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16 GEORGIA GAVE TO BASEBALL ITS GREATEST PERFORMER Tyrus Cobb Without an Equal in National Game Born and Trained in Empire State of the South By Percy 11. Whiting. J UDGE HOWELL COBB, a very distinguished Georgian, had just died. Two Atlanta law yers on a New York train were reading papers. "I see Cobb is dead." said one to the other. A drummer, seated next them, pricked up his ears, groaned and then wailed: "Well, that ruins Detroit’s chance for the pennant." • ♦ ♦ 'PHIS historic joke must serve ' os an introduction to this story Ty Cobb not because it is par ticular.> funny, hut because we have to start some way. Writing about Ty Cobb, in the limit.- of an ordinary newspaper article, is like trying to narrate the ’if. and crimes of N. Bonaparte on the back of a postage stamp. One doesn’t know where to begin, and even less where to leave off. • * * r T is tolerably remarkable that * tin re should be a "Best Ball Flavor in the World." There wasn't one before Ty Cobb's day. Critics agreed thai Wagner was best of the shortstop?, that Ltjole was □ thundering good second baseman, 1! it :i gent named Collins was onto s m< of tl. - insidi points of playing tiiirt*. ;.nti tout ‘'. Mathewson was p;ek of all pitcher-. But there wasn't any "Ono Best Bet"—until < ’ebb. It is even mot ■ remarkable that, out of the many places of birth that Cobb might have picked, he selected- or had selected for him — a little cottage, h.-trdlv more than a cabin, located in Banks county, Georgia. But so il happened. And so it fill to the lot of Georgia to present to the world the only player of all time upon whom all men could agree in conferring the title of the "Greatest Ball Player in the World.” ♦ * • 'T'YRUS RAYMOND COBB was born on December 18, 1886. His father was Wiliiam H. Cobb, edi tor, school teacher and state sena tor a man of much education and less money. Many fine young incidents have been dug up about Cobb’s boyhood career — mostly fictitious. About all that anybody knows of his early days is that he was a skinny, light - haired lad. with a leaning toward baseball—a good, lively, smart, two fisted kid. When he was a bit of a lad in short pants, his family moved to Carnesville. Ga.. and there Ty played his first baseball, in the games between the East Sitt ers and the Vest Sider? of that burg. A bit later Cobb’s family, with Ty trailing, moved to Royston and set tled there. By this time Ty had grown large enough to play with the Royston second team, an organ ization of kidj and scrubs, against which the regulars worked out. So long as playing with this team did not Interfere with Ty’s studies or his farm work, the elder Cobb of fered no objections. At length, however, the Royston team had a game scheduled with Elberton. The tegular center fielder was away. Cobb was the most likely substi tute available. Robert McCreary managed the Royston nine in those days, and it took a stiff line of talk to persuade Senator Cobb to let his son go on the trip. This game was Cobb’s first appearance "on the road." and he proved a wonder. The opposition of “Father" Cobb continued strong, and finally, in an effort to overcome it. Senator Cobb was lured out to a game between Royston and Commerce. Cobb played good ball from the start, but nothing senational until the eighth. Then, with the bases full and two down, a Commerce batter ripped off an awful wallop. Cobb played a hunch that the left fielder would miss It. and started on a run to back him up. True to his suspicions, the left fielder just got his finger tips on it. and it fell to Cobb’s lot to make a running dive, scoop the ball up with one hand and retire the side. When he re turned to the bench, he was show ered with money—but what was more to the point, he found that his marvelous playing had made a fan out of Senator Cobb and had swept away all objections that were raised to Ty’s playing base ball. In a flush his threatened "ca reer” at the University of Georgia and the medical education for which Ty had always hankered were swept away and "The Greatest Ball Player in the World" was started on his glorious carter. ft • • 'J'HERE is a story that the jealous members of the Royston team kidded Cobb into going into profes sional baseball. Knowing Ty’s im pulsive nature and his restiveness under criticism, it is believable that the constant taunts of his fellow players, that he was "too fresh" and that he couldn’t make good in real baseball, might haw driven him to try the professional game. At any rate, in 1904 Cobb packed a grip, secured letters from his minister and his manager and head ed for Augusta, where he present ed his credentials to t’on Strouth •i th. n manager of the Augusta team. Btrouth- , )( ;aee-’ovlng soul, Cobb*s Fielding and Batting Figures in Big League Year. G. AB. R. H. PC. P.O. A. E. P.C. SB. 1912 85 347 146 .421 1911 146 591 147 248 .420 376 24 18 .957 83 1910 140 509 106 196 .385 305 18 14 .958 65 1909 156 573 116 216 .377 222 24 14 .946 76 1908 150 581 88 188 .324 212 23 14 .944 39 1907 150 605 97 212 .350 238 30 11 .961 49 1906 9 7 350 44 112 .320 107 14 9 .931 23 1905.. 