Ty Cobb

by Charles Leerhsen

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  The story of Ty Cobb’s encounter with a fake policeman in Central Park (p. 246) appeared in an article titled “Ty Cobb, Actor” in The National Pastime, a publication of the Society for American Baseball Research. Batchelor’s article about Cobb and The College Widow (p. 247) ran in the Detroit Free Press, Dec. 18, 1911, p. 8. Frank Navin’s letters to Cobb and Burske (p. 247) are in the Ernie Harwell Collection at the Detroit Public Library. Cobb feeling “pretty punk” (p. 251) comes from the Atlanta Constitution, Aug. 4, 1911, p. 9. Cobb made his joke about not being able to run for office (p. 253) in the Augusta Herald, Nov. 19, 1911.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  The quote about the “exacting and depressing nature of the work” (p. 255) comes from a published decision on an arbitration case involving the New York Newspaper Web Pressmen’s Union No. 25 and the Publishers’ Association of New York City rendered on Feb. 21, 1921. The photo of Lucker (p. 255) ran, among other places, in the Meridian (Miss.) Daily Journal, May 21, 1912, p. 7. Jack Fournier’s reference to “ugly epithets” (p. 257) appears on p. 113 of Harold Seymour’s Baseball: The Golden Age. Callahan’s remarks about being “protected from insult” (p. 257) appeared in the New York Times, May 19, 1912. Lucker’s comments about Cobb getting peevish (p. 259) appeared in Sporting Life, May 25, 1912, p. 4; Lucker’s statement about being told that the league would take “immediate action” (p. 260) appears in the same article. Cobb’s complaint of an injustice (p. 261) comes from Baseball Magazine, July 1912, p. 8. Mayor Thompson’s statement about being “perfectly right” to express his resentment with his fists (p. 261) appeared, among other places, in the Pittsburgh Press, May 19, 1912, p. 22. Connolly’s and Phelan’s comments about Ban Johnson (p. 261) appeared in the New York Times, May 19, 1912, p. 2. Hugh Fullerton’s statement in defense of Cobb (p. 261) was quoted by Jerome Holtzman in the Chicago Tribune Jan. 24, 1995, p. 3. Cobb’s statement about baseball having a “higher class of men” than previously (p. 262) appears in Inside Baseball with Ty Cobb, p. 65. Mathewson’s views (p. 262) appeared in the New York Times, May 19, 1912. The trouble at the Chicago Beach Hotel (p. 264) was related in the Detroit Free Press, Apr. 16, 1912, p. 10. The story about Cobb’s teammates honoring him with a gift (p. 264) appeared in the Detroit Free Press, Dec. 24, 1911, p. 13. Navin’s broad grin (p. 265) was noted in the Detroit Daily News, May 19, 1912. The telegram in support of Cobb (p. 265) was quoted in Sporting Life, May 25, 1912, p. 1. Cobb’s statement about sticking together (p. 265) can be found in the same edition of Sporting Life, p. 6. Baer (p. 266) is quoted in John McCallum’s The Tiger Wore Spikes, p. 231. The quote about “slashing away” at the man’s face (p. 269) is from Al Stump’s book Cobb, p. 212.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Cobb’s comments about how he didn’t think people wanted to watch healthy men play baseball while their sons and brothers were fighting “the Huns” (p. 273) appeared, among other places, in the Bisbee (Arizona) Daily Review, July 14, 1918, p. 12. Cobb’s quotes about helping in the war effort (p. 274) come from the Milwaukee Sentinel, Aug. 26, 1918, p. 6. Navin’s quote beginning “Mr. Cobb did not make baseball . . .” (p. 275) appeared in many papers including the Richmond Times Dispatch, Apr. 17, 1913, p. 7. Cobb’s response to Navin (p. 276) appeared in the Detroit Free Press, Apr. 17, 1913, p. 8. Cobb’s statement about the holdout of 1913 being his last (p. 