Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty

When most of us hear the name Ty Cobb, we conjure up visions of a racist and a psychopath who went out of his way to maim rival ball players. After reading Cobb's so-called autobiography years ago which he collaborated with sportswriter, Al Stump, I was amused at the eccentric and Evil Cobb stories and even had a good laugh passing them along. After reading this book, I regret doing that.During the course of researching this book, Charles Leerhsen discovered that many of the Evil Cobb stories just didn't add up and can be traced to one man, Al Stump. Leerhsen sets the record straight in this book which is probably the most credible account of Cobb's life. Leerhsen doesn't sugar coat or whitewash Cobb's image. Cobb was a fanatical competitor and didn't tolerate anyone who didn't play up to his standards. He also had a hair trigger temper and was not a man to be trifled with. When Cobb was provoked, he lashed out.However, Leerhsen points out that the early dead ball era Cobb entered as a rookie was not as genteel as today's Major League Baseball. Ball players were not paid very well and were considered low life ruffians by the higher classes. Fights were a lot more common and didn't generate much publicity. Cobb came from a well educated, genteel southern family and was thrown into this rough and tumble world at the age of 18. Cobb quickly learned that he had to fight to gain respect. If Cobb had been a mediocre player, his fights would have gone unnoticed and he would not have been a target of abuse from fans and other players, especially some of his teammates who resented his talent.Cobb played hard but according to those who played with him, he played fair and never maliciously maimed other players with his spikes. Cobb, like other players, believed the base paths belonged to the runner and fielders who got in the way had to accept the consequences. The spike sharpening legend has no merit yet it has been ingrained in our memory of Ty Cobb,There is also no definitive proof that Cobb was a racist. Some of the fights Cobb allegedly got into with African Americans either never happened or were with white men. Cobb, contrary to the stereotype of him as a southern white man who hated blacks, actually supported the integration of African Americans into Major League Baseball.Leerhsen traces a lot of the Evil Cobb legends to Al Stump who made a name for himself by exploiting Ty Cobb's legacy. Cobb died before he had a chance to stop the publication of the so-called autobiography which he collaborated with Stump. The autobiography didn't sell very well so Stump went on to publish even more sensational accounts of Cobb's life. After Cobb died, Stump sold a lot of counterfeit Cobb memorabilia to include documents with Cobb's forged signature. In addition, Stump had been banned from publication in certain newspapers and magazines because he had a reputation for making things up.There's an old saying, "If you tell a lie long enough it becomes the truth." Leerhsen points out that subsequent portrayers of Cobb to include Charles Alexander, Hollywood, and the famous documentarian, Ken Burns, bought into the Evil Cobb legends without checking the facts. Cobb was falsely accused of killing people and as Leerhsen claimed, "in the fullness of time, Ty The Ripper's body count only increased". Ron Shelton, who directed the 1994 box office flop, "Cobb" told Leerhsen that "it is well known that Ty Cobb may have killed as many as three people". When Leerhsen asked him where the proof was, Shelton replied, "all this is well known". An egregious example of slandering Cobb was a scene in the movie where Cobb attempted to rape a girl in a Nevada casino. Shelton admitted that he and his resident expert consultant, Al Stump, came up with the scene because, "it felt like the sort of thing Cobb might do".Over the years, we accepted the Evil Cobb legends and even spread them because, let's face it, Ty Cobb was a man we loved to hate. That says a lot about us.It's a shame that it took this long to vindicate a man who had been slandered and demonized after his death by a charlatan and a fraud. In the court of public opinion, Al Stump should be on trial, not Ty Cobb.

Just finished what was an engaging, flowing, brilliant book on Ty Cobb. Having a few Cobb bios to choose from, I went for this. So glad I did. Whilst others sensationalized Cobb's story, Charles Leerhsen paints a truer picture of Cobb, and takes apart Al Stump's 'fictional' account of the man. Cobb was no saint, but Leerhsen's book tells the story of a passionate ballplayer, warts and all. It's a fine book, well written, one which I didn't want to end.

Finally, a book which attempts to compile all that was said or written about Ty Cobb and then use logic and evidence to either accept or dismiss the many stories.This book makes for an excellent read and I particularly enjoyed references to some other lesser-known players of the era too. It's nice to hear how they all fit together and to have the statistics match up with the characters.Well worth the purchase price. Let's just hope that Mr Cobb's reputation is not too far gone to restore. I think, after reading this book, you'll wish Al Stump had never picked up a pen.

Counters the picture of Cobb created by the (now debunked) Stump bio and biopic.Well-researched. An honest look at one of the most important ballplayers in history.

This book tells you the story of Ty Cobb. He wasn't a monster and he wasn't an angel. Just a human being. So, read it, all you baseball fans.