War on the Basepaths Read online

  78 Detroit Free Press, October 1, 1907, p. 1.

  79 Ibid.

  80 The Sporting News, July 27, 1944, p. 11.

  81 The Sporting News, June 19, 1941, p. 5.

  82 Detroit Free Press, October 4, 1907, p. 8.

  83 The race was basically settled after Detroit beat St. Louis on October 5. They would lose the final two games at St. Louis, but played half-heartedly with numerous substitutes. Cobb missed both games. The Tigers finished with a 92–58 record.

  84 Ty Cobb: My Life in Baseball by Ty Cobb with Al Stump, 1993, Bison Books edition, p. 73.

  85 Detroit Free Press, October 10, 1907, p. 1.

  86 Detroit Free Press, August 18, 1907, p. 14.

  87 Detroit Free Press, October 11, 1907, p. 1.

  88 Detroit Free Press, October 12, 1907, p. 1.

  89 Detroit Free Press, October 13, 1907, p. 17. A detailed breakdown of the 1907 World Series was offered in The Detroit Tigers, Frederick G. Lieb, 2008, Kent State University Press edition, p. 94–104.

  90 Detroit Free Press, October 13, 1907, p. 1.

  91 Detroit Free Press, October 17, 1907, p. 1.

  92 The Sporting News, October 24, 1907, p. 6.

  93 The Jennings-led barnstorming squad played the Logan Squares in Chicago on October 19–20, and Cobb was one of the top performers, working the bases, fielding strong, and hitting to all parts of the field. They also went to Racine, Wisconsin, on October 21 and Cobb again played remarkably well. See Detroit Free Press, October 20–22, 1907.

  94 Atlanta Journal, October 25, 1907, p. 18.

  CHAPTER FIVE: “UP HERE, THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND ME”

  1 In 1907, Cobb resided at 2384 Woodward Avenue. The Brunswick Hotel was at the corner of Grand River and Cass Avenues. Cobb talked about players staying at the Brunswick in his autobiography, Ty Cobb: My Life in Baseball by Ty Cobb with Al Stump, 1993, Bison Books edition, p. 23–24.

  2 Detroit Free Press, March 24, 1907, p. 17.

  3 Detroit Free Press, March 8, 1907, p. 8. He was said to be shorter than his brother and differed greatly in his batting style. Detroit Free Press, May 16, 1907, p. 8. Paul Cobb would finish 1907 in the Western Association as a member of the Leavenworth, Kansas team.

  4 Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 3, 1907, p. 27. Also see San Diego Union, November 3, 1907, p. 7.

  5 The Sporting News, December 31, 1908, p. 6. Sporting Life, May 16, 1908, p. 11.

  6 Amongst the 100-plus contributors to the “Ty Cobb Fund” were leading businessmen and politicians. $30 was donated by Cobb’s home city of Royston and Governor Hoke Smith added $5. The original plan was to buy him a medal, but with the increase in funds, the idea switched to a pocket watch crafted by Schaul and May. Atlanta Journal, October and November 1907.

  7 Atlanta Journal, October 25, 1907, p. 18.

  8 Atlanta Journal, October 16, 1907, p. 20.

  9 Atlanta Journal, November 13, 1907, p. 14.

  10 Additional articles in the “Ty Cobb Edition” were about Detroit trainer Tom McMahon, Rube Waddell, Bob Lowe, and Jim McGuire. Atlanta Journal, December 22, 1907, p. 13. Atlanta Journal, December 22, 1907, p. S1–S4. Cobb reportedly worked on the articles over the course of a month. Paul Bruske circulated blurbs from the articles in the Detroit Times.

  11 Atlanta Constitution, August 5, 1907, p. 7.

  12 Ty Cobb: My Life in Baseball by Ty Cobb with Al Stump, 1993, Bison Books edition, p. 76. Notably, several times during Cobb’s short career, the press alluded to him getting poor or foolish advice from southern associates. An example of this was when he was originally signed by the Tigers and wanted half of his purchase price in the transaction between Detroit and Augusta, an uncustomary request. Detroit Free Press, March 10, 1906, p. 10. Joe S. Jackson mentioned this problem again, Detroit Free Press, March 7, 1908, p. 7.