276) ran in the San Francisco Call, Apr. 26, 1913. The “love note” to Frank Navin (p. 277) was published in a number of papers including the Jeffersonville (Indiana) Daily Reflector, Dec. 4, p. 4. The reference to a fight with Joe Engel (p. 277) was in the Washington Post, Aug. 25, 1914, p. 8. The account of Cobb’s fight with the college student (p. 278) appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Apr. 9, 1913, p. 13. The account of the fight with Herzog (p. 278) is drawn from several sources including the New York Times of Apr. 1, 1917, the Boston Globe of Apr. 8, 1917, the Detroit Free Press of Apr. 1, 1917, p. 21, and the Spokane Spokesman-Review of Apr. 12, 1917, p. 18. The butcher’s quote “I’m glad of it . . .” (p. 280), appeared in the Boston Globe, June 24, 1914, p. 1. Cobb’s statement about the butcher seeming to want trouble (p. 280) appeared in Sporting Life, June 17, 1914, p. 10. Alexander’s mistake about Harding (p. 281) appears on page 119 of his biography Ty Cobb. The story about Cobb’s regretting the fight with the butcher (p. 281) ran in the New York Times, June 22, 1914. Heilmann’s quote about Cobb being a great teacher of batting (p. 283) ran in the Ironwood (Michigan) Daily Globe, July 13, 1951, p. 7. Fitch’s comments about Cobb (p. 283) appeared in the New London (Connecticut) Day, Sept. 9, 1915, p. 6.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  The comment about Jennings losing “hold on his men” (p. 285) appears in Jack Smiles “Ee-Yah”: The Life and Times of Hughie Jennings, Baseball Hall of Famer, p. 172. Ruth’s comment about Bill Carrigan (p. 288) comes from a biography of Carrigan published by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); the piece originally ran in Deadball Stars of the American League, edited by David Jones, pp. 451–52. Jones’s description of Dutch Leonard (p. 288) comes from that same book, pp. 453–56. The information about Boston fans “blowing horns and carrying policemen’s rattles” (p. 293) appeared in the Boston Globe, Aug. 25, 1915, p. 1. The line about Cobb being late because he attended a concert (p. 296) comes from Baseball Magazine, Apr. 1916, p. 51. Fielder’s line about preaching Cobb to his players (p. 296) appeared in the Chicago Tribune, June 6, 1917, p. 14. Ehmke’s quote about Cobb talking baseball with him (p. 297) ran in the Los Angeles Times, Jan. 18, 1917, p. III 1. Cobb’s comments about wanting to become a composer (p. 297) are taken from Baseball Magazine, Apr. 1916, p. 51. Bressler’s quote about never seeing anyone like Cobb (p. 298) appears in The Glory of Their Times, page 205. Cobb’s quote about being tired of baseball (p. 298) appeared in the Detroit Free Press, Dec. 17, 1918, p. 13.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Maxwell’s piece (p. 299), originally written for the Philadelphia Daily Ledger, also ran in the Detroit Free Press on Oct. 10, 1918, p. 13. The quote from Cobb’s postcard to Navin (p. 300) appeared in the Kansas City Star, Nov. 1, 1918, p. 13. Cobb’s quote about going to Augusta to rest (p. 300) ran in the Augusta Chronicle, Dec. 17, 1918. The information about Cobb making a speech during a minstrel show (p. 301) was taken from the Providence News, Dec. 16, 1918, p. 14. Cobb’s quote about his “terrible fascination” with baseball (p. 301) was taken from the Border Cities Star, Dec. 18, 1918, p. 12. Cobb’s comments about Campanella (p. 305) are from a letter Cobb wrote to Walter O’Malley dated May 8, 1959, a copy of which was provided to me by Ron Cobb. Nick Wilson’s book (p. 305) is called Voices from the Pastime: Oral Histories of Surviving Major Leaguers, Negro Leaguers, Cuban Leaguers and Writers. Rivers’s quote about naming his child