Millions of Peaches...

There is a tense finality in Ty Cobb's conversation which is unique. Other players state opinions, the Georgian gives facts. In the presences of the game's greatest player, the listener feels intuitively that here is one man who knows absolutely what he is talking about. For, if Ty Cobb hasn't seen a particular play, or tried it himself, or seen it tried, it has never been or probably never will be attempted.

Ty Cobb is many things. "Violent," "racist," and "evil son of a bitch," all apply. However, he was undoubtedly one of the finest players to even put on a pair of spikes, and remains to this day the figure self-righteous sports writers use when bringing up "character" and the "Hall of Fame."* He was a character, and every story needs a villain. Look at that evil smile! It's even on his Hall of Fame plaque!



But as much as you have to hate the guy, he was a brilliant baseball mind. "Baseball is war," sure, but Cobb didn't play so much as he fought. The above quote was taken from Cobb's treatise Trick Plays and How to Make Them. Daring Feats That Have Made the Tigers Dreaded, and How They Were Thought Out and Executed, as Revealed in an Interview. It's from Baseball Magazine circa 1916, and it as long as it is awesome. While reading it, try imagining yourself in Cobb's presence-- you can almost feel the contempt oozing off the page you read it. It's quite the experience, unless of course, you're black, then Cobb would have fought you for being in his presence. Seriously. (10th paragraph)



*Not actually theoretical.
Hat Tip: "A Cheater's Guide to Baseball" Blog