art of the steal

Minor leaguer Billy Hamilton’s run for the stolen base record — the Taylorsville product has 139, six shy of the pro mark — may have kindled some curiosity about Mississippi’s best bag burglars. Hall of Famer Cool Papa Bell, allegedly one of the fastest men ever to play the game, was a legendary base stealer in the Negro Leagues. But the Starkville-born Bell, unfortunately, never got a shot at the major leagues, where he might have set all kinds of records. Perhaps the fastest Mississippian to appear in the majors was Belzoni native Herb Washington, whose brief career is largely a curiosity. Washington was a world champion sprinter recruited by Charlie Finley as a pinch runner for the Oakland A’s of the mid-’70s. Lacking most baseball skills, Washington lasted just a season and a half, stealing a grand total of 31 bases. He never batted, never played a position. The career steals leader among Mississippians in the majors is Gerald “Gee” Walker, who debuted in the 1930s and wound up with 223 bags. He is followed by Ellis Burks (181), Frank White (178), Matt Lawton (165), Buddy Myer (156), Dave Parker (154), Don Blasingame (105), Hughie Critz (97), Larry Herndon (92) and Joey Gathright (81). Gathright is still active but playing in the minors. Jarrod Dyson, currently with Kansas City, has 41 and has the speed to move quickly up the chart if he gets more playing time. It’s worth noting that Marcus Lawton — Matt’s older brother — had a 100-plus stolen base season in the minors but didn’t hit enough to stick in the big leagues for long. It takes more than speed, as Hamilton, now in Double-A, will learn.