  13 Detroit Free Press, January 10, 1908, p. 6.

  14 Letter to Cobb from Navin dated January 9, 1908, Ernie Harwell Collection, Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library, Detroit, Michigan.

  15 Atlanta Journal, November 11, 1907, p. 14.

  16 Navin reportedly offered $3,500, the same amount given to Crawford.

  17 Cobb’s point of view and Navin’s response was covered in-depth by Sporting Life, February 8, 1908, p. 10. Cobb explained an earlier medical situation in his career in which he had to cover the costs himself, rather than the team paying for it. Ty Cobb: My Life in Baseball by Ty Cobb with Al Stump, 1993, Bison Books sedition, p. 55. However, the club did cover his medical bills in the summer of 1906. The Sporting News, January 30, 1908, p. 2. Cobb wasn’t the only player of note in the majors holding out. Bobby Wallace, Tommy Leach, Nick Altrock, Jack Pfiester, and the great Honus Wagner each had their own reasons for delaying signature to a new contract, and waited for the right conditions to present themselves. Even Claude Rossman haggled with Navin, citing his terrific play in the World Series as reason for a bump in salary.

  18 Detroit Free Press, January 25, 1908, p. 6.

  19 Augusta Chronicle, February 2, 1908, p. 8.

  20 Apparently, he told the youngster about an incident that occurred during his own career, when he forced Baltimore Orioles owner Ned Hanlon to pay what he asked through a holdout-type situation. Augusta Chronicle, February 9, 1908, p. 12.

  21 Augusta Chronicle, March 16, 1908, p. 8. The Logan Squares were operated by former major leaguer, Jimmy Callahan. Augusta Chronicle, March 1, 1908, p. 10.

  22 The Sporting News, February 13, 1908, p. 2. The same issue discussed a National Agreement amendment to shield owners from player extortion.

  23 Detroit Free Press, February 15, 1908, p. 7.

  24 Detroit Free Press, March 15, 1908, p. 13.

  25 See Detroit Free Press, March 19–21, 1908. An odd comment appeared in the Lansing State Republican, which said: “Perhaps the long uncertainty over the signing of Ty Cobb helped to increase the prevalence of the cocaine habit in Detroit.” Detroit Free Press, March 25, 1908, p. 4.

  26 Augusta Chronicle, March 26, 1908, p. 10. Other sources have his salary affixed at $4,500. www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cobbty01.shtml. One rumor claimed his salary was as high as $6,500 and that he received part of it from prominent Detroit rooters. Detroit Free Press, March 22, 1908, p. 17.

  27 Detroit Free Press, March 21, 1908, p. 1, 6.

  28 Detroit Free Press, March 31, 1908, p. 6.

  29 Atlanta Constitution, December 5, 1924, p. 13 and January 6, 1926, p. 6.

  30 Detroit Free Press, May 22, 1906, p. 9.

  31 The Sporting News, April 9, 1908, p. 6.

  32 Current Literature, November 1911. The Sporting News, November 16, 1911, p. 4. Cobb participated in a field day exhibition on October 18, 1908 at Chicago and circled the bases in 13.8 seconds, ran to first after a bunt in 3.2 seconds, and beat Jones in a 100-yard dash with a 10.4. Detroit Free Press, October 19, 1908, p. 6. Two years later, Hans Lobert reportedly circled the bases in 13.8 seconds, the same as Cobb, but his time was established as the official world record. Maurice Archdeacon broke that mark with a 13.4, and later, Evar Swanson broke that record with a 13.3 in 1931. The Sporting News, February 1, 1950, p.6.

  33 Detroit Free Press, April 15, 1908, p. 1.

  34 Detroit Free Press, April 18, 1908, p. 9.

  35 Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 27, 1908, p. 22.