103 411 60 134 .326 149 15 13 .927 40 1904 37 135 14 32 .237 62 9 4 .946 4 ♦Totals 979 3755 672 1338 .356 1671 157 97 .949 379 “Exclusive of thia year. Here is another one of Percy H. Whiting’s sparkling stories on Georgia hoys who art* mak nitr troml in baseball. !]<■ will li.-iv'.- others in the neiir future JII'-I as illl "rcsl inw. You don’t v a" 1 In mi-s <)’.>(■ (! f’ ’em. ' - XX \ —r~ // j- // IsWlr r xsXvJrX -k Wb, ■ // - ?*■ iBmL \ ? iu "*L.. • ■WBIH F \ \\ i LvX -y.'- \\ X V'' ' Ml / ’b~ y- \ jwMK M. i z r-” Ml- • *>• A J/ / A V 4iSgat.gr :x>A \ X \ -'■® >\ y WKS 111 HIS “FIGHTING” FACE. SPEARING A LOW LINER. found Cobb a problem. He could field and he could hit, but he was awkward and hard to control. Finally one day, when Cobb was ordered to bunt, he hit a home run instead. This wasn’t Strouthers' notion of baseball, and It was too impetuous for staid Augusta. Cobb was, therefore, incontinently canned. Strouthers tried to get SSO for the coming wonder from the Charleston club, but failed. Then Ty was sent to Anniston, Ala., to play on a semi-professional team there. They tell big stories of what Cobb did in Anniston. At any rate, he was not long in proving that he was too good for that burg. So he was recalled to Augusta, where he stuck until Detroit bought him for S7OO. Today he is worth far in ad vance of a hundred times that sum. and the deal that sent Ty to De troit will go down in the history books as the one big "buy” of base ball. • • ♦ career in the big leagues is worth a couple of pages. So what can a man hit on who lias less than a half column more of space available'.’ Cobb joined the Detroit team a raw, country lad; with an impetu ous spirit, small knowledge of baseball, but marvelous natural ability. Fortunately for him, his lot was east with that master of men and baseball—Hughie Jen nings. It took Jennings but a few days to see that Cobb was to be come a star. Thereafter he worked with him until he perfected Ty in tlie art of playing bnseball. Cobb’s early days were tempes tuous. The free language of the ball players was new to him. One term in particular, used among them often as a term of deepest friendship, was ' fighting talk" with him. The players, on their side, considered him a "fresh kid,” and. as he developed quickly Into a mar velous performer, they became not a little jealous of the young Geor gian. Now. all his life long Cobb has fought whenever there seemed neqd of fighting. And it wasn't long be fo ■ he begun sulllng into th. De- THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN AND NEWS. SATURDAY. JULY 27, 1912. A FEIVASSORTEDFACTS ABOUTCOBB He is six feet tall, weighs about 175 pounds when in training. He bats left-handed, but throws right-handed. He is an all-wool Democrat, of course, and hopes to vote for Wilson. Cobb is a crack shot with a rille and gun, drives an automobile well and has but one regret— that he didn’t have a chance at football. In a game at Cleveland once he singled, stole second, third and home without even breaking his stride. He invented the art of scoring from first on a single. lie admits that his own position in the outfield is easy to play and says that the catcher has the hardest position. He likes best to play in Detroit—next to that Boston. The pitchers who trouble him most are Ed Walsh and Walter Johnson. When Joss was alive he had Ty’s goat. The style of pitchers who worry him most are those with a side arm delivery or those who turn their back before they pitch. He admits that a spit ball, especially a low one, is the most difficult thing for him to hit. Cobb’s early ambition was to be a surgeon. He has tried his hand at selling automobiles and at acting and doesn't like either. He is investing his money in bank stock, farm lands, baseball clubs and sporting goods stores. He will probably go into the sporting goods business when he retires. He has been a chronic scrapper since a boy but is as