[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

You bring up a good point, Derek! But it's not without precedent in my experience. I've encountered it before, most notably on a personal check. Usually when this is seen, you can make out some crossover at the bottom of the b, so you'll notice he was forming an o before starting the b, but it just got scrunched together and lacks more of the usual definition. It starts with a slight downstroke at the bottom before it ascends again to form the b. Although the scan in the first post is pretty tiny, I'm seeing that on this one as well.

Also, there actually are instances of him completely skipping the o altogether! Again, quite atypical for him to have done that, but it's been encountered in early, mid-life and latter day incarnations of his autograph.