War on the Basepaths Read online

  Tall, self-assured, and sociable, William was an impressive figure and, despite the fact that he was barely out of his teens, he was admired for his all-around knowledge. It was only natural that he’d begin to teach locally in Banks County and soon developed a relationship with Amanda Chitwood, Caleb’s fifteen-year-old daughter. The two were married before Baptist Pastor L. J. Duncan on February 11, 1886.10 Not before very long, the Cobbs were expecting, and on the following December 18, a healthy baby named Tyrus Raymond, better known to the public as “Ty Cobb,” was born in the family’s remote cabin. Regarding his rather unusual name, Cobb explained that it came from a “Tyrian leader” from Tyre, which is today in modern-day Lebanon. He disavowed any claim that it was from Tyr, the Norse God of War.11

  “My grandfather was a Chitwood,” Cobb told a reporter in 1944. “I was born on his plantation, which is four miles from Mount Airy and about six miles from Cornelia. There’s nothing there but the land today.”12 Cobb described his birthplace as taking place in the community of Narrows, an unincorporated stretch of land that included parts of Banks, Habersham, and Stephens Counties.13 Narrows, Georgia, was the location of a locally important Civil War battle often referred to as the “Battle of Narrows.” According to Mark McCoy of the Banks County Historical Society, the battle was fought in October 1864 and ended in a victory for “Home Guard” members of the Confederacy against scavenger elements of the Union Army.14 At present, the area is more known as the Broad River region, and is actually within the city limits of Baldwin, Georgia. The exact address is 1366 Georgia Highway 105 and a marker remains there to signify his birth.

  William H. Cobb was extremely motivated to further his education—maybe even more so after the arrival of his first son. He likely read the articles in local newspapers advertising the academic offerings at the North Georgia Agricultural College at Dahlonega, particularly with the prominent military department, and went forward and enrolled for the 1887–88 term. His brothers-in-law, Stephen and Carter Chitwood, also attended the college, and the trio likely traveled together back and forth between Dahlonega and Banks County. He was a model student and because of his staunch discipline and the leadership qualities demonstrated in military drill, was quickly promoted to the rank of sergeant by 1889 and sergeant major in 1890. He served as a lieutenant in his final year at the college and was part of the Class of 1892, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts and a teachers’ license. The college today is known as the University of North Georgia and the “military department” of Cobb’s day is acknowledged as the “Military College of Georgia.”15

  In reporting on the Dahlonega graduates, the Atlanta Constitution stated that Cobb was a “man of intellect, a tireless worker, and of exemplary deportment.”16 Cobb was a member of the Decora Palaestra Society, and throughout his tenure at the North Georgia Agricultural College, he continued to progress as an orator.17 It got to the point that he was not only starring in debate competitions, but delivering presentation speeches during school exercises. He was said to be headed toward a career in law, but instead chose to remain an educator, taking up a position as principal of a school in Lavonia, later in 1892.18 The next year, he assumed direction at Harmony Grove High School in Jackson County. On September 11, 1893, he launched the fall term at the institution, offering a “splendid address” to the students and faculty.19

  When Cobb spoke, he tended to combine a vast knowledge of his subject matter with words of inspiration. For instance, before the pupils at Harmony Grove, he extolled the virtues of higher education, stimulating the youth to seek out advanced enlightenment. Undoubtedly, that is what he envisioned for his son Tyrus and their two other children, John Paul and Florence Leslie, born in 1889 and 1892 respectively.20 He wanted to encourage the same kind of love for books that his father instilled in him.