quick to forgive an injury as he is to fight. Ty learned to plow when he was a boy and can drive a mule with the best of ‘em. Cobb is a man of moderate habits, drinks little and smokes little. Cobb stirred up a lot of rough, talk by spiking various basemen but fair-minded men, even among his enemies admitted that the spiking was always accidental. This spring the Detroit team went on a strike when Cobb was suspended for dashing into the stands at New York and beating a spectator who had been rough in criticising him. When Cobb first joined the Tigers his chief warfare was with Catcjier Schmidt. Cobb has stuck it out to see this big boob go back to the bushes. Cobb is the only man who has batted as high as .420 since the foul-strike rule ivas adopted. Only live men in the last 20 years (Duffy. Boston, .438; Turner, Philadelphia, .423; Burch. Brooklyn, .423; Burkett, Cleveland, .433; Lajoie Philadelphia.. 422), have beaten Cobb’s 1911 mark. He has gone as many as 40 consecutive games without failing to get a hit. troit papers. Younger, lighter and less versed in the arts of pugilism than many of his teammates, he not infrequently got the worst of it. But gradually, by fighting and by playing, he won their respect, if tiot their friendship. Almost from the first Ty Uobb was a marvel. In fielding he could cover u little more ground and make a trifle more difficult catches than any other outfielder. At bat ting he was and is unequaled. Year after year he has led the American league-- usually in batting. in hitting two and three baggers, in scoring runs and in base steal ing. As a ball player Ty Uobb lias no equal. Batting, fielding, running, thinking -at all of them he is with out peer. • * • ( \N I. queMioi; all ■:!' Ty < ’obb folks ai<- asking themselves: "How long will he last?" According to "here HE DSi KING OF ALL SMASHING OUT A HOMER. " iK . W ' i ■ x * the statistics. Cobb lacks several months of being 26 years old. He has been playing baseball about eight years. Folks said, at the first of this season, that Cobb was skidding. He foolishly went on the stage last winter, and unquestionably he did not start the season in as good trim as in the past. At that he has managed to build his batting average up mighty close to the .425 mark—which may be “skid ding," but it. at least, isn’t upset ting. Cobb's speed may last him until he is 30. It would not be surpris ing if hie batting ability stuck by him until he is 35. There isn't a manager in base ball today who could get Ty Cobb's services for the next ten years who wouldn't willingly plunk down sloo.ooo cash for it. And that would be cheap enough for The Greatest Ball Flayer tn the World. City Clerk Selects An All-Star Baseball Team +••{. -f«a ....... Walter Taylor's Combination Is a Peacherino By Walter Taylor. (City Clerk of Atlanta, formerly dean of Southern Sporting Writers) PICKING an all-star ball club is an easy thing in some of the positions and a hard one when ■ < *■ , / The Big Race 1 Hers Is how the “Big Five” In the Amer jc a n_le ague ere hitting right up to date: __PL«yer^ ________ A.“b. H. Ayer. Cobb 347~ 146 421~ . Speaker 361 l 141 .391 Jackson 354 128 362 Collins ' 325 ! 109 .335 Lajoie . . . . 216 72 .333 No games were played In the American league yesterday. BURNS AND WHITE SIGN. SAN FRANCISCO, July 27.—Frankie Burns and Jack White, the Chicago lightweight, have been signed for a ten-round bout in Oakland. August 7. ' Burns' friends declare that recently he ' is fighting In hfs old-time work. CAIRO BEATS QUITMAN. QI’IT?«fAN. GA.. July 27.—Cairo won ] the second game of the series with Quitman, 11 to 10. The Quitman team - is to be materially strengthened today, i The features of yesterday's game were the playing of Davis, of Quitman. and Roduenbery, of Cairo. , Here's Walter Taylor's All-Star Team Cobb, center field; Jackson, right field; Speaker, left field; Chase fir<t base; Collins, second base; Baker, third base; Wagner, shortstop; B r . s nahan and Thomas, catchers; Johnson and Rucker, pitchers; Connie Mart manager. -■ it comes to some of the others. Os course, it is very simple to put the name of Cobb down for center field. And again it is simple to place the name of Wagner on the list for shortstop. It is also equal ly a? simple to say that Hal Chase is the best first baseman. Then aft er that It becomes to some extent a question of personal likes and dis likes of some man’s special style. Jackson has proven the wonder of present , day. baseball, because he made his leap into fame from a cotton factory