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Posted By: Anson

Scott, I guess it's all about what you consider a TEAM player. I don't believe Cobb played for his own statistics. He played to win games. Many times, he did so on his own out of need. No, he wasn't a team player from the standpoint that he ticked off the other players, coaches, umpires, etc. He wasn't known for making close personal relationships with too many people.

"I recall when Cobb played a series with each leg a mass of raw flesh," Grantland Rice wrote. "He had a temperature of 103 and the doctors ordered him to bed for several days, but he got three hits, stole three bases, and won the game. Afterward he collapsed at the bench."

I would call that a team player. I do understand where you're coming from and I would certainly love to field a team with Wagner. Successful teams seem to work much better without poor attitudes and baggage. Skills don't always outweigh behaviors.