- published: 29 Apr 2016
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James Thomas "Cool Papa" Bell (May 17, 1903 – March 7, 1991) was an American center fielder in Negro league baseball, considered by many baseball observers to have been one of the fastest men ever to play the game. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.
James Thomas Nichols was born May 17, 1903, in or near Starkville, Mississippi. The 1910 U.S. Census shows him as the fourth of seven children living with his widowed mother, Mary Nichols, in Sessums Township, just outside of Starkville. When and why he changed his name to "Bell" is unknown. He joined the St. Louis Stars of the Negro National League as a pitcher in 1922. By 1924, he had become their starting center fielder, and was known as an adept batter and fielder, and the "fastest man in the league". After leading the Stars to league titles in 1928, 1930, and 1931, he moved to the Detroit Wolves of the East-West League when the Negro National League disbanded. Detroit soon folded, leaving Bell to bounce to the Kansas City Monarchs and the Mexican winter leagues until finding a home with the Pittsburgh Crawfords in the reorganized NNL. In Pittsburgh, he played alongside Ted Page and Jimmie Crutchfield to form what is considered by many to have been the best outfield in the Negro leagues. Bell left the Crawfords in 1938 to return to Mexico, coming back to baseball in the United States in 1942 to play for the Homestead Grays, who won Negro league titles in 1942, 1943, and 1944 with his help. He last played for the semi-pro Detroit Senators in 1946. He coached for the Monarchs in the late 1940s, managing their barnstorming "B" team, scouting for the club, signing prospects, and teaching the ins and outs of the game to future major-league baseball greats Ernie Banks, Jackie Robinson, and Elston Howard, among others.
Actors: Chris Mulkey (actor), Bruce McGill (actor), Derek Easley (actor), David Koechner (actor), William Marquez (actor), Cheech Marin (actor), Carlos Gómez (actor), Don Abernathy (actor), Louis Gossett Jr. (actor), Sonny Carl Davis (actor), Ernie Lively (actor), Clifton Collins Jr. (actor), Robert Blanche (actor), David Salzberg (actor), Ron Roggé (actor),
Plot: Based on a true story. In 1957 a rag-tag, shoeless, poor group of kids from Monterrey, Mexico shocked the world by winning 13 games in a row and the Little League World Series in the only perfect game ever pitched in the Championship. These kids, led by their priest and a down-and-out former major leaguer embark on a journey through the southern US and up into Williamsport, PA for the Championship game. They encountered many adversities including nearly being deported and the bigotry that wouldn't allow them into certain restaurants or travel on certain buses. They never lost their faith and eventually captured the hearts of both nations. This is a heart-warming inspirational story in the tradition of "Rudy", "Hoosiers", "Coach Carter" or "Friday Night Lights".
Keywords: 1950s, baseball, baseball-movie, based-on-true-story, family-relationships, little-league, little-league-baseball, mexico, three-word-titleActors: Hayden Baptiste (actor), Lyriq Bent (actor), Joanna Jang (actress), Nicci Van Viegen (miscellaneous crew), Craig Lauzon (actor), Kim Allan (actress), Louis Mercier (actor), Sharon Jackson (producer), Nelson Tynes (producer), Jesse Bond (producer), Jesse Bond (actor), Art Maughan (editor), Stefen Rollpiller (composer), Todd Hughes (writer), Todd Hughes (producer),
Genres: Action, Comedy,Actors: Jimmy Hawkins (producer), Clifton Davis (actor), Jim Davis (actor), Ossie Davis (actor), Jack Elliott (composer), Stanley Rubin (producer), Tom Brocato (miscellaneous crew), Louis Gossett Jr. (actor), Richard A. Colla (director), Cleavon Little (actor), John Beradino (actor), Beverly Todd (actress), Danny Arnold (producer), Gloria Gifford (actress), Tonea Stewart (actress),
Plot: Story of Leroy 'Satchel' Paige, star pitcher in the Negro Leagues and later in the major leagues. Traces his life from his troubled youth, including his life in a detention school for Negroes, to his highs and lows in baseball and in his personal life.
Keywords: african-american, baseball, character-name-in-title, historical-event, racism