Ty Cobb
"Baseball," Ty Cobb liked to say, "is something like a war...Baseball is a red- blooded sport for red-blooded men. It's not pink tea, and mollycoddles had better stay out of it. It's...a struggle for supremacy, a survival of the fittest" (Ward and Burns 64). Although Ty Cobb was possibly the greatest player in baseball history, many people would consider him its worst person. Tyrus
Raymond Cobb was born December 18, 1886 in The Narrows, Georgia. His parents named him after the ancient Phoenician city of Tyre, which stubbornly refused to surrender to Alexander the Great. From the very beginning, he took after the city and became one of baseball's most stubborn and hated men. The Georgia Peach, so-called, was a creature of extremes. Ty Cobb is, by bald statistics, measurably the greatest hitter ever; he was, by the reckoning of virtually everyone who met him, personally the most despicable human being ever to grace the National Pastime (Deford 56). Cobb's playing career, with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Athletics, was arguably the best anyone ever had. He won twelve batting titles in thirteen years, including a record nine in a row. He also holds the records for the most runs scored with 2,245 and the highest lifetime batting average at .367, a number nearly unreachable even in just one season by today's standards. Other records he set that have since been broken:
3,034 games played, 4,191 hits, 892 stolen bases, 392 outfield assists, 1,136 extra base hits, and 1,961 runs batted in. He also struck out just 357 times in
11,429 times at bat, a phenomenal achievement. After his career ended, in 1936, he was the leading vote-getter of the first class of the Baseball Hall of Fame, beating even Babe Ruth. However, Cobb's career was marred with controversy and scandals. He was hated by nearly every player in the league, including his own teammates. When he was first called up to play with Detroit, he was extremely unpopular with his teammates. They locked him out of the bathroom, tore the crown out of his straw hat and sawed in half the bat that had been especially fashioned for him by his hometown coffin maker. He did not take any of it with good humor and could not bear to be the target of the mildest joke. He fought back with his fists, refused to speak to his tormentors, developed ulcers, took to sleeping with a revolver...
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... Ty burned his fan mail for heat" (Kramer 31). As with all bad boys, there was a good side to Ty Cobb, although few ever saw it. Despite his inability to spend money on himself, he did give a lot to others. He gave money to needy retired ballplayers, helped build a new hospital in Royston, and started a fund for poor college students
(Kramer 44). While giving money, Cobb still felt unliked and remained virtually alone for the rest of his life. What money he did spend on himself was almost exclusively towards the use of alcohol, which he became heavily dependent on.
He said he would have given up his money if only he could change the way players felt about him. He knew nobody forgot how nasty he always could be in his playing days (Kramer 45). Cobb died of cancer July 17, 1961, a sad and lonely man. Only 400 people, most of them little-leaguers who only knew him as a name from baseball's past, showed up at his funeral. Just three ballplayers from his era bothered to attend. Near the end of his life, Cobb commented to a caller that if he had his life to live over again, "I would have done things a little different...I would have had more friends" (Ward and Burns, 65).
what he needed to tweak? I can relate to this, as I see a baseball coach every Sunday morning to work
In the August 30, 1905 edition of Detroit’s Free Press, the sportswriters ran a small blurb announcing the arrival of a Detroit Tigers rookie, Ty Cobb. They stated, “Cobb left the South Atlantic League with a batting average of .328. He will not pile up anything like that in this league, and he doesn’t expect to” (Allen 177). Their prediction ironically rung true. Cobb hit better than their projected .328 batting average twenty times in his twenty four seasons (McCallum 217). Tyrus Raymond Cobb’s prolific career leads many fans and historians to believe that he deserves the title of greatest hitter of all time. However, some critics would argue that Ted Williams warrants this distinction. Unfortunately for Williams and his fans, the hitting prowess of Williams falls short of Cobb’s. While Williams arguably displayed a great hitting ability, Cobb remains the better batsman.
In 1983, at the age of twenty-three, Cal lead the Orioles to a World Series victory. He always seemed the favorite every group would vote for as player of the year. There were two reasons. First was his outstanding performance on the field. Second was the way Cal handled himself off the field. He loves being a role model for children, so he tries to be the best person he can in order to set a good example.
head by a horse when he was younger. This was a lie, but explained why
He was the first Hispanic baseball player to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and the first to reach three thousand hits. His induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame was specifically special because an exception was made for him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame after his unexpected death. Usually baseball players cannot be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame for at least five years after they quit playing, but Clemente was inducted in 1973. With all that being said, Clemente also never forgot where he came
He was later inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962. Jackie Robinson should not only be recognized for his on-field accomplishments, but for what it took for him to get there as well. Throughout all of the racism in America and baseball, he endured it and pushed through it to set himself up for ultimate success. He endured the hardships of being the only African-American in the league at the time and taking all the hate from the racists, while still putting up remarkable numbers. Even as a white man during the time of integration in baseball, you could have nothing but respect for Jackie Robinson.
batting average and gets a hit almost every time he goes up to the plate. He is an all-star
Certainly one aspect of Cobb’s life, his hard work, successful career, determination, dedication, and ability, is remarkably admirable. But the other side of Cobb, his irascible nature, racist attitude, and volatile temper, has created a little doubt as to whether he is in fact a hero. However, looking at Cobb for what he accomplished in baseball, and how he accomplished his goals, through hard work and determination, gives him my vote for the best player to ever grace the great american pastime, “Baseball”
Pete Rose was with out a doubt an outstanding baseball player. Having the highest number of hits ,4,256, in the history of baseball while playing for the Cincinnati Reds making him a great candidate for the Hall of Fame. After retiring in 1986 he became the manager for the Cincinnati Reds during 1987 and 1988 (). While he was managing the Cincinnati Reds he was investigated and was found guilty of gambling on the game.
won 29. When he reached that number Comiskey benched him, the player resentment of this was
... front hair and land one in his mouth. He slapped me ………… I knew he was fighting, he was fighting me back. We were equals. “Ain’t so high and mighty now, are you!”
“I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth” (“Farewell”, n.d.) These were the words on Henry Louis Gehrig on July 4th, 1939 at Yankee Stadium. For most of his life, Lou Gehrig had been just that…lucky. Gehrig was a baseball superstar. He had appeared in 7 all-star games and won 6 World Series titles (“All-Star Game”, n.d; “Lou Gehrig”, n.d.). His record of streak of 2130 consecutive games played had earned him the nickname, “the iron horse”. However, it is not for these accomplishments that Gehrig is most known. Gehrig is most known for the disease that took his career, his life, and finally, his name.
everything he owned. He took refuge in criminal activity, and was sent to prison. His
2.During his first two years with the Dodgers, Robinson endured astonishing abuse. He was hit, kicked and spit on. Sometimes purposefully beamed in the face with a pitch."Despite numerous death threats, Jackie and Rachel Robinson returned from baseball games at old Ebbets Field on the subway, talking with numerous people, young and old, black and white, about the day's events. The Robinsons had no security assigned to them” ( Budig, The Times).
was very independent and has always done things he wanted, as he was entrusted with the