Cool Papa Bell and Bill Veeck

[disgrig]

Does anyone know about Bill Veeck offering Cool Papa Bell a position with the St. Louis Browns when Veeck's ownership group acquired the team in July 1951? Supposedly Veeck wanted Cool Papa Bell and Satchel Paige to play for the team for a better draw with St Louis' African-American community. Paige accepted the offer and stayed until the team left town in 1953 but Bell declined, supposedly because of his age.

[Dodgerfan1]

Does anyone know about Bill Veeck offering Cool Papa Bell a position with the St. Louis Browns when Veeck's ownership group acquired the team in July 1951? Supposedly Veeck wanted Cool Papa Bell and Satchel Paige to play for the team for a better draw with St Louis' African-American community. Paige accepted the offer and stayed until the team left town in 1953 but Bell declined, supposedly because of his age.

I was aware of Veeck obtaining Paige, but didn't know about him being interested in Bell. I do know that he was one of the early voices of dissention when it came to 'banning' black players from major league baseball. In fact, I am pasting one of the pieces of trivia I posted a while back on the Random Trivia thread, so as not to be redundant:

Shortly after major league baseball became integrated, Bill Veeck approached Negro league star Buck Leonard (often hailed as the 'black Lou Gehrig') about playing for his Indians, but Buck refused. Leonard, who was then 40, reasoned that he didn't want a sunset performance by him to hurt the chances of younger black players who were at that time being considered.

[Brian McKenna]

Bell was born in 1903 - seriously doubt if even Veeck thought he would be useful in the outfield in 1951

[disgrig]

I guess Bell felt he was past his prime in 1951, also.

I had not heard that Veeck tried to sign Buck Leonard.

[metrotheme]

I just read a book this summer where Bell said that Veeck wanted him to come out of retirement (Bell played in the Negro Leagues until like 1948 or so) but he said he was so far off his game by the time Veeck asked him that he didn't want to embarass himself. Buck Leonard said something similar. If Leonard would have been asked circa 1947, I think you would have seen him in the majors. Luke Easter was somewhat the second coming of Leonard (at least power wise) and you saw the huge numbers he put up in MLB and also played almost until 50 in the minors.