  36 Detroit Free Press, May 2, 1908, p. 6.

  37 Fort Wayne News and Sentinel, September 17, 1918, p. 3.

  38 Detroit Free Press, June 6, 1908, p. 6.

  39 The Pontchartrain Hotel rested at the southwest corner of Cadillac Square at 660 Woodward Avenue. It opened on October 29, 1907. historicdetroit.org/building/hotel-pontchartrain. The hotel was east of Bennett Park along Michigan Avenue, and street car lines were available for transit to and from the ball field.

  40 Detroit Free Press, June 7, 1908, p. 10. The crew of at least six workers was under the management of foreman Peter J. Breen.

  41 Ibid.

  42 Ibid. Collins
was listed as a “paving worker” in the World War I Draft Registration Records at ancestry.com. The press made sure it was known that Collins was wearing eyeglasses when the confrontation started.

  43 Ibid. Detroit lost to Boston, 10–5. Cobb wasn’t the only member of the Tigers to fight with a member of the public. A Toronto visitor to Detroit named Archibald Tark vocally criticized players at the Brunswick Hotel, and was trounced by Herman Schaefer. Detroit Free Press, June 10, 1908, p. 16.

  44 St. Louis Post Dispatch, June 7, 1908, p. A10.

  45 Detroit Free Press, June 7, 1908, p. 10.

  46 Atlanta Constitution, July 9, 1900, p. 2.

  47 Atlanta Constitution, June 13, 1896, p. 3. Details about the hanging of Ware were featured in multiple papers, including Augusta Chronicle, September 19, 1904, p. 1. Ware, who was accused of murdering a white man, was taken from authorities by a lynch mob, killed, and shot 50 times in the vicinity between Royston and Carnesville.

  48 Franklin County Press, July 28, 1899, p. 1.

  49 Franklin County Press, January 5, 1900, p. 1.

  50 Savannah Tribune, December 7, 1901, p. 2.

  51 Detroit Free Press, June 10, 1908, p. 4.

  52 Ty Cobb: My Life in Baseball by Ty Cobb with Al Stump, 1993, Bison Books edition, p. 94.

  53 Washington Post, June 9, 1908, p. 8 and the Daily Illinois State Register, June 21, 1908, p. 14.

  54 These incidents occurred in games between June 21 and June 30, 1908.

  55 Detroit Free Press, June 28, 1908, p. 17.

  56 Ibid.

  57 Ty Cobb: My Life in Baseball by Ty Cobb with Al Stump, 1993, Bison Books edition, p. 27.

  58 Detroit Free Press, July 26, 1908, p. 17.

  59 Detroit Free Press, September 22, 1907, p. 17.

  60 The Sporting News, January 30, 1908, p. 4.

  61 Ty Cobb: My Life in Baseball by Ty Cobb with Al Stump, 1993, Bison Books edition, p. 27.

  62 Wright’s comments in The Sporting News, September 5, 1907, p. 3. Bruske’s remarks in Sporting Life, October 5, 1907, p. 7.

  63 The Sporting News, October 10, 1907, p. 6.

  64 The Sporting News, November 21, 1907, p. 4.

  65 The Sporting News, January 16, 1908, p. 3.

  66 Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader, May 18, 1910, p. 11.

  67 Detroit Free Press, April 4, 1909, p. 19. Also see Muskegon Chronicle, March 25, 1908, p. 3.

  68 Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 5, 1908, p. 8D.

  69 Ibid.

  70 Detroit Free Press, July 18–19, 1908.

  71 Cobb wrote a letter to Paul Bruske and notified him of his engagement. It was erroneously reported that she was an “Atlanta girl.” Sporting Life, December 14, 1907, p. 3.

  72 Charlie Lombard was reportedly born on July 3, 1890, however, the 1900 U.S. Federal Census listed her birth year as 1891, which would have made her 17 at the time of her wedding. Lombard was part of a commencement ceremony at St. Mary’s in 1907. See Augusta Herald, June 7, 1907, p. 7.

