Comments on: Just between the chalked lines, folks.

Just between the chalked lines, folks.

?! — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 22:56:03 -0800

It was 100 years ago today. Tyrus Raymond Cobb, humanitarian and/or killer, argubly the most talented man to play Major League Baseball, appeared in his first game for the Detroit Tigers. It was just three weeks after Cobb's mother shot to death his father.

By: callmejay

callmejay — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 23:18:51 -0800

Very interesting man. Thanks.

By: joe lisboa

joe lisboa — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 00:06:49 -0800

Excellent post. Ty Cobb. Detroit. Awesome.

By: Satapher

Satapher — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 00:21:36 -0800

It was 100 years ago today, Tyrus Raymond Cobb came to play

By: lampshade

lampshade — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 01:34:08 -0800

Wow. That Freep.com link is a great story. Thanks ?!. Like others, I have always known about Cobb, but I never realized just what his impact was on the sport.

By: zaelic

zaelic — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 03:20:22 -0800

Cobb was an amazing baseball talent, but he was well known as one of the meanest ornery bastards in existence to those that knew him. There was even a film about his nasty later years. Cobb was one of my childhood heros, warts and all. Whenever I played ball, I would always try and steal bases like Cobb did - by trying to hurt the baseman. It worked. If you want nice, try Honus Wagner.

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 06:34:01 -0800

I never realized how much about Cobb had been debunked. Hmm... I wonder if there are any decent books about him...

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 08:13:39 -0800

Photo of Cobb hurting a baseman. Some of his records. He stole home 54 times, including stealing first, second, and home in the same inning four times.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 08:46:46 -0800

Great post! And zaelic, I too was put off by the film and the book it was based on, but it seems most of the bad stuff therein was either exaggerated or made up by the author, who (understandably after having to spend months with the cantankerous old man) was out to get him. He was nasty and hard to be around, but not the monster he's made out to be. And he did a lot more for people than most ballplayers, endowing a hospital complex and scholarship program.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 09:15:48 -0800

"Cobb is a prick. But God, can that man hit." - Babe Ruth.

By: Emperor Yamamoto's Eggs

Emperor Yamamoto's Eggs — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 15:42:05 -0800

On a silly note, I named my cat Cobb, after Ty.

By: mr_crash_davis

mr_crash_davis — Tue, 30 Aug 2005 18:48:00 -0800

"Ty Cobb wanted to play here, but none of us could stand the son-of-a-bitch while we were alive, so we told him to stick it!" --Shoeless Joe Jackson, Field of Dreams

By: JanetLand

JanetLand — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 08:43:53 -0800

I like the post, but I was surprised that the last three links had nothing to do with Cobb's mother shooting his father.

By: ?!

?! — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 13:37:23 -0800

Thank you. I like to throw in a surprise now and then. The story of Ma shooting Pa was told in the four-part series. You can jump right to it in the middle of part four.

By: JanetLand

JanetLand — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 05:25:43 -0800

Yeah, I found it once I shut up and kept reading, thanks. :)