and had little if any experience before he began to at tract attention. I heard of Jackson through a friend who happened to be in a little South Carolina town and saw him play two years before his name appeared among the pro fessionals. He had no education and had never, I was told, been outside of the little place where he was born. Speaker a Natural Batter. Speaker is a natural hitter. He swings his bat almost entirely with the wrist motion and does not lose either time or sight of the ball as some players do who use their shoulders when batting. Collins is entitled to the choice of second basemen because of his FODDER FOR FANS ■Tosh Devore, of the Giants, has acci dentally developed a new bunt. It is really nothing but a "cut" similar to that used by tennis players. The beauty of it is that the man who fields it doesn't know how it will bound. * • • Hal Chase seems to have made up his mind to play real baseball for the rest of this season, whether the Yanks do any thing or not. Maybe he's afraid Wolver ton will sell him to the Browns. The American league has purchased Umpire Joe O'Brien from the Ohio State league. Wonder if Ban Johnson knows about Dan I’fenninger? * • Ed Sweeney pulled a grand play the other day. He was caught flat-footed off second, but the throws were messed up. Martin, who had been on third, scored and in the excitement Ed got over to third safely, for a stolen base. • ft • A few more disbanded leagues: Wash ington State and Mountain State. * « * "Doc” Gordon, of the Norfolk team, re cently struck out 15 Petersburg hatters in one game—the season’s record in .the Virginia league. • • • Merely because Hugh Jennings «aid he didn't want a "lot of handshakers" on his club a St. Louis baseball writer called him a "poor, paleolithic throw-back.” • • • Wise sayings of baseball: “All scouts are bad, but seme are worse than others." • • • Bill Killefer says that St. Louis teams will never win a pennant. It looks like it, at that.. But Bill has an alibi. He says that on account of the heat, humid ity and general cussedness of the weather the players have no "pep.” • * • Anent Jimmy Lavender's allegation that he "can't see the Giants" we have only to say that it’s lucky there are plenty of good oculists in “old Chi.” * • * July 31 has been set aside for “boosters day" at the Nashville park. At that time they'll make a heroic effort to raise enough money to last out the season. All of which makes Atlantans thankful that their ball club is owned by a “soul less corporation” which takes Its losses when it has them without passing the hat. • * ♦ If Nashville sells its franchise in the Southern it might get one In the Kitty league. The salary limit is lower there. • • • Wilson Collins, of the Vanderbilt foot ball team, has decided to retain his ama teur standing intact, despite offers to play baseball with Washington, and will be back with the Commodore machine next fall. • * • A Nashville paper says the funny thing about Al Demaree is that he looks like a pitcher. To us the real humor of the NEWS FROM RINGSIDE Jess Willard, Charlie Cutler's “hope,” will get into action Monday night, when he is scheduled to meet Arthur Pelky, of Chicopee, Mass. The bout will be staged In Gotham. Lee Barrett and lack Dorman make up the main card at the Fairmont A. C., in New York, tonight. Nat Lewis says he is willing to bet {I.OOO Charley White can defeat Johnny Kilbane. White is anxious for a match with the champion at 126 pounds. • • a Frank McFarland, a nineteen-year-old brother of the famous Packey, was drowned at Chippewa Falls recently, where he was spending his vacation. Temple will appear in Memphis again on Monday w-hen he meets Joe Sherman in a ten-round fight. Temple finds fighting in the South a tough propo sition. as the heat affects him to such a degree that ho fainted twice while train ing for his recent bout at New Orleans. Joe Mandot will arrive in Memphis to morrow and will leave Tuesday or Wed nesday for Los Angeles to start training for his 20-round bout Labor day with Mexicart Joe Rivers. • • • Jem Maloney, manager of Bombardier Wells, says Mike Gibbons is the best midtileweight In the present ranks. Ac cording to Maloney's views should Mike ever visit Great Britain he would make a tremendous hit. a • • Abe At tell has at last come to himself and has decided to carry through his fight with Tommy Murphy rclieduled for August 3. However, it is ilkely the date will be moved back a few days in order to give the boys more time to train. • * * Attell has agreed to meet