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Baseball HOFer Cool Papa Bell On Tricking Fans With Olympic Star Jesse Owens
Two legends of sports faced off in foot races, which may not have been on the level
Few former baseball stars have as many over the top stories associated with their play as Hall-of-Famer James “Cool Papa” Bell. His blazing speed helped him forge a legendary career in the Negro Leagues that spanned more than two decades. Naturally, later in life, he was full of stories and recollections, including how he and famed Olympic runner Jesse Owens used to trick fans.
Born in 1903, Bell was a switch-hitting outfielder with incredible speed. Because of Major League Baseball’s racist unwritten rule that barred players of color, he was sadly barred from playing in the big leagues. However, he had an extraordinary 25-year professional career in the Negro Leagues and Mexico (1922–1946), including playing in many exhibition games against teams from the majors.
Although records are patchy, Bell is credited with a .325 batting average and 285 stolen bases in 1,199 games from the data that has been able to be collected.
In the early days of his career he even pitched a little, credited with a total record of 20–15 with a 4.53 ERA. He was also so fast that he became widely known for piling up stolen…
