Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty

Did you know Ty Cobb was a voracious reader? Or that he was a descendant of abolitionists? Or that he publicly endorsed the integration of baseball? Or that he was generous with his money after his retirement, creating a hospital in Georgia and an educational endowment that has given about $15 million in scholarships since 1961? Oh, and that there is no evidence that he sharpened his spikes? And little concrete evidence that he was a virulent racist, as has become the common perception of Cobb.

 

Charles Leerhsen makes a compelling argument that Ty Cobb has been badly misrepresented over the years. False stories created by lazy hack writers, none worse than Cobb's first biographer Al Stump. Until now, nobody ever bothered to fact-check these myths.

 

What IS true about Cobb is that he was a fierce competitor with a burning desire to win. His aggressive style of play sometimes alienated his teammates and opponents, but most grew to respect his peerless baseball prowess.

 

Leerhsen (who has previously written about such diverse subjects as auto racing, horse racing, and aviator Chuck Yeager) approached Ty Cobb expecting to find a foul, cantankerous, hateful man. Instead, his extensive research revealed a man who, though still far from a saint, was much more complex.