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6 <GKMAH ®OW ffiWß® * IXKW ' LDITLD S FARNSWORTH GEORGIA GAVE TO BASEBALL ITS GREATEST PERFORMER Tyrus Cobb Without an Equal in National Game •;•••? + ••5* +••£• •£•••{• +• + Born and Trained in Empire State of the South By Percy 11. Whiting. JUDGE 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 bis ears, groaned and then wailed: "Well, that ruins Detroit's chance for the pennant." * ♦ • -pH IS historic joke must serve 1 as an introduction to this story of Ty Cobh- not because it is par ticularly funny, but because we have to start some way. Writing about Ty Cobb, in the limits of an ordinary newspaper article, is like trying to narrate the life 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 T is tolerably remarkable that \ there should be a "Best Ball Player in the World." There wasn't one before Ty Cobb's day. < titles agreed that Wagner was best of the shortstops, that I. ijoie was a thundering good second baseman. that a gent named Collins was onto some of the inside points of playing third, and that C. Mathewson was the pick of all pitchers. But there wasn't any "(me Best Bet -until Cobb. It is even more remarkable that, out of the many places of birth that Cobb might have picked, he selected —or had selected for him — a little cottage, hardly more than a cabin, located in Banks county, Georgia. But so it happened. And so it fell to the lot of Georgia to present to the world the only player of all time upon whom all could agree in conferring the title of the “Greatest Ball Player in the World.” * * ♦ <-pYRUS RAYMOND COBB was A born on December 18, 1886. His father was William 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 Ski ers and the West Siders 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 kids 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 regular 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 si-nation al until the eighth. Then, with the basis 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 tip. 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 Tv's playing base ball. In a flash his threatened “ca reer" at the Univeislty 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 career. THERE is a -tore that the J.-ilniis members of the Royston team kidded Cobb into going into proses. baseball. Knowing TV's Im eat ir , the constant taunts of his fellow Cobb*s Fielding and Batting Figures in Big League Year. G. A.B. R. H. P.C. P.O. A. E. P.O. S.B. 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. . 97 350 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 ‘Exclusive of this year. Here is another one of Percy ' if i 4 ‘ ’’W’ / H. Whiting’s sparklum stories £ 7 I •-.••• t.i luixs Wln> are inak- *• 7 '-'"'"I haselmll II- Will - / I. ■ iii tin future ABH g 7 /s' we , l 4b \ r fIW ' - tff X zffil /Az A nBMERLx r/ wk I tMEH r \ \ A /! r • wl. / ■vs. v /Z- Z\-' a.. / // V\ ■, b y p // 1 \/(O?) '• ' Z /II 5 Z\ Via. ~~ s I t a ■ / zx wE. \ "■ *Z ( ZZ JWMWr - ... I -M, ■' Z / \ / xu; c Mr** 1 Z / Z-ZZ /•„ x. x 1 \ .7 “■ \ ... WW ! HIS ■'FIGHTING” FACE. ... “4. ■ 7 H I —■ ■ i 9 "v *'//// SPEARING A LOW LINER. players, that he was "too fresh” and that he couldn't make good in real baseball, bight have driven him to try the professional game. At any rate, in 1904 Cobb packed a grip, secured letters from his minister and his managerand head ed for Augusta, where lie present ed his credentials to Con Strouth ers, then manager of the Augusta team. Strouthers, a peace-loving soul, found Cobb a problem. He could field and he could hit. but he was awkward and hard to control, b'inallv one day. when Cobb was ordered to bunt, he hit a liomq run instead. This wasn't Strouthcrs' notion of baseball, and it was too impetuous for staid Augusta. Cobb was, therefore. Incontinently canned. Strouthers tri. d to get s.‘>o tor the coming wonder from the Charleston club, but failed. Then Ty was sent to Anniston, Ala., to play "U a semi-professional team th. r. . They tell big stories of what Cobb did in Anniston. At any rate, lie was not. long in proving that he was too good for that burg. So lie was recalled to Augusta, where he stink until Detroit bought him for S7OO Today he is worth far in ad vance of a hundred times that sum, and th< <it.il that sent Ty to De troit will go down in the history books as the one big buy" of base ball. f’oßlfS career in the big leagues i- wort! a couple of pages, So what .an a man hit on who has l< ■ ■ th in i half column more of sp.o e avallabli ’ Cobb y■: lied thi Iu 11 nit t.