How Ty Cobb Was Framed as a Racist

New York Post ^ | 5/31 | Kyle Smith

[nickcarraway]

The two things everyone knows about Ty Cobb are that he was a phenomenal baseball player and that he was the worst racist ever to play the game.

But one of these things is mostly wrong.

Cobb, the first player voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the holder of more than 90 records upon his retirement and still the pace-setter with a .366 lifetime batting average, could be rude, but not nearly as nasty as you think. And far from being the most notorious racist in baseball history, he was an early and vocal supporter of integrating the big leagues.

[cripplecreek]

Ty Cobb had no love for the press and that is really the heart of it.

[ClearCase_guy]

Liberals can name three terrible racists:

1) Ty Cobb
2) Strom Thurmond
3) George Wallace

And there's only three things wrong with that list ...

[cripplecreek]

Really good article that tells a lot about Cobb.

Ty Cobb Was Not A Racist

He was a mean spirited man but also an extremely charitable man and the focus of his charity was almost exclusively on helping blacks.

[RichInOC]

I think Ty thought about most people the way Gunny Hartman thought about his platoon: Whatever they are, they’re all equally worthless.

[Fungi]

The last line of the article: “Detecting sin in someone else is a way of announcing to the world, and to yourself, your own virtue.” How true, in other words, judge not lest ye be judged.

[Does so]

I had a scuffed old "Partridge League" baseball from my Grandfather rolling around in my sock drawer. It had about a dozen unknown autographs on it. One day it rolled to the front of the drawer, only then showing the Ty Cobb autograph!

≡≡8-O

[BBell]

At least Strom Thurmond took care of his baby mama and baby, which is more than the majority of baby daddys do.

[Mr. N. Wolfe]

“How true, in other words, judge not lest ye be judged.”

Apparently there are some people on jury duty who take that phrase literally.

[Forgotten Amendments]

I've been a serious baseball fan for 50 years. I've heard him called “racist”, but not the worst.

Cap Anson, who started the color barrier is more notorious. Enos Slaughter (who spike Jackie Robinson in the Achilles tendon @ 1B , a cowardly move) was much reviled.

[Forgotten Amendments]

Thanks. This is a great piece.

[rlmorel]

The media has never let the truth get in the way of a juicy slander.

Especially when the subject is dead and cannot defend himself.

[FreeReign]

Enos Slaughter (who spike Jackie Robinson in the Achilles tendon @ 1B , a cowardly move) was much reviled.

Slaughter (later) claimed that he wasn't one of the Cardinals involved in the aborted Robinson strike, denied spiking Robinson on purpose, and denied being a racist.

Who knows.

But he was tough to get along with by everybody.

[Vigilanteman]

Wow, your article changed my opinion of the man even more than this post. I'd always felt that he was a victim of some bad press, because I was aware of at least some of his charitable activities, but by no means all of them.

However, I did not think it possible that all of the press could be wrong. I liked him as a boy because I was a bit of a runt myself who had to compete hard. Now, I understand that my instincts were right.

[Michael.SF.]

Even Shoeless Joe Jackson didn't like Ty Cobb

[RedMDer]

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[yarddog]

I saw an episode of “You Bet Your Life” where Groucho had Casey Stengel on as a contestant.

Of course Groucho who was a long time baseball fan, talked baseball with Casey. One question he asked was “who was the greatest player of all time”. Casey responded “Tyrus Raymond Cobb, no one else was even close”.

Groucho agreed with him and then asked how he thought Cobb would do against then current pitchers. Stengel said Cobb would hit around .270. Groucho then said something like well that is not all that good. Casey said “well you have to remember that Cobb is over 70 years old”.

[Impy]

George Wallace was a liberal. Word is if Kennedy had beaten Carter, he’d have been the running mate.

[Impy]

Interesting.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Dumbest mistake for the Dems in ‘76 was not nominating Scoop Jackson.