Was Cobb really as people perceive him???

[packs]

You can't read Glory of Their Times and take everything as fact or at face value. As with any historical account, you are left only with the side of the story that outlives the other. Cobb was dead. He could not speak for himself. If Crawford had a vendetta, he had free will to say whatever he wanted and have it written down.

[byrone]

Originally Posted by packs

You can't read Glory of Their Times and take everything as fact or at face value. As with any historical account, you are left only with the side of the story that outlives the other. Cobb was dead. He could not speak for himself. If Crawford had a vendetta, he had free will to say whatever he wanted and have it written down.

In my opinion it's Crawford that comes off as "Cobb"esque in GOTT. Seems he had a really tough time adapting to life after baseball. and seems a cantankerous old soul

[Bpm0014]

His short temper was there no doubt. As most Irishmen have a short fuse, I'm sure the death of his father had something to do with this.

Cobb was Irish?? I like him even more now!

[Joshchisox08]

Originally Posted by Bpm0014

His short temper was there no doubt. As most Irishmen have a short fuse, I'm sure the death of his father had something to do with this.

Cobb was Irish?? I like him even more now!

Aye Brendan, aye he was

[irishdenny]

Originally Posted by Bpm0014

His short temper was there no doubt. As most Irishmen have a short fuse, I'm sure the death of his father had something to do with this.

Cobb was Irish?? I like him even more now!

I come from a very Very VERY Long Line of Irish Folk
That "Short Temper'd Thing" is even found in my family...
In fact, most of me uncle's would take 6 ta 7 pints bfir they even gave it a taught... & even then they would politely ask ya, "what wer we just tawkin about?"

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by packs

You can't read Glory of Their Times and take everything as fact or at face value. As with any historical account, you are left only with the side of the story that outlives the other. Cobb was dead. He could not speak for himself. If Crawford had a vendetta, he had free will to say whatever he wanted and have it written down.

Originally Posted by byrone

In my opinion it's Crawford that comes off as "Cobb"esque in GOTT. Seems he had a really tough time adapting to life after baseball. and seems a cantankerous old soul

More than one of us have referenced the audio of GOTT, as opposed to material in the books. Cobb spoke for himself with his actions. After he was dead, there were only those who knew him who could talk about him. They didn't have much favorable to say. Smearing Crawford in order to make Cobb seem less racist is a long shot.

But anyone in 2016 who wants to disregard Cobb's racism is obviously free to do so. Revising history is still popular and effective.

[Hot Springs Bathers]

Well said Scott

[Runscott]

Thanks Mike. I LOVE Ty Cobb - one of my favorite vintage ballplayers. I admire his grit, and I don't mind the fact that he had very few friends as a player or that he got in lots of fights. I also admire his treatment of people as he got older - I'm sure he still had problems, even some of the ones Stump described, but he also wrote some very nice letters in response to his fans, and did some good things for others (all of the good thins are well documented). None of that erases the mistakes of his youth, which are also well-documented.

I also was against digging up Billy The Kid, and I think we really did land on the moon.

[Joshchisox08]

I also was against digging up Billy The Kid, and I think we really did land on the moon.[/QUOTE]

Bahhahahha.

[Hankphenom]

Overall, I think the GOTT in its totality probably paints as even-handed a picture of Cobb during his playing days as you are going to find. And the audio goes beyond the words to give you the feeling behind them. There's great admiration for his talent and drive and also several strong defenses of his base running style, including by Crawford. Davy Jones sympathetically points to the killing of Cobb's father by his mother as a possible explanation for his rage at the world. I think Rube Bressler probably summed up his relationship with his peers best when he said, very simply: "They didn't like him, but he didn't care. He roomed alone." As for Crawford and Jones, while you might theorize about jealousy or payback in their stories and descriptions of his behavior, I think it would be a big mistake to discount them completely or even very much. They were all on the same team for a very long time, and they saw him as much as anybody. As with almost all of Ritter's subjects, there's an authenticity in their voices, a determination to tell him as best their memories could provide how it really was to be there.

[Runscott]

Well-stated!

[Hot Springs Bathers]

Gentlemen I would like to call your attention to a new documentary that will play today at 6:00 EST on the MLB Network. It is The First Boys of Spring.

It is the story of the birth of Spring Training as we know it today which began in 1886 when Cap Anson and Al Spalding brought the White Stockings to Hot Springs, Arkansas to "boil out" the winter-meaning alcohol.

It traces the teams that came to Hot Springs over the next 40-50 years and their successes. It was produced by four-time Emmy winner Larry Foley and is narrated by Billy Bob Thornton.

While Cobb has never been documented here, over 50 percent of all the members Hall of Fame spent time here during their careers which is amazing since this all ended decades ago.

Sandy Koufax credits his last season to spending three weeks here at the Levi Arthritic Hospital right before that final season.

Just fun stuff if you have time to watch.

By the way Hank their is a plaque in front of the old Hot Springs High School honoring Walter Johnson who assisted Honus Wagner in teaching the boys how to play basketball.