Lonnie Wheeler
Lonnie Wheeler was an American sportswriter and author known for his work on baseball. He wrote for The Cincinnati Enquirer, The Cincinnati Post, and USA Today and was the author of twelve books. He co-wrote the autobiographies of Baseball Hall of Famers Henry Aaron (I Had a Hammer: The Hank Aaron Story) and Bob Gibson (Stranger to the Game: The Autobiography of Bob Gibson), as well as a biography of Negro league legend Cool Papa Bell. His work extended beyond baseball, including a co-written autobiography of Detroit Mayor Coleman Young and books on college sports. Wheeler's books received multiple Casey Award nominations, and in 2022, he was posthumously inducted into the Greater Cincinnati Journalism Hall of Fame.
1 Books Written
The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell: Speed, Grace, and the Negro Leagues
by Lonnie Wheeler
Rating: 4.3 ⭐
• 2 recommendations ❤️
The first full biography of the star Negro Leaguer and Hall of FamerJames “Cool Papa” Bell (1903–1991) 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 fl ip a light switch and be in bed before the room got dark.In The Bona Fide Legend of Cool Papa Bell , experienced 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.