Bell (May 17, 1903 to March 7, 1991) was an American center fielder in the Negro League from 1922 to 1946. He is considered to be one of the fastest people in the history of the game of baseball. Bell was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.
- 2x Negro World Series champ ( 1943, 1944)
- 8x All-Star (1933–1936, 1942 (2)-1944)
- Lifetime batting average: .337 (Negro leagues)
About the Author
Lonnie Wheeler was the author or co-author of many books on baseball including I Had a Hammer with Hank Aaron, Pitch by Pitch with Bob Gibson, Sixty Feet, Six Inches, with Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson, Long Shot with Mike Piazza, Bleachers: A Summer in Wrigley Field, and Intangiball, winner of a 2016 SABR Baseball Research Award.
Other Books You May Like
The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O’Neil’s America by Joe Posnanski: This story is as much the story of Buck O’Neil as it is the story of baseball. Driven by a relentless optimism and his two great passions—for America’s pastime and for jazz, America’s music—O’Neil played solely for love.
In an era when greedy, steroid-enhanced athletes have come to characterize professional ball, Posnanski offers a salve for the damaged spirit: the uplifting life lessons of a truly extraordinary man who never missed an opportunity to enjoy and love life.
Only the Ball Was White: A History of Legendary Black Players and All-Black Professional Teams by Robert Peterson: In Only the Ball Was White, Robert Peterson tells the forgotten story of these excluded ballplayers, and gives them the recognition they were so long denied. Reconstructing the old Negro Leagues from contemporary sports publications, accounts of games in the black press, and through interviews with the men who actually played the game, Peterson brings to life the fascinating period that stretched from shortly after the Civil War to the signing of Jackie Robinson in 1947.
A monumental and poignant book, Only the Ball Was White reminds us that what was often considered the “Golden Age” of baseball was also the era of Jim Crow. It is a book that must be read by anyone hoping not only to understand the story of baseball, but the story of America.
Oscar Charleston: The Life and Legend of Baseball’s Greatest Forgotten Player by Jeremy Beer: This book introduces readers to one of America’s greatest and most fascinating athletes. Among experts he is regarded as the best player in Negro Leagues history.
During his prime he became a legend in Cuba and one of Black America’s most popular figures. Yet even among serious sports fans, Oscar Charleston is virtually unknown today.
The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell Podcasts
Storied – Cool Papa Bell: Bob Kendrick, President of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, is the host of the Storied podcast which takes a look at the stories of the Negro Leagues. This episode looks in on Cool Papa Bell.
“So fast that he could walk in a room, turn off the lights, get in bed, pull-up the covers, before the room got dark.” Even the ‘fastest man in the world’ (Jesse Owens) refused to race the legendary, Cool Papa Bell.
The Bookshelf Conversation: Lonnie Wheeler: Wheeler sits down with Ron Kaplan to discuss Intangiball: The Subtle Things That Win Baseball Games and his other baseball projects.