{"product_id":"the-bona-fide-legend-of-cool-papa-bell-speed-grace-and-the-negro-leagues-9781419750496","title":"The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell: Speed, Grace, and the Negro Leagues","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe first full biography of \"Cool Papa\" Bell, the star Negro Leaguer and Hall of Famer.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Illuminating . . . a richly detailed account of possibly the speediest player in history, and, along the way, a fascinating picture of Black baseball in the Jim Crow era.\"--\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e James \"Cool Papa\" Bell was a legend in Black baseball, a lightning-fast switch hitter elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. Bell's speed was extraordinary; as Satchel Paige famously quipped, he was so fast he could flip a light switch and be in bed before the room got dark. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eThe Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell, \u003c\/i\u003eexperienced baseball writer and historian Lonnie Wheeler recounts the life of this extraordinary player, a key member of some of the greatest Negro League teams in history. Born to sharecroppers in Mississippi, Bell was part of the Great Migration, and in St. Louis, baseball saved Bell from a life working in slaughterhouses. Wheeler charts Bell's ups and downs in life and in baseball, in the United States, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico, where he went to escape American racism and MLB's color line. Rich in context and suffused in myth, this is a treat for fans of baseball history. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLonnie Wheeler\u003c\/b\u003e (1952-2020) was the author or coauthor of many books on baseball, including\u003ci\u003e I Had a Hammer \u003c\/i\u003ewith Hank Aaron, \u003ci\u003ePitch by Pitch\u003c\/i\u003e with Bob Gibson, \u003ci\u003eSixty Feet, Six Inches\u003c\/i\u003e with Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson, \u003ci\u003eLong Shot\u003c\/i\u003e with Mike Piazza, \u003ci\u003eBleachers: A Summer in Wrigley Field\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eIntangiball\u003c\/i\u003e, winner of a 2016 SABR Baseball Research Award. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Harry N. Abrams","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50554068074770,"sku":"9781419750496","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_f69b9a0c-1b83-4b24-9de0-2a956537924a.jpg?v=1731706476","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-bona-fide-legend-of-cool-papa-bell-speed-grace-and-the-negro-leagues-9781419750496","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}