  During the summer of 1895, the Cobb Family moved to Carnesville, the county seat of Franklin County, and settled into their fourth home in four years. The Cobbs had lived in Banks County at the Chitwood residence in early 1892, Lavonia in 1892–93, Harmony Grove in 1893–95, and finally in Carnesville. As one might expect, the relocation was as a result of another job opportunity for William, this time as the principal at Carnesville High School. It also brought him closer to the movers and shakers of the county, including local politicians, bankers, businessmen, and other individuals who saw the potential in “Professor” Cobb. High schools in the late nineteenth century were different than they are commonly known today, and Carnesville taught students from at least first through ninth grades, meaning it was mostly comprised of children from ages seven to sixteen. Ty Cobb turned nine in December 1895, and would have likely been in third or fourth grade at the time. His studies would have included mathematics, reading, grammar, and spelling, as well as advanced classes in bookkeeping, correspondence, and business.21

  Franklin County in northeastern Georgia was spread out across 344 square miles and, amidst the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, was both scenic and economically viable. William Cobb was positive that it offered the kind of life he wanted for his family. There was the availability to develop a plantation of his own, prospects to expand the school system, and a possible political future (if he decided to take that route). Carnesville was just about dead center of the county and it was fairly simple to venture northeast to Lavonia or southeast to Franklin Springs and Royston. In an early 1890s promotional piece, Carnesville was described as an “ideal place,” mostly because the “water [was] pure and abundant” and the “citizens [were] moral, progressive, and united.”22

  These were small communities, however, and there were just over 14,000 inhabitants in the entire county during the early-to-mid 1890s. But that gave Cobb a better chance to make his mark as a leader, helping foster a more prosperous life for not only his family, but his neighbors as well. The Cobb family moved from Carnesville to Royston sometime around 1897, and once again, William transferred from one school job to another. Royston High School would be his final endeavor as a principal, although he’d never give up his work as an educator.23 In the late stages of the decade, he traveled back to Carnesville to mentor future teachers in what was called a “Normal” class. The local newspaper recommended that anyone “desiring to stand state examination would do well to attend.”24

  Similar to their previous moves, Ty had to adjust to his new surroundings in Royston, and it wasn’t easy for the high-strung, sometimes elusive young man. Most of the kids around him had known their friends their whole lives, and he was essentially an outsider, trying to fit in with the crowd. Prone to be a bit cynical and cautious, he didn’t stray too far from his father’s wishes, and attended school like he was told. But he wasn’t entirely fascinated by studies in the way his father had been, and his attention seemed to wander. When around others, he was always on heightened defense, protective, and any perceived insult from a peer could easily draw out his temper.

  “Ty has always been impetuous and head strong,” his mother Amanda explained in 1919. “Even when he was just a little tot in short clothes, he hated to lose an argument and he never did lose many. He was full of mischief in his boyhood days and he had fights in school. If a stronger boy would get the best of him, Ty would fight him every day or two until he finally won the verdict. He would never give up or admit that a lad could get the best of him.”25

  Ty had an insatiable desire to win. Regardless of the competition, he centered his entire being on that solitary goal. But the reasoning behind his drive revealed a major characteristic of his personality that he would never grow out of. In his 1961 memoir, he explained how he felt “merely adequate” as a student, simply ordinary in terms of scholastic ambition and the antithesis of his father. Despite his young age, the “Professor” wanted him preoccupied with studies and working in the direction of a professional career. Ty wasn’t ready to make that kind of decision. He sought adventure, not confinement to a desk. But he wanted to measure up to his father and was frustrated by his natural inabilit
y to contend with Professor Cobb, mentally or physically. As a consequence, he became discouraged and ridden with anxieties. He also became immensely insecure, harboring a great need to prove himself a “real man.”26

  In that state of self-doubt, he manifested his energy into physical attempts to substantiate his manhood, initially through schoolyard fighting. In his autobiography, Cobb said that he walked a precarious tightrope in Royston trying to prove he “could match the bigger boys.”27 But soon he’d enter the healthier realm of organized competition and apply himself the same way. Though, it wasn’t until he became utterly fascinated with baseball that he began to exhibit the type of passion that his father wanted him to give his schoolwork. Ty commented: “My first knowledge that I liked baseball was when I made my debut at school in Lavonia, Franklin County, Georgia. I was seven years old.”28 “He was always at play,” said Amanda Cobb, “and it was most always baseball, providing he could find any other boys of the neighborhood to play with him.” His mother admitted that her husband “scolded” Ty, hoping to dissuade him from wasting time on so useless of an activity.29 For a young man with college options or a possible West Point Military Academy appointment ahead of him, baseball was an ill-advised pursuit.