  73 Augusta Chronicle, August 7, 1924, p. 5.

  74 Alfred O. Lombard was a soldier in Company K (known as the Olglethorpes), Third Infantry, Georgia National Guard.

  75 Detroit Free Press, July 23, 1908, p. 9.

  76 Detroit Free Press, July 26, 1908, p. 17.

  77 Clifford Ginn was married to Cobb’s mother’s sister, Eunice, and was four years older than Cobb.

  78 Wedding coverage found in the Augusta Chronicle, August 4–7, 1908. Augusta Chronicle, August 22, 1908, p. 5.

  79 Detroit Free Press, August 10, 1908, p. 8.

  80 Detroit Free Press, August 11, 1908, p. 6.

  81 Detroit Free Press, August 21, 1908, p. 9.

  82 Detroit Free Press, August 15, 1908, p. 6. Read more about the Morgan-Cobb incident at sabr.org/bioproj/person/dfafa3e0. Also see The Sporting News, September 3, 1908, p. 6.

  83 Detroit Free Press, October 7, 1908, p. 1. For that reason, the team would elect to give him a full slice of the World’s Series cut, even though he was unable to play due to National Commission rules preventing late season additions from participating.

  84 During the August eastern jaunt, Cobb was allowed to miss an exhibition at Newark to spend time with Charlie in Washington, D.C. Mrs. Cobb also attended road games of the World Series in Chicago.

  85 Detroit Free Press, November 16, 1908, p. 8.

  86 The Sporting News, October 17, 1907, p. 1.

  87 Detroit Free Press, October 11, 1908, p. 1, 17.

  88 Detroit Free Press, October 12, 1908, p. 1.

  89 Detroit Free Press, October 13, 1908, p. 1.

  90 See Detroit Free Press, October 14, 1908, p. 1, and The Sporting News, October 22, 1908, p. 4. In an interesting sidebar to the Series, before one of the games, Cobb briefly acted as a catcher for Cubs’ Mordecai Brown in warm-ups. Ibid.

  91 Detroit Free Press, October 15, 1908, p. 1.

  92 A full breakdown of the 1908 World Series was offered in The Detroit Tigers, Frederick G. Lieb, 2008, Kent State University Press edition, p. 109–117.

  93 The trip to the Orient was cancelled because Charlie Cobb was battling a lengthy illness.

  94 Cobb’s terms for 1909 were the same as for 1908. Detroit Free Press, January 1, 1909, p. 9.

  CHAPTER SIX: THE LUCKY STIFF

  1 Atlanta Constitution, December 6, 1924, p. 9.

  2 The Sporting News, September 24, 1931, p. 4.

  3 The Sporting News, April 16, 1908, p. 4.

  4 Atlanta Constitution, December 6, 1924, p. 9.

  5 Chicago Defender, July 22, 1911, p. 5.

  6 An entertainer named “Zalla, Queen of Dancers” performed for the crowd on the passenger steamer Sappho at the event. Also in attendance were Ed Willett, Ira Thomas and team trainer Harry Tuthill. Detroit Free Press, June 17, 1908, p. 10.

  7 These instances occurred on September 2 at the Gayety Theater in Detroit and on September 4 at the American Theater in St. Louis.

  8 Detroit Free Press, October 9, 1908, p. 8.

  9 Atlanta Constitution, October 29, 1908, p. 11.

  10 Cobb’s team beat the Bernhardt club before a large crowd. New Orleans Times-Picayune, November 15, 1908, p. 15. New Orleans Times-Picayune, November 16, 1908, p. On December 12, 1908, Cobb acted as referee for a boxing match at New Orleans’ Southern Athletic Club and allowed the fight to continue despite Kid Greaves’ domination over Charley Fury. Police finally stepped in to halt the contest, and Cobb later said he was just abiding by Marquis of Queensberry rules by allowing the battle to continue. He was supposed to referee the main event between Young Corbett and Phil Brock as well, but was pulled from the job. New Orleans Times-Picayune, December 14, 1908, p. 10. Cobb wanted to be paid in full, including for the main event job, but finally accepted partial pay before leaving New Orleans with a bad taste in his mouth. Detroit Free Press, December 16, 1908, p. 9.