-am a law. .iiiin'n bid. with an Imp.tii oii spirit, small knowledge of baseball, but maiv.mus natural IHE ATLANTA GEORGIAN AND NEWS. SATURDAY, JULY 27, 1912. A FEWASSORTEDFACTS ABOJJTCOBB 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. (’obi) is a crack shot with a rifle and gun, drives an automobile well and has but one regret— that he didn’t have a chance at football. Ln a game at (’leveland he singled, stole second, third aud home without even breaking his stride. He invented the art o f 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 tin? sporting goods business when he retires. He Ims been a chronic scrapper since a boy but is as quick to forgive an injury as he is to tight. 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 heating a spectator who had been rough in criticising him. When Cobh first joined the Tigers his chief warfare was with Catcher Schmidt. Cobb has stuck it out to see this big boob go back to the bushes. Cobb is the only man who has hatted as high as .420 since the foul-strike rule was adopted. Only five men in the Inst 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. ability. E’ortunately for him. his lot was east with that master of men and baseball Hiighte 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 the art of play ing baseball. Cobb's early days were tempes tuous. The free language of the ball players was new to him < >n*> term in particular, used among them often as a term of deepest friendship, was 'fighting talk" with him. Tile players, on their side. HERE HE IKENG OF ALL SMASHING OUT A HOMER. 'wv. I * considered him a "fresh kid," and. as he developed quickly into a mar velous pet former, they became not a little jealous of the young Geor gian. Now. all his life long Cobb has fought whenever there seemed need of fighting. And It wasn't long be fore he began sailing into the De troit papers Younger, lighter and less versed in the arts of pugilism than many of his teammates, he not infrequently tot the worst of ft. But gradually, bj fighting and by City Clerk Selects An All-Star Baseball Team Walter Taylor’s Combination Is a Peacherino Bv Walter Tavlor. (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 ZZ /y • »?:Z # * jZ . \\ ■m ■ Zw7 v playing, he won their respect, if not their friendship Almost from the first Ty Cobb was a marvel. In fielding he could cover a 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—always in hatting, usually in hitting two and three baggers. In scoring runs and In base steal ing. As a ball player Tv Cobb has n<> equal. Batting, fielding, running, Here's Walter Taylor's All-Star Team Ccbb, center field: Jackson, right field; Speaker, left field; Chase, fi- s base; Collins, second base; Baker, third base; Wagner, shortstop; Br es nahan and Thomas, catchers; Johnson and Rucker, pitche-s; Connie Mack 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 as simple to say that Hal Chase is the best first basemart. Then aft-’ er that it becornes 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 hefpre 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 PAPKE CUB MIODLE TITLE; WILL BET SS,OBO CHICAGO, July 27.—-Already pro claiming him to be middleweight cham pion of the world, Al Lippe, the New York manager of Billy Papke, wires that he is prepared to bet $5,000 on the Kewanee man against any man in the world at 158 pounds at the ring side. Lippe appears to be quite wild over the chance for the Illinois man to come back into his own in the middleweight division and says that it is an absolute certainty that Papke will regain the title he held once for about 30 days during the whirlwind campaign on Stanley Ketchel. Papke Is a Sure Come-Back. Al took Papke to Prance during the past two months and had an interest ing and fairly lucrative trip with Wil liam. who did so well over there in a quick and clean defeat of Marcel Mo reau that the Frenchmen are eager to see him perform again, and want most of all to see him in action against their own beloved Georges Carpentier. And in the meantime the tighter from the boiler town is getting plenty of good offers to do battle in his own land. Billy lost a lot of prestige in America because of the indifferent showing he made against Bob Moha and Frank Mantell, but now that he has demonstrated that he can come back by his work in foreign rings he has attracted the attention of the matchmakers in the East and also in the far West. Trying to Snare Gibbons. Lippe has been trying to induce Mike Gibbons, the St. Paul phantom, to transact some business and accept one or t'<<> of the offers that are being made in New York for a ten-round contest with Billy, but it appears that Mike is too coy to be caught in the Lippe- Papke net and is declining point blank to consider the matter. Inasmuch as Mike