  Attorney R. L. J. Smith told the Atlanta Journal in 1907 that “Young Tyrus first learned to play the great American game of baseball” in Harmony Grove, and since Cobb lived in that village between the ages of seven and nine, he was probably right. Smith added that Cobb, “as a typical Georgia boy, [had] spent some of his happiest childhood days upon the local diamond.” 30 According to Howell Foreman’s 1912 article in Baseball Magazine, Cobb participated in his “first real games” while residing in Carnesville and Ty would have been ten or eleven years old at the time. He represented the West End squad and played catcher against a team from the East End.31 These games were spirited encounters and Cobb enjoyed the rivalry. He was essentially still a novice, but loved the challenge baseball offered and wanted to do nothing else. He was thrilled whenever there was an opportunity to play in a corner lot or even a game of catch, and his enthusiasm only served to get stronger once the family moved to Royston.

  Annoyed by his son’s infatuation, William worked tirelessly to alter Ty’s mindset. At the very least, he wanted to keep him busy enough so that he’d have no extra time to play ball. That meant chores, chores, and more chores on the fifteen-hundred acre family farm.32 After Ty expressed an inkling of interest in becoming a physician, William encouraged him to spend time with Fountain G. Moss, a Royston doctor. After helping “Doc” perform an operation and getting a good perspective of what a physician in rural America did on a daily basis, Cobb left the option open for his future.33 But, again, he wasn’t ready to make any long-term decisions. William, incidentally, was partial to Ty becoming a lawyer. Cobb, in 1947, wrote about his father, saying: “He hoped that I would follow his footsteps into public affairs and felt that legal training would be the best preparation. Many were the times we debated the matter, but neither of us budged.”34

  The public affairs that Ty mentioned were Georgia politics, which William Cobb entered during the late 1890s. Unlike his father in North Carolina, William was a staunch Democrat and, not surprisingly, education was a key aspect of his platform. He was a proponent of fairness and respect toward African Americans and, by August 1899, had gained such a wide popularity that people were already touting a 1900 bid for Georgia State Senator.35 The following July, he won his party’s primary for the 31st District and the Atlanta Constitution predicted the election would probably end “in his favor.”36 On October 3, 1900, Cobb gained a majority of the vote over J. C. McCarter and became senator, a position he’d execute with the same kind of astuteness that he did everything else. Cobb was also elected Mayor of Royston, but the specific time-frame he served was not revealed.37 According to one unidentified source, Cobb was Royston Mayor in 1903.

  The baseball culture in Franklin and surrounding counties was quite robust. In 1886, the Toccoa News declared that “Baseball threatens to become an extensive southern industry. It is very good for amusement, but it is a poor occupation.”38 And that’s the way it was treated: as a leisurely, yet spirited pursuit for young men already engaged in full-time schooling or careers. Teams represented just about every small village in the region from Harmony Grove to Elberton, and there was heavy encouragement for boys to head to the neighborhood diamond. In 1900, a journalist in Hartwell noticed a little too much “lounging listlessly around town” and told the kids to “shake your flabby muscles, shuffle off that lazy spell, and ‘play ball!’”39

  Perhaps the most important aspect of localized baseball was the competitive nature of both the players and supporters, and the honor that was on the line in games against adjacent municipalities. Rooters went out to the park to cheer on their fellow townsmen and the athletes involved in the heated contests were often on the verge of fisticuffs. The bottom line was that no one wanted to lose and give away bragging rights. While no one on the regional circuit could make a living just playing ball, the more talented players were able to venture from location to location and garner extra coinage performing away from their hometown.

