Ty Cobb ..Separating Fact from Fiction

[Runscott]

Thanks, Steve - that really clears up a lot. Another forum member had led me to believe that Stump forged actual hand-written letters, but that signature is so horrible that I'm sure they must have all been typed. Interesting content as well, and it makes sense that it came from Stump's head, rather than Cobb's.

[Mr. Zipper]

Originally Posted by Runscott

Thanks, Steve - that really clears up a lot. Another forum member had led me to believe that Stump forged actual hand-written letters, but that signature is so horrible that I'm sure they must have all been typed. Interesting content as well, and it makes sense that it came from Stump's head, rather than Cobb's.

If I recall correctly, there are Stump hand-written letters as well.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by Mr. Zipper

If I recall correctly, there are Stump hand-written letters as well.

Those must look ghastly. I would love to see an example.

[Mr. Zipper]

Originally Posted by Runscott

Those must look ghastly. I would love to see an example.

It may be the forged diary pages. Specifics escape me at the moment.

Whatever it was, I recall there being distinct sections were you could see the forger tiring... Stopping to rest and regroup.... Tiring again, etc. LOL

When you look at the page as a whole, it has a very inconsistent look.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Runscott

Those must look ghastly. I would love to see an example.

I think I've seen one.

Years ago maybe 1987? I was helping out at a stamp dealer in exchange for free stuff. He was getting into baseball cards and other stuff and had bought a letter from Cobb. Both sides of a sheet all handwritten in green. The first side was the usual sort of thing responding to an autograph request, "thanks for remembering me " "Ballplayer X was a great one" That sort of thing. The back side with the signature was essentailly almost entirely "Bad Cobb" running down modern players and including a couple racist remarks.

One of my big hobby regrets was not scraping up the money to buy it.

Then I found the article linked earlier, and I think maybe something Jim wrote, and that changed. I'm pretty sure it was fake now, and in a way i'm glad I didn't buy it. Part of me would still be interested as it was a rather elaborate forgery, but not for the price it was then.

Steve B

[Runscott]

Steve, it seems like Stump had an axe to grind, so if you find a hand-written letter by Cobb that shows him in a good light, it's probably not Al Stumping for Cobb.

I read every handwritten Cobb letter I see up for auction, and have placed bids on many of them. Only ended up with one, but I paid my price

[byrone]

Bob Wolff interviews Ty Cobb

...from SportsCollectingNews.com

"Bob Wolff, whose 74-year career is the longest in sports broadcasting history, has donated about 1,400 audio and video recordings, consisting of well more than 1,000 hours, to the Library of Congress"

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...dio.html?_r=1

Great old vintage audio clip with Ty Cobb, who comes across as a charming and respectable man.

[Runscott]

About eight years ago I went to a baseball game with a very old man who a friend of mine brought along. Very interesting guy. At some point after that, my friend and I were talking about Cobb - every year when we drive from Atlanta to North Carolina we intend to stop by Royston but never have - and he said something like, "Remember xxxx, who you were talking with at the baseball game? He met Ty Cobb when he was a young man. He was working at the hospital that Cobb spent his last days in, and got to talk with him a few times." I haven't seen the guy since then, but would love to go to one more baseball game with him