Cool Papa Bell was so fast ...

When touring the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, this was the common refrain: "Cool Papa Bell was so fast ..."

Teammate Jimmie Crutchfield once told this story:  “Cool Papa was so fast that one time when we were playing with the Crawfords against the Birmingham team he hit a ground ball right past the pitcher and that ball hit Cool Papa as he slid into second base!"

A story famously told by teammate Satchel Paige was he was so fast he could turn a light off and be under his sheets before the room was dark. 

Whether  you believe these stories or not, the man could run the bases.

The history of James "Cool Papa Bell" Thomas certainly captured my attention. When I think about speed and baseball players I remember watching Ricky Henderson highlights. Anytime I played the latest edition of “MLB” for Sony PlayStation One I would create my own all-star team and trade for Ricky Henderson for his base-stealing ability. If only Cool Papa Bell had been an option.

There is a question, however, of just how fast he could run the bases. The museum film “They Were All Stars,” said he was clocked at 11 seconds. MLB.com lists it at 12 seconds. 

The difference of a second is significant. Even so, he's still head and shoulders above all contenders.

A recent challenge came in 2012, when minor league speedster Billy Hamilton completed an inside the park homer run in 13.8 seconds.

_ Keith Turner Jr.