has cleaned 'em all up in the welterweight division and can not expect to earn another penny out of that class lie must naturally look to the class above for the good things in the future. And further the genial Michael can not expect very easy picking among the gents of the 158-pound squad. More than one tight er has remarked time and again that there Isn't such a thing as an easy mark in the American ring and I be lieve that statement to be more or less true. At least it may be said that every one of the middleweights of the present day is a tough customer. thinking—at all of them he is with out equal. ♦ * * question about Ty Cobb folks are seeking themselves: "How long will he last?” According to the statistics, Cobb lacks several months of being 26 years old. He has been playing baseball less than eight years. Folks said, at the first of this season, that Cobb was skidding. He foolishly went on the singe Inst winter, and unquestionably he did not start the season in as good trim as in the past. At that he great ability and his youth. Bu; it is a hard matter to set Nap aside for any man in the gain Baker is the man for third. In my opinion there is no charn-o for an argument when it comi s shortstop. Hans Wagner, accord ing to my judgment, is entirely n a class by himself when it conn s : > the short field. As to catchers, I would take Bresnahan and Ira Thomas T-ir latter nas demonstrated his ability under the most trying circum stances and that, too, after having been turned away by two bic league managers before Cimnm Mack took him up. Bresnahan has shown his worth, both as a plater and manager. Picks Johnson and Rucker As to pitchers, Johnson an<l Rucker look mighty good to m>-. if the Georgia Peach was with a :ea’ ball club he would be the greatc-t 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 Cub always up to the highest personal standard. I think his ability as a manager and his personal integrity entitle him to first choice. JOHNSOMTS TO BACK BIIIBT AGAINST MB CHICAGO, July 27.—’Twas ever the scheme of champions to back this m i or that one against a dangerous looking opponent, always hoping that chai.v might serve to overthrow said danger' .> looking opponent. And I. Johnson, present champion f the world, is not unlike those that have gone before him on the throne. Several times now lie has picked out likely ing white men and tossed them into ’he ring with his backing. It is said Johnson’s protege :> Jim Barry, the savage y t »ung (’hicag wim recently returned home from Australia after a heavy campaign in the rings around New South Wales. Barry Has Jack’s O. K. Barry is authority for the story th; 1 .; i • has Johnson’s O. K. and that the ■ Z.orn pion is willing to back him heavily .tg . i.-' Al Palzer, the big lowa man who stand-’ out sharply now among the new white boxers who have sprung up in tin- last few months. Further, it is claimed that Johnson I wired to New York that he is willing ’ wager SI,OOO that Barry can Imst RaZr in a ten-round battle, and further u;” wager SI,OOO against $2,500 that Barn stops the lowa man inside of the linn limit. Severe Test for Palzer. This is a bold bid for attention, I . : is doubtful whether the wily T. o’lh ntZ who still is handling the affairs of l aizur. will be attracted by it. The battle >n would serve to place Palzer in his pr-i'er niche in the sporting game at th»* time. Barry is a trial horse of um. ed strength, and if Albert can cleai ■' up in nice fashion the fight fans w know exactly how good be is. Palzer s a great man, though; ti , : little doubt of that, as his sterling gar ••• ness and stamina in the Wells ni.«’ dicated, but a victory over the r and desperately rough Barry woui . him out a whole lot. Palzer needs ur ’ seasoning before he can p->s>ihl> be ready for the Johnson bati< id ' ’ contest with Barry would furnish a v lot of it. INSURANCE MEN DECLARE UMPIRE TO PE A BIG RISK SOUTH NORWALK I'oNN I 27.—" Rudd” Held, umpire in t! neeticut long'll.’, has discovered t 1 baseball umpire is regarded by I ’ accident insurance companies undesirable risk. His em; ranks as that of an aviator is gerous calling, the insurance n Held tried nearly over, eon : the country without results tin week when a company, at a rate, took his risk. lias managed to build his b average up mighty close t” .425 mark—which may !'• ding,” but it, at least, isn't ting, Cobb's speed may last 'ii 1 he Is 30. It would not be sin ing if his batting ability stu him until he is 35. There isn't a manager i> ball today who could get Ty 1 services for the next ten y’’ :i ’ wouldn’t willingly plank SIOO,OOO cash for it. Anl would be cheap enough f Greatest Ball Player in the M