James Thomas Bell was among the most illustrious players in Negro leagues baseball history. One of six future Hall of Famers who played with the 1936 Pittsburgh Crawfords of the Negro National League, Bell earned the nickname “Cool Papa” for his unshakable demeanor under pressure as a 19-year-old pitcher for the St. Louis Stars. A superb center fielder that routinely hit over .300, Bell was most noted for his incredible speed on the base-paths. An unselfish man, Bell deliberately forfeited the Negro National League batting title to Monte Irvin in 1946 to increase Irvin’s chances to follow Jackie Robinson into the majors. Bell was offered an opportunity to play for the St. Louis Browns in 1951, but he turned it down since he was nearly 48 years old.