  11 Multiple reports located in the Detroit Free Press, January 1909.

  12 Detroit Free Press, February 14, 1909, p. 17.

  13 Augusta Chronicle, March 2, 1909, p. 4.

  14 Augusta Chronicle, March 10, 1909, p. 5 and Detroit Free Press, March 12, 1909, p. 10.

  15 Augusta Chronicle, March 11, 1909, p. 5.

  16 Cobb’s pitching ambition was talked about in The Sporting News, June 8, 1907, p. 6.

  17 Atlanta Constitution, November 25, 1924, p. 8.

  18 Ernie Harwell Collection, Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library, Detroit, Michigan. He told Cobb to “be more careful of your arm.”

  19 Detroit Free Press, March 29, 1909, p. 8.

  20 The Sporting News, June 24, 1943, p. 5.

  21 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 7, 1909, p. 2S.

  22 Detroit Free Press, March 18, 1910, p. 10.

  23 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 9, 1909, p. 1S.

  24 Detroit Free Press, May 1–2, 1909.

  25 Detroit Free Press, September 6, 1909, p. 7. After a game on June 26 at Bennett Park, Detroit sportswriters really got after Criger for a �
��bonehead play” they felt he made. The catcher had a poor inning and was taken out of the game with an injured knee. Detroit Free Press, June 27, 1909, p. 17. He mistakenly wrote that Criger was still a teammate of Cy Young at Boston at the time, but really Criger was with St. Louis and Young was playing for Cleveland. The claim that Cobb stole three bases on Criger went back a lot earlier than Cobb’s autobiography, however.

  26 Ty Cobb: My Life in Baseball by Ty Cobb with Al Stump, 1993, Bison Books edition, p. 161–163.

  27 The Sporting News, April 23, 1936.

  28 The Sporting News, May 1, 1941, p. 14.

  29 Los Angeles Times, March 9, 1951, p. C1.

  30 Ibid. The Sporting News, November 9, 1955, p. 13. A variation of this story was told in Cobb’s autobiography, and the player who noticed his “tell” was Boston’s Larry Gardner. Ty Cobb: My Life in Baseball by Ty Cobb with Al Stump, 1993, Bison Books edition, p. 163.

  31 Ibid. Mike “King” Kelly, who played in the majors from 1878 to ’93, was said to be an “earlier edition” of Cobb for his “color and the audacity of his base-running.” Kelly was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1945. The Sporting News, May 3, 1945, p. 7.

  32 Detroit Free Press, May 12, 1909, p. 1.

  33 Detroit Free Press, July 16, 1909, p. 8.

  34 Detroit Free Press, July 23, 1909, p. 9.

  35 Philadelphia Inquirer, August 26, 1909, p. 8. Philadelphia Inquirer, August 27, 1909, p. 6.

  36 The spiking of Baker was mentioned, but the story didn’t receive headline press the day after it happened. There was no immediate riot at the scene as it has been claimed. Detroit Free Press, August 25, 1909, p. 9.

  37 Philadelphia Inquirer, August 25, 1909, p. 6. Also see Ty Cobb: My Life in Baseball by Ty Cobb with Al Stump, 1993, Bison Books edition, p. 114–116.

  38 Boston Journal, August 3, 1909, p. 8.

  39 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 9, 1909, p. 1S. Bradley was spiked on the hand by Cobb in the eighth inning of a contest on April 17.

  40 The Sporting News, February 18, 1953, p. 10.

  41 The Sporting News, September 2, 1909, p. 1, 4.

  42 Harrisburg Patriot, August 28, 1909, p. 10.

  43 Players were “heartbroken” by the trade. Red Killefer was also sent to Washington in the Schaefer deal. Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader, August 17, 1909, p. 13. In another trade, Claude Rossman went to St. Louis for first baseman Tom Jones.