  It was only fitting that Royston inaugurated a team of its own to enter the scramble for area baseball laurels. With an energetic citizenry, Royston had a population of just over 1,000, and featured a number of business and agricultural firms, helping it grow in size. The cotton gins, grocery and hardware stores, plus a variety of specialty shops offered residents an expanse of employment and shopping opportunities. Reverend Frank M. Hauser, who did a lengthy profile on the relatively young Royston community for the Augusta Chronicle, said, “It would put to shame many towns in Georgia twice her age in push and pluck.”40 Hence, when the baseball boom hit, not only was there a championship-level squad formed, but two others comprised of aspiring players striving for a shot with the big boys.

  Ty Cobb was one of those youngsters. Pretty much guaranteed a slot on a secondary team, he turned up his nose and wanted nothing less than to stand alongside the older guys and prove to his father that his so-called wasted time was worthwhile. The preeminent club was managed by twenty-six-year-old Robert “Bob” McCrary, a bank clerk by trade. A short gentleman with an easygoing disposition, McCrary didn’t play favorites on his team and allowed open trials to find the very best athletes at each station. Along came thirteen-year-old Cobb, full of vim and vigor, and as animated as could be. What he lacked in experience he made up in energy, and McCrary was quite impressed. Even though Cobb only weighed somewhere between 90 and 100 pounds and appeared far too skinny, the manager acknowledged his potential and brought him into the fold.41

  The decision wasn’t universally embraced, as many observers felt he was a good fielder, but lacking at the plate. McCrary ignored those comments and worked with Cobb at length, building up his batting “eye.” Cobb’s improvements were soon evident. In advance of a game in Elberton, there was a problem with the team’s regular centerfielder, and suddenly Cobb, who usually remained home when the squad went on the road, became a much needed substitute. What is believed to be another version of this same story was told by Ty’s uncle Clifford Ginn. However, he said the game was against Harmony Grove (Commerce) and the team was missing its shortstop, thus, the need for Cobb to participate. He said, “All were grown men except Cobb.” But Cobb was a starring feature in the contest, making three hits and accepting eight chances in the field without an error. Professor Cobb, who was reportedly at the game, rode back to the family farm with his son, and Ty “crawled under the buggy cushion and slept all the way home.”42 Cobb knew asking for his father’s permission was futile. There was no way the “Professor” would allow his teenage son to leave Royston to play foolish ball. And, actually, he had much more productive things for him to do, including work in the fields. McCrary, however, knew Ty’s father personally. They were both part of the Mason Brotherhood and, through that connection, he obtained the okay for Ty to travel wit
h the club.43

  In Professor Cobb’s mind, there were several concerns. For one, he wasn’t convinced baseball was a principled field of endeavor. He was aware of the rowdiness that sporadically took place which overshadowed any wholesome rivalry. The other concern was about Ty himself. When Howell Foreman obtained stories from the residents of Carnesville about Ty, he explained that locals remembered him for being a “chronic, continual scrapper.”44 Cobb knew his son was prone to aggression and he didn’t want his family embarrassed by some kind of outburst. Frankly, he wanted McCrary to supervise his son in Elberton, and the manager agreed. Young Cobb didn’t underachieve on that occasion. He hit demonically, leading Royston to victory. Later, Ty explained: “Let me tell you something, once an athlete feels that peculiar thrill that goes with victory and public praise, the fascination holds him for life. He can never get away from it. On the way back home from that game I made up my mind that I would try and be a great ballplayer and I worked at it by day and dreamed of it by night.”45

  In addition to McCrary’s teachings, Cobb was proactive on his own as well. He made efforts to increase his speed, read publications offering tips, and in a desperate need to supplant his ragged glove, resorted to a bit of thievery. He snuck into his father’s office, pulled two ancient-looking books from the shelves, and dealt them for a new mitt.46 It was the perfect irony, swapping academic text—which his father wanted him so much to appreciate—for a tool of the ball yard, and essentially allowing him to further his real ambition.