Quick Ty Cobb Question

[yanks12025]

I looked and couldn't really find a good answer for my question. I know Ty Cobb was a racist, and I was wondering his views on Jackie Robinson. I read that he did say in the late 40's/early 50's that he agreed Black should be allowed to play and he praised Willie Mays play. Thanks

[oskafagus]

I believe he cited Jackie Robinson and Phil Rizzuto as his favorite active players at some point in the early 50's.

[brickyardkennedy]

You might find this article of some interest:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/43506-ty-cobb-was-not-a-racist

[CW]

I did a quick google search and was able to find a few pages, but only one reference to Cobb and Jackie together, although it wasn't a specific Cobb quote.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/ron-cobb-a-man-584100.html

“There are undeniable truths about Cobb,” Dr. Cobb said. “He had two failed marriages. He was largely estranged from his [five] children. He physically fought many people, on and off the field. He was, by any way you evaluate it, an absolute racist, although that gets complicated."

Even before they reached the majors, Cobb publicly praised both Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron. In letters he occasionally referred to the Jewish slugger Hank Greenberg as “my good friend."

“So much about Cobb,” he added, “is couched in myth and I think many stories about him are embellished in a particularly harsh and negative way.”

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some interesting info, unrelated to Robinson specifically...

http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?80626-Ty-Cobb-Assorted-Historical-Topics

1929 - Negro League infielder Bobby Robinson, claims that while he was a member of the Negro League team, the Detroit Stars, 1929-31, Ty once paid them a visit, and sat next to him on the bench, and talked baseball the whole time. Here's the quote from the book.
"Former semipro and Negro League infielder Bobby Robinson (1916-44) told the author [Nick C. Wilson] that on one occasion he was surprised by a visit from Ty Cobb. He remembered that Cobb came to watch a game played by the Negro League Detroit Stars in the 1920s. Before the game was over Cobb had migrated down in to the Stars' dugout and sat next to Robinson, talking baseball the entire time. Robinson recalled that there wasn't a hint of prejudice in Cobb's attitude that day. They were just two ballplayers sharing stories." (Voices from the Pastime: Oral Histories of Surviving Major Leaguers, Negro Leaguers, Cuban Leaguers and Writers; 1920–1934, Nick C. Wilson, 2000, pp. 113.)

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and another interesting article...

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/43506-ty-cobb-was-not-a-racist

[baseballart]

You might find this article of some interest:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/43506-ty-cobb-was-not-a-racist


Bob

Great link.

[yanks12025]

Thanks for the article, that solves everything.

[E93]

Cobb also got extremely wealthy later in life due to early investments in Coca Cola. I remember reading somewhere that he set up a scholarship fund for poor African Americans in Georgia with a significant amount of his money.
JimB

[jbbama]

I also agree many of Cobb's exploits were exaggerated based on several articles and books i have read. As far as being racist, i think most people around the turn of the century shared a similar view as Cobb. I am certainly not justifying anything Cobb may have done, i am just saying you could label a lot of people with that tag. All i know is that he was one helluva baseball player.