after Cobb (p. 305) comes from a PowerPoint article called “Alec Rivers Detroit Tigers Batman” put together by Patricia Zacharias of the Detroit News. Rivers expressed his love for Cobb (p. 306) in the Chicago Tribune, Sept. 23, 1928, p. A1. Cobb’s letter to Walsh (p. 308) is dated Sept. 17, 1953, and was provided to me by Ron Cobb. Ty Cobb’s comment about Ruth not having to protect the plate (p. 308) appears in Robert Creamer’s Babe: The Legend Comes to Life, Kindle location 1434. Yawkey’s comment about taking Cobb over Ruth (p. 309) was published in the Sporting News, Mar. 9, 1933.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Hughie Jennings declared war on alibis (p. 312) in the Atlanta Constitution, Mar. 12, 1920, p. 15. Cobb’s alleged demand for summary measures (p. 313) was reported in the Reading Eagle, Aug. 17, 1920, p. 9. Carl Mays’s comments about Cobb (p. 314) appeared in the Eugene Register-Guard, July 14, 1962, p. 1. Damon Runyon’s thoughts on Cobb as a manager (p. 315) appeared on p. 1 of the Detroit Free Press, Dec. 26, 1920.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Ty Cobb made his comment about ballplayers being “full of sentiment” (p. 318) in a piece by Robert Edgren of the Chicago Tribune that ran on May 21, 1921, p. 18. Bullion compared Cobb’s popularity to Hughie Jennings’s (p. 319) in the Detro
it Free Press, Mar. 2, 1921, p. 11. Buranelli’s long feature (p. 319) did not run in the Free Press until Sept. 25, 1921; it appeared on p. E1. The at-home piece (p. 321) ran without a byline in the Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 28, 1921, p. 1. Alexander’s observation about Heilmann (p. 322) is on p. 161 of his Ty Cobb. Harry Heilmann’s quote about Cobb teaching him about hitting (p. 322) appeared in the Ellensburg (Washington) Daily Record, June 10, 1951, p. 8. Bill Moore’s quote about Heilmann not thinking too much of Cobb (p. 323) appears on p. 169 of Cobb Would Have Caught It: The Golden Age of Baseball in Detroit by Richard Bak. Moore’s memory of being yanked out of the only major league game he ever played (p. 323) appears on p. 173 of the same book. The story about Dauss’s beer drinking (p. 323) appears on p. 153 of Cobb Would Have Caught It. The story about Gehringer and Cobb (p. 324) is related in several places including Charlie Gehringer: A Biography of the Hall of Fame Tigers Second Baseman by John C. Skipper, p. 20. The Alexander quote (p. 326) is from his Ty Cobb, p. 164. Tigers team doctor Keane’s comments on Babe Ruth (p. 327) are reported in Ty and the Babe: Baseball’s Fiercest Rivals: A Surprising Friendship and the 1941 Has-Beens Golf Championship by Tom Stanton, p. 66. Miller Huggin’s statement about Cobb (p. 327) appeared originally in the Sporting News, Aug. 12, 1920, p. 3. The line about Ruth “taking it as a challenge” (p. 328) appeared in the Detroit Free Press, June 13, 1921, p. 9; the other quotes about confrontation between the Tigers and Yankees come from the same piece. The quote about Ruth from Lanier (p. 329) appeared in Baseball Digest, Jan. 7, 2007, p. 1. The description of Cobb’s fight with Evans (p. 330) comes from the Kansas City Kansan, Sept. 25, 1921, p. 8. Abe Pollock dined out on his story about the mad dog (p. 331), which appears in print perhaps for the first time in Touching Second: The Science of Baseball by John J. Evers and Hugh Fullerton, p. 192. Lanier’s quotes about Cobb’s relations with umpires (p. 331) are from the same issue of Baseball Digest mentioned above.