Ty Cobb’s Legacy

[Touch'EmAll]

From what I understand, history has been rough on Cobb.

His mom shot his dad when he was 18.

Yes, he could be nasty on the diamond during his playing days. And the reputation followed him through life.

He gave money to needy retired ballplayers. He funded a new hospital. He established a Foundation to assist deserving residents of Georgia who needed financial assistance for college educations.

Late in life, Cobb commented that if he had his life to live over again, "I would have done things a little different... I would have had more friends."

[LEHR]

The best book I've read yet on Cobb and written by his grandson. Highly recommended to anyone who has a negative opinion of Ty Cobb.

[G1911]

Stumps book might be the actual worst non-fiction volume I have ever read. Not only is it wrong and a load of garbage, the author just completely made it all up himself. It’s not poor sourcing, or a hot take that ruins it, but the very direct and intentional lies by the scumbag who wrote it.

Too much is made of how Cobb might fit into current political correctness, and not enough about the actual assault and batteries he did commit.

I am hard pressed to think of a non political figure who has been smeared by so many lies after his life as Cobb has.

Best player of his time. Possibly the second greatest hitter ever. He has a legitimate case for it.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by G1911

Stumps book might be the actual worst non-fiction volume I have ever read. Not only is it wrong and a load of garbage, the author just completely made it all up himself. It’s not poor sourcing, or a hot take that ruins it, but the very direct and intentional lies by the scumbag who wrote it.

Too much is made of how Cobb might fit into current political correctness, and not enough about the actual assault and batteries he did commit.

I am hard pressed to think of a non political figure who has been smeared by so many lies after his life as Cobb has.

Best player of his time. Possibly the second greatest hitter ever. He has a legitimate case for it.

Richard Ben Cramer really trashed DiMaggio, seemingly unfairly, in HIS book.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Richard Ben Cramer really trashed DiMaggio, seemingly unfairly, in HIS book.

Cramer, and it has been awhile since I read it, used poor sourcing and printed every bad thing he could find about DiMaggio. His book is in that genre of Seymour Hersh’s Dark Side of Camelot, the gossipy ‘print every bad thing and eye catching dramatic claim’. As I recall it, Cramer has not been shown to have completely made everything up himself. His book I would also classify as hot garbage, but it isn’t the same as Stump. Stump didn’t report what any random woman claimed had happened and failed to question it because it suited his purpose (many are guilty of this), but invented lies himself that he knew were lies because he made them up.

[Exhibitman]

From the interviews with his contemporaries that I've read it sounds like he was more misanthrope than anything else.

[robw1959]

He was actually, according to a well researched biography, a warm and friendly guy - even magnanimous to some extent. I can back that up by the fact that Cobb lobbied for Crawford to be elected to the Hall even though Crawford was envious of Cobb and not friendly toward him at all throughout their career together on the Tigers team. Cobb was also good friends with Honus Wagner as well as other well known players of his day. Yes, he was a fierce competitor, but was evidently able to leave those emotions on the field.

[Tomi]

Worth the read.
https://syndication.bleacherreport.c...acist.amp.html

[jingram058]

A lot of the myth surrounding Cobb is based on stupid made up BS that was started by one writer who hated him. I've always liked Cobb, and proud to own a baseball signed by him, Ruth and Gehrig.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by jingram058

A lot of the myth surrounding Cobb is based on stupid made up BS that was started by one writer who hated him. I've always liked Cobb, and proud to own a baseball signed by him, Ruth and Gehrig.

Sir, I believe it’s a rule that if you’re going to refer to having such a cool item that pics must be displayed for others enjoyment.

[Hankphenom]

I think Larry Ritter's interviews in "The Glory of Their Times" provide a well-rounded picture of Cobb as told by his contemporaries. He had bad impulses and good impulses (especially later in life); could be loutish and paranoid or warm and gracious; was driven to win at all costs but not unfair how he went about it; Tried to beat the daylights out of some who had aggrieved him but helped thousands with his generosity; was neglectful of his training but kept in good enough shape to have been possibly the greatest player of all time over a 23-year career; had good friends and hunting buddies but also players, including long-time teammates, who didn't have a good word to say about him personally. Read, or better yet listen to, Sam Crawford and Davy Jones, who observed and interacted with Cobb so closely over such a long period, and you have to ask yourself if it really was just jealousy that had them painting such a dark picture of the man from a vantage point where most are willing to give some slack, if not completely forgive and forget? Well into their 80s, and they are still scathing and unrelenting in their assessments. I think it's great that more scholarly efforts are undoing the damage to his reputation done by Stump and other early chroniclers with a sensationalist agenda, and I hope we end up with a better rounded picture of a complex man who lived a complicated life. He deserves no less than an accurate portrayal.