Ty Cobb ..Separating Fact from Fiction

[JimStinson]

Originally Posted by mr2686

Jim, there's been a little bit of discussion on this topic over the last few years on a couple of threads, and I've always had a hard time understanding the "myth" of Cobb's demeanor vs the many letters and notes that have been published from him (which all have seemed very cordial). I think between Stump and Dan Okrent (he called Cobb the great black mark on baseball in the Ken Burns series...like he would know), the Cobb myth has be perpetuated. I hope someday someone will write an accurate book on the man.

Most of the modern day information came from Stump which was almost all fabricated , and from team mate Sam Crawford who was interviewed by Larry Ritter in "Glory of their Times" ....Crawford and Cobb WERE rivals so his dislike of Cobb was obvious , If Cobb had outlived Crawford maybe Crawford would be the villan today...

However to keep things in context , Ty Cobb was a FIERCE competitor ! You don't hit .367 over a career by just "showing up".. and he played in the dead ball era and was no choir boy , not too many of his contemporaries were. But he was certainly not the demon history has made him out to be.
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jim@stinsonsports.com

[byrone]

Originally Posted by JimStinson

Most of the modern day information came from Stump which was almost all fabricated , and from team mate Sam Crawford who was interviewed by Larry Ritter in "Glory of their Times" ....Crawford and Cobb WERE rivals so his dislike of Cobb was obvious , If Cobb had outlived Crawford maybe Crawford would be the villan today...

However to keep things in context , Ty Cobb was a FIERCE competitor ! You don't hit .367 over a career by just "showing up".. and he played in the dead ball era and was no choir boy , not too many of his contemporaries were. But he was certainly not the demon history has made him out to be.
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jim@stinsonsports.com

Regarding Sam Crawford, was it not established fact that Cobb lobbied hard to have Crawford inducted into the Hall of Fame?

[JimStinson]

Originally Posted by byrone

Regarding Sam Crawford, was it not established fact that Cobb lobbied hard to have Crawford inducted into the Hall of Fame?

Thats true ! and the following write up might make the issue clear. On a personal note I once owned a snapshot taken at "Toots Shors" place in NYC , In the 1950's Cobb and Crawford were seated together. Cobb was smiling and Crawford had a look on his face like he had just smelled a pile of sh*t..

In retirement, Cobb wrote a letter to a writer for The Sporting News accusing Crawford of not helping in the outfield and of intentionally fouling off balls when Cobb was stealing a base. Crawford learned about the letter in 1946 and accused Cobb of being a “cheapskate” who never helped his teammates. He said that Cobb had not been a very good fielder, “so he blamed me.” Crawford denied intentionally trying to deprive Cobb of stolen bases, insisting that Cobb had “dreamed that up.”

When asked about the feud, Cobb attributed it to jealousy. He felt that Crawford was “a hell of a good player,” but he was “second best” on the Tigers and “hated to be an also ran.” Cobb biographer Richard Bak noted that the two “only barely tolerated each other” and agreed with Cobb that Crawford’s attitude was driven by Cobb’s having stolen Crawford’s thunder.

Although they may not have spoken to each other, Cobb and Crawford developed an uncanny ability to communicate nonverbally with looks and nods on the base paths. They became one of the most successful double steal pairings in baseball history.

After Cobb died, a reporter found hundreds of letters in his home responding to letters Cobb had written to influential people, lobbying for Crawford’s induction into the Hall of Fame. Crawford was reportedly unaware of Cobb’s efforts until after Cobb had died
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jim@stinsonsports.com

[gnaz01]

Originally Posted by JimStinson

Thats true ! and the following write up might make the issue clear. On a personal note I once owned a snapshot taken at "Toots Shors" place in NYC , In the 1950's Cobb and Crawford were seated together. Cobb was smiling and Crawford had a look on his face like he had just smelled a pile of sh*t..

In retirement, Cobb wrote a letter to a writer for The Sporting News accusing Crawford of not helping in the outfield and of intentionally fouling off balls when Cobb was stealing a base. Crawford learned about the letter in 1946 and accused Cobb of being a “cheapskate” who never helped his teammates. He said that Cobb had not been a very good fielder, “so he blamed me.” Crawford denied intentionally trying to deprive Cobb of stolen bases, insisting that Cobb had “dreamed that up.”

When asked about the feud, Cobb attributed it to jealousy. He felt that Crawford was “a hell of a good player,” but he was “second best” on the Tigers and “hated to be an also ran.” Cobb biographer Richard Bak noted that the two “only barely tolerated each other” and agreed with Cobb that Crawford’s attitude was driven by Cobb’s having stolen Crawford’s thunder.

Although they may not have spoken to each other, Cobb and Crawford developed an uncanny ability to communicate nonverbally with looks and nods on the base paths. They became one of the most successful double steal pairings in baseball history.

After Cobb died, a reporter found hundreds of letters in his home responding to letters Cobb had written to influential people, lobbying for Crawford’s induction into the Hall of Fame. Crawford was reportedly unaware of Cobb’s efforts until after Cobb had died
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jim@stinsonsports.com

What a COOL story!!

[packs]

I love this stuff. Thank you so much for posting.

[Mr. Zipper]

Very enjoyable.

Makes me want to get another Cobb signed item! :-)

[CharleyBrown]

Excellent read - a lot of things I wasn't aware of - I'd definitely like to see a Ty Cobb book written. If I had the time - I probably would go about it myself.

[Jay Wolt]

Jim, nice write up of Cobb. My youngest is a big Cobb fan and when we picked him up from the 101st Airborne graduation at Ft Benning.
We went straight to the Cobb museum in Royston, GA inside Cobb's Memorial hospital.
Though the museum was closed when we got there, we both appreciated being there in Cobb's hometown, so it wasn't a wasted trip.