Cool Papa’s Daughter Hot Under Collar
Connie Brooks may be 70-something but she’s feisty. The daughter of baseball Hall of Famer James "Cool Papa" Bell says Topps owes the dead man’s family an apology…and maybe some money…for something written on the back of a card.
It seemed harmless enough.
"Cool Papa "earned his nickname after falling asleep right before a game," reads the back of a 2001 Topps insert card featuring the late Hall of Famer from the Negro Leagues.
It was a reference to a tale told by teammates of Bell being so "cool" he could sleep soundly before or after any pressure situation. Connie Brooks, Bell’s daughter, doesn’t see it that way. She’s so hacked off she’s filed a lawsuit in Manhattan, accusing Topps of defaming her Dad.
"Did Topps put that bogus lie on their sports cards to amuse people for business gain or to belittle ‘Cool Papa’ because he played in the Negro League?," she wrote in legal papers.
Touchy, touchy.
And hey…regular SportsCollectorsDaily readers already know that life as a card-back writer is no picnic.