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Fred Lieb’s account of his conversation with Cobb in San Francisco (p. 336) appears on pp. 178–79 of his The Detroit Tigers. Batchelor’s anecdote about Cobb encountering “countrymen” (p. 337) comes from an unsourced clipping in the Ty Cobb folder of the library at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Navin’s comments about Cobb’s tenure as a manager (p. 338) are taken from an undated clip from the Detroit News in the Cobb folder at the Hall of Fame. Wood’s statement about the mysterious “man from Cleveland,” as well as his and Cobb’s letters and statements (pp. 341–43), appear in the transcript of the hearing I obtained at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Virtually every newspaper in the country covered the Cobb-Speaker-Leonard scandal, but Ban Johnson’s statements (p. 346) are presented at length in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Jan. 21, 1927, pp. 1 and 10. The quote about Cobb being heartbroken (p. 346) appeared in the Reading Times, Jan. 18, 1927, p. 12. Leonard’s statement about getting bumped off occasionally (p. 346) appeared in the transcript of the hearing, as well as the Bluefield (West Virginia) Daily Telegraph, Dec. 22, 1925, p. 5. Cobb’s quotes about the Sept. 25 game (p. 347) come from the hearing transcript, which I obtained at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Damon Runyon’s interview with Leonard (p. 348) was syndicated by Universal Service; I saw it in an unsourced clipping in the Cobb file at the Baseball Hall of Fame, dated Dec. 22, 1926. Johnson’s quotes about Cobb and Speaker (p. 348) were reported by many papers including the editions of the Plain Dealer and Bluefield Daily Telegraph mentioned above. Charlie Cobb’s quote about her husband (p. 348) from the Augusta Chronicle is cited in Don Rhodes’s Ty Cobb: Safe at Home, p. 102. Lundt’s and Griffith’s quotes (p. 349) appeared in the Ogden Standard-Examiner, Dec. 28, 1926, p. 8. Jennings statement about Judge Landis (p. 349) is taken from the Palm Beach Daily News, Dec. 20, 1926, p. 24. Landis’s complaint (p. 349) is cited in many places including Judge and Jury: The Life and Times of Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis by David Pietrusza, p. 302. Risberg’s quote about a “piker bet” (p. 349) appeared in the Reading Times, Jan. 3, 1927, p. 13. Cobb’s denial that he ever played in a fixed game (p. 350) can be found in many places including Baseball: An Illustrated History by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns, p. 182. Risberg’s quote about Cobb being a straight player (p. 350) comes from Alexander’s Ty Cobb, p. 192. Will Rogers’s quip (p. 350) can be found on page 182 of Baseball: An Illustrated History. Collins’s quote about it being nothing out of the ordinary for a team to give gifts (p. 350) appears, among other places, on p. 147 of Tales from the Deadball Era: Ty Cobb, Home Run Baker, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the Wildest Times in Baseball History by Mark S. Halfon. Comiskey’s statement about the matter being known to everyone (p. 351) comes from the hearing transcript. Landis’s statement (p. 351) was in the Ty Cobb folder at the Baseball Hall of Fame. Johnson’s quotes about Landis seeking publicity and being involved with him in a “financial matter” (p. 352) were taken from the article in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph mentioned above. Jacob Ruppert said he was tired of Ban Johnson’s behavior (p. 352) in the Belvidere (Illinois) Daily Republican, Jan. 19, 1927, p. 5. Johnson’s opinion on the Cobb-Speaker case (p. 352) was in the Cobb file in the library of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Landis’s order to McGraw to “Lay off Cobb” (p. 353) is cited in Tris Speaker: The Rough-and-Tumble Life of a Baseball Legend by Timothy M. Gay, p. 242. Cobb’s statement