A 1980s Card Part 51 - 1987 Dixon's Negro League James Thomas "Cool Papa" Bell

There is no 1980s Cardinals card this week.  Instead, I am going to use this space this week for a card of Cool Papa Bell, who was one of the best to ever take the field as a professional baseball player in St. Louis.  The Cardinals actually honor him with a statue outside of Busch Stadium.  

Major League Baseball just celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the Negro Leagues this past weekend by having their players wearing a uniform patch.  I think there might have been a decal on the side of the bases too.  The Marlins went one step further and wore throwback uniforms from the Miami Giants.  Maybe there were limitations with the celebration because of the pandemic, but the event seemed really understated.  

I am not really surprised.  

There were really good players in the Negro Leagues, many of whom have ended up in the Hall of Fame over the years.  Cool Papa Bell was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974 and was widely regard as one of the best baseball players during the 1920s, 1930s, and into the 1940s.  

He was incredibly fast.  When you read about Bell, he feels like he might have been the inspiration for the 1980s Cardinals WhiteyBall teams.  Fits with the 1980s Cardinals post theme, right? 

Pitchers from that era feared Bell's base running, which often turned walks and singles into doubles and triples.  He put pressure on defenses with his legs.  Fielders rushed throws.  Pitchers paid attention to holding Bell on base rather than the batter they were facing.  On defense, he played shallow to take away bloop hits over the heads of infielders, but also had the foot speed to track down balls that were hit to deeper parts of the field.  

The Negro League Hall of Fame did a series of videos earlier this year where they got current and former players, former Presidents, and other notable celebrities to "Tip A Cap" in celebration of the centennial anniversary.  A few of the videos included a shout out to Cool Papa Bell including President Obama. 

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Magic Johnson also mentions Cool Papa Bell in his video, but it's a little longer.  Lorenzo Cain from the Milwaukee Brewers as well. I try to post the short ones so you're not here for half an hour.  

Let's get the card.  Here is Cool Papa Bell.  

I would love to tell you that I had a huge box of Negro League cards.  That it took my a long time to decide on the perfect card for this post.  However, there are not many cards with Negro League players around.  Fleer did well with a few years in the early 2000s, I also think there were a few in the 1970s.  

The 1987 Dixon set is my favorite though.  It's a black and white postcard style set that was created by writer Phil Dixon.  No fancy design, just a solid baseball card.  They pop up from time to time on Ebay, and there are single cards on COMC.  Not the easiest to find, but they are worth it if you can find them.  I flip through these a few times a year, read the backs of the cards, and try to learn something new about these former greats.   

As a former Midwesterner, Phil does a lot of different speaking events.  He's great, it's worth your time to go if he is somewhere nearby speaking.  You can also check out his books.  Great stuff. 

Here is the back of the card....

There are some really good information on the back of these cards.  12 seconds around the bases?  I can't find a time around the bases for Billy Hamilton, currently the fastest player in baseball, but he can go home to third in 11 seconds.  That's slower than Cool Papa Bell.  

I lived in St. Louis for more than 20 years, I did not know that there was a Cool Papa Bell Avenue.  I had to find out where it was in the city.  

I am driving down the street the next time I am in town.