Ty Cobb and the hobby

[abothebear]

This is not presented as an argument against others' comments. All make good points. This is just another factor to consider.

The rise of major league baseball in national prominence coincides with Cobb's career (and others' careers). But those two things also coincide with the rise of Ford Motors and the rise of the city of Detroit, where Cobb played essentially the entirety of his career. Automobiles and Detroit were the hottest things going, and Cobb was their mega-star in the hottest sport going. During Cobb's career, Detroit's population went from 250k to 1.6 million people, a 600% increase. And the city was well on its way to becoming the richest city in the world. Additionally, a great many of these new Detroit residents were immigrants or transplants from other parts of the U.S. One might argue that Cobb's serendipitous Detroit connection also provided him a human network to national and global fame. If Detroit hadn't crashed like it did, perhaps Cobb would be an even bigger name in the hobby today.

Potentially related... have you ever noticed the disproportionately high representation of Michigan folks in the hobby? Even if very few are pre-war aficionados, I'm sure they all know of Cobb and think of him as their representative old-timer.

As a youngster, I'd play hockey in the gym with my friends after school. We had a habit of "calling" who we were going to be in any sport we played. With hockey, none of us had cable or could stay up late enough to watch hockey on TV anyway. We had no idea who played in the NHL - except for Gretzky, Lemieux, and Yzerman. They were the only ones we knew, and we didn't even really know them. Cobb is like that for the average baseball fan. He has a great name, notoriety, memorable stat accomplishments, and played for a classic franchise. In a pick-up game where you'd be restricted to "calling" pre-war players only, I bet you'd get Cobb, Ruth, maybe Gehrig, DiMaggio because of the song, maybe Cy Young because of the award, possibly Honus Wagner because of the card (not because people knew if he was a great player or not), and that's about it. Baseball fans and hobbiest outside of pre-war, if they dip their toes or dive into it, this is what they start with. At least that was my experience.

This is, I think, the second ever pre-war card I was able to acquire, I hope it is Cobb, because that is who I keep saying it is...


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[Mark17]

Originally Posted by abothebear

I hope it is Cobb, because that is who I keep saying it is...


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It must be. No infielder dared get near him sliding in.

[Jobu]

A Cobb-owned photo of a young Tyrus honing his business acumen.

[Louisville_Hugger]

Originally Posted by Jobu

A Cobb-owned photo of a young Tyrus honing his business acumen.

A younger Jude Law would’ve been a dead ringer to play Cobb in a movie.

[Rhotchkiss]

Originally Posted by Louisville_Hugger

A younger Jude Law would’ve been a dead ringer to play Cobb in a movie.

Agreed! And it’s only a matter of time before that photo/cabinet scammer takes a picture of Jude law and tries to pass it off as Cobb, demonstrating that it is in fact Cobb by comparing the ears and insisting that it is Cobb despite clear evidence provided by a forum of people proving otherwise

[Directly]

No offense--but does everybody believe Ruth was a saint?--Both were the best, but??

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by Directly

No offense--but does everybody believe Ruth was a saint?--Both were the best, but??

No, but for good or for bad, or for both, Ruth is probably the most iconic athlete the US has ever had. (I guess you could debate Jordan.) Multiple movies, dozens of books, legends, myths, elementary school books, plays, etc. While Cobb was a singularly great hitter, I just don't see him as the kind of mythical persona that Ruth embodied. Sort of like Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. Yes, Bird amazing. But Jordan grabbed the culture, hard core and casual fans, in a way Bird never did.

People like to project onto these people attributes and mythical powers. Mickey Mantle case study no 1. Hell, I'd say Mantle has captured the imagination of people more than Mays or Aaron.

[robw1959]

Don't forget that Cobb was a terrific outfielder as well. I think the answer to the OP has been pretty well summed up here. In 1936, he garnered more votes than any of the other Hall of Fame inaugurals including Ruth, who tied with Honus Wagner for second place.

[Exhibitman]

[MantleMarisFordBerra]

Originally Posted by abothebear

DiMaggio because of the song

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For what's it's worth SoundGarden has a song called Ty Cobb:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_or_Gf7vqqo

Language warning

[steve B]

I might have missed it, but I think some of Cobbs hobby popularity is a matter of timing.
Aside from the career stats, the multi year leadup to Rose breaking the career hits record also meant Cobb got just as much press as Rose did. And at a time when the hobby was exploding. at least as early as 81 some discussions were if the strike would affect Roses Chance at breaking Cobbs record. Yes, even as distant as those chances seemed at the time.

[Exhibitman]

These:




An entire generation of kids who came up during the big bang of collecting grew up knowing Cobb from the Topps historical subsets and are now in their 50s-60s. I know that had a powerful impact on me as a kid collector. I WANTED career-issued cards of the guys in those sets.

[Mark17]

I think any discussion regarding the enduring popularity of dead ball players requires a nod of gratitude to Larry Ritter and "The Glory of Their Times."

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by Mark17

I think any discussion regarding the enduring popularity of dead ball players requires a nod of gratitude to Larry Ritter and "The Glory of Their Times."

I've always suspected a correlation between the enormous popularity of Larry's book in the years following its publication in 1966 and the emergence of a substantial hobby collecting the cards and memorabilia of that era not long thereafter. In my case, I picked up a copy in the small used book section of a comic book store I frequented, and it literally changed my life.

[Yoda]

To me, it was the passion with which Cobb played and the skills to back it up which has made him so enduring.

[brunswickreeves]

I always thought Cobb was 6' 1'' and Ruth was 6' 2'', but this photo shows Cobb's stature as larger. He must have commanded some serious respect and intimidated opponents on the field. Spikes flying!

[Leon]

Cobby

[mrreality68]

Cobbs personality and persona with the Media and the aggressive with which he played

He has some amazing cards and poses keep those cards coming

[DeanH3]

Originally Posted by Leon

Cobby

Such an awesome card Leon!

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by MantleMarisFordBerra

For what's it's worth SoundGarden has a song called Ty Cobb:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_or_Gf7vqqo
Language warning

Jonathan Richman did a song about Walter Johnson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpUd7t5gQYU