Young Shur grue in New York th" first of next month great ability and his youth. Rut r is a hard matter to set Nap Lajoie aside for any man in the game Baker is the man for third. In my opinion there is no cham p for an argument when it conies io shortstop. Hans Wagner, accord ing to my judgment, is entirely in a class by himself when it comes to the short field. As to catchers, I would tak« Bresnahan and Ira Thomas. The latter nas demonstrated his ability under the most trying circum stances and that, too. after having been turned away by two big league managers before Connie Mack took him up. Bresnahan has shown his worth, both as a player and manager. Picks Johnson and Rucker. As to pitchers, Johnson and Rucker look mighty good to me. If the Georgia Peach was with a :e*i ball club he would be the greatest slabman, in my judgment, this country has seen in many a day. Connie Mack is my choice for manager. He has the gift of handling men, knows a ball player and has kept himself and his dub always up to the highest personal standard. I think his ability as a manager and his personal integrity entitle him to first, choice. thing seemed to be that he didn't look like a pitcher. * * * peveral post-season series will be placed next fall. There will be the Giants-Red Sox affray (maybe), not to mention games between the two Philadelphia teams and between the two St. Louis teams. ft ft * The Carolina league is alive—but that'* all. Anderson has had enough and has quit with the team right up in the race. ♦ • • To the question: “What's the matter with the ball club?” Indianapolis fans answered as follows: "Buy 'em bigger bats.” "Try the needle." "Hop their salaries.” "Put a dictograph in the dugout." "Build a fire under ’em." "Send for Detective Burns." » • • O’Leary has had plenty as manager of the Indianapolis club and there is talk of letting him go. • • « If Doc Johnston "goes up" this fall Dave Bunting may play first for the Peli cans next year. The Pirates have grabbed Ralph Ca pron, speed specialist. * • ♦ Up in Cincinnati they maintain that J. McGraw is a real sportsman. They al lege that he could dress a Chinaman up in uniform, label him Mathewson and wh. every game with him. But in spite of that “Muggsy" insists on sending In a different pitcher every day against the Reds. * * * Up in the big leagues, where the> sell “eats” at the ball parks, a New York ca terer has invented a dogless sandwich that he claims will last fifteen games, with any ordinary care. • • * Tesreau is the biggest man in the big leagues. He weighs 241 pounds. He is wild, but not savage. * ♦ » Tom Downey, former Southern leaguer, has been grabbed by the Cubs from the Phillies, who were trying to pass him out over the Waiver Short line. » » « The Clarksville team has two Jollys— Abe and Bus. They aren’t related—but both are grouches. ft ft ft Cy Barger has won one game and lost eight this year for Brooklyn. ft ft ft They've been breaking bad for I’m? Bodie lately, as follows; 1. Fountain pen ran amuck and ruined a white vest. 2. Left Chicago in a hurry, bringing three right-foot shoes. 3. Struck oi.t five times in succession in Boston. 4. Got to New York and ordered can taloupe five minutes after the last portion was served. 5. Then went out to the ball park and fielded the first ball hit with his hare head. but the Hebrew' can easily have the th postponed. ft ft ft Billy Papke has accepted terms to HS I ; ten rounds with Eddie McGoorty m Kenosha Labor day. McGoorty has no> signed the contract yet. The board of fire and police commis-ion ers have put the lid on boxing at l’; l ‘ lu ' cah, Ky., where boxing matches na'< been staged for some two or three montns Luther McCarthy has at last secured « match. The big pug has signed arin’ie. for a ten-round scrap with Jim Ste" a ■ in New York August 3. • * » Although Jack Johnson has only " e ( in the saloon business little more than* week, John McWeeny, chief of l, 10l, ‘ Chicago, has started a suit again.-' • negro pugilist for keeping his place > • ' 1 In violation of the 1 o'clock closing ■ ' nance. • « • Young Ketchel and Chuck Larson v* scheduled to go ten rounds at ! " Haute, Ind.. Monday night. KITSON STOPS WALSH n IN THE FOURTH ROUND NASHVILLE, TENN.. July 27. ! ° George Kitson-Eddie Waish mi to an abrupt end in the fourth t‘ last night when Walsh went to ' e floor for the county with a stiff ' - to the jaw. It was one of the one-sided affairs ever seen in ville, Kitson having everything way. In an eight-round botil ' t Schwart and Leslie Winters tire"