about wanting “vindication before the public” (p. 353) is taken from a letter Cobb wrote to Connie Mack dated Feb. 22, 1955, and provided to me by Ron Cobb. Connie Mack’s philosophy about “getting the other fellow worried” (p. 354) appears on p. 448 of Norman Macht’s Connie Mack: The Turbulent and Triumphant Years, 1915–1931. Mack’s quote about wanting both Cobb and Speaker (p. 355) ran in the Uniontown (Pennsylvania) Morning Herald, Jan. 28, 1927, p. 10. Mack expressed his eagerness to sign Cobb (p. 355) in the Augusta Chronicle, Feb. 5, 1927, p. 1. One of the places Cobb said he was tired (p. 356) was on the undated radio interview with Grantland Rice, provided by Wesley Fricks. Jennings’s quote about Cobb slowing down a bit (p. 356) appeared in the Detroit Free Press, Feb. 23, 1920, p. 14. Cobb made his comment about getting old (p. 357) in the Sporting News, Apr. 13, 1922, p. 1. Connie Mack Jr.’s quote about being surprised about Cobb’s niceness (p. 358) appears on p. 444 of Macht’s Connie Mack: The Turbulent and Triumphant Years. Mickey Cochrane’s quote about Cobb being “a little bit crusty” (p. 358) appears in several places including Mickey Cochrane: The Life of a Baseball Hall of Fame Catcher by Charlie Bevis, p. 47. Donald Honig’s comment about Al Simmons (p. 358) appears in Honig’s Baseball America, p. 173. Jimmy Dykes’s story about snooping on a hitting lesson Cobb was giving to Simmons (p. 358) appears in Connie Mack: The Turbulent and Triumphant Years, p. 445. The Macht quote that begins “Never a temperate man . . .” (p. 361) appears on p. 462 of Connie Mack: The Turbulent and Triumphant Years. Cobb’s letter to Walsh about retiring (p. 363) is dated Dec. 15, 1927, and was provided to me by Ron Cobb. Westbrook Pegler’s article quoting Rivers (p. 364) appeared in the Detroit Free Press, Sept. 23, 1928, p. A1.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Ty Cobb’s quote about “exhibition golf” being more punishing than baseball (p. 372) comes from Ty and the Babe: Baseball’s Fiercest Rivals: A Surprising Friendship and the 1941 Has-Beens Golf Championship by Tom Stanton, p. 181. Cobb’s quotes about a ballplayer’s fame being too fleeting (p. 375) ran in the Toronto World, Feb. 11, 1919, p. 9. Cobb’s surprise and shock over the news of his divorce (p. 374) was noted in the Chicago Daily Tribune, Apr. 6, 1931, p. 23. Cobb’s quote about his son Herschel getting in a fight with “hooligans” (p. 376) appears in Heart of a Tiger: Growing Up with My Grandfather, Ty Cobb by Herschel Cobb, p. 126. The quote “My boys, my boys!” (p. 377) appears on p. 86 of Heart of a Tiger. The quotes about Cobb’s second divorce (p. 378) were taken from the hearing transcripts.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  The quote about “yule chimes” (p. 380) appears on p. 22 of Al Stump’s book Cobb, as do the quotes about t
he “windswept hill” and his father’s head being “blown off.” Joe DiMaggio’s quote about holding on to Cobb’s letters (p. 383) appeared in an article in Baseball Digest called “Use Heavier Bat with Thick Handle Is DiMag’s Advice” by Phil Elderkin; my clip says 1968 but is otherwise undated. The story about Cobb helping DiMaggio negotiate (p. 383) appears in Richard Ben Cramer’s DiMaggio: The Hero’s Life, p. 73. The Jo Mosher quote about Stump getting people to “act up” (p. 386) appeared in William R. (Ron) Cobb’s article “The Georgia Peach: Stumped by the Storyteller,” which ran in the summer 2010 edition of The National Pastime, published by the Society for American Baseball Research; it has since been republished as a small book. Cobb’s quote about being in the evening of his life (p. 394) comes from the Sporting News, Apr. 3, 1957, pp. 3–4.