War on the Basepaths Read online

  44 Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader, September 16, 1909, p. 14.

  45 Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader, September 7, 1909, p. 10.

  46 Detroit Free Press, August 31, 1909, p. 8.

  47 Detroit Free Press, August 28, 1909, p. 8.

  48 Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 8, 1909, p. 8.

  49 Cincinnati Post, October 21, 1909, p. 6.

  50 Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 8, 1909, p. 8.

  51 Detroit Free Press, September 8, 1909, p. 9.

  52 A photo of the penknife was displayed in the paper. Cincinnati Post, October 21, 1909, p. 6. The knife had a blade one and one-sixteenth inches long. Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 21, 1909, p. 5. Ironically, only days before the Cleveland incident, G. E. Schwab of Detroit’s G. E. Schwab Chandelier Company fashioned “pocket knives” for each of the members of the Tigers with the likeness of Hugh Jennings and others on the outside casing. It isn’t known whether this knife was the weapon used by Cobb. Detroit Free Press, August 28, 1909, p. 8.

  53 Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 8, 1909, p. 8.

  54 Detroit Free Press, September 8, 1909, p. 9.

  55 Stanfield had hired the law firm of Hidy, Klein and Harris. Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 8, 1909, p. 8. A doctor listed his injuries, including “three deep cuts,” one to his scalp, his shoulder, and left hand. Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 6, 1909, p. 12.

  56 Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 5, 1909, p. 1C.

  57 Detroit Free Press, September 6, 1909, p. 7.

  58 Cobb: My Life in Baseball by Ty Cobb with Al Stump, 1993, Bison Books edition, p.116. Washington Post, August 31, 1909, p. 8.

  59 Fort Wayne News and Sentinel, September 19, 1918, p. 3.

  60 Ibid.

  61 Detroit Free Press, September 17, 1909, p. 8.

  62 The Sporting News, September 23, 1909, p. 1. Additional reports in the Detroit Free Press, September 18–19, 1909 and Philadelphia Inquirer, September 18, 1909, p. 1, 10. Baker and Cobb shook hands during the September 17 game after Cobb stole third. 27,814 were present to see the important historical moment of sportsmanship. Jimmy Dykes called Baker an “extremely awkward” third baseman, giving a sort of reasoning for why he was spiked. The Sporting News, May 13, 1953, p. 21. During the 1911 World Series, New York Giants outfielder Fred Snodgrass spiked Baker, and the Cobb incident, of course, was remembered. Cobb believed that it demonstrated Baker’s ill-advised blocking techniques on the baselines and vindicated him in his own case. Omaha World Herald, October 29, 1911, p. 23. Famous pitcher Christy Mathewson explained in another article how Cobb and Snodgrass were guiltless in their run-ins with Baker. Lexington Herald, June 16, 1912, p. 5.

  63 Philadelphia Inquirer, September 21, 1909, p. 10. Cobb told a story of accidentally breaking a fan’s straw hat during this series and giving the man $5 for it, which undoubtedly earned him some new admirers. Cobb: My Life in Baseball by Ty Cobb with Al Stump, 1993, Bison Books edition, p. 117.

  64 Ibid. The series ended with Philadelphia winning three of four games and a total of 117,208 fans witnessed the important contests. However, despite the results, the Tigers would never relinquish first place to their rivals. Connie Mack would lay blame for his team’s inability to win the pennant squarely on the injury to Barry, as the shortstop would miss the remainder of the season because of the spiking by Cobb. Denver Post, October 1, 1909, p. 11.

  65 Detroit Free Press, October 1, 1909, p. 1, 8.

  66 Detroit Free Press, October 3, 1909, p. 1.

  67 Detroit Free Press, October 5, 1909, p. 4.

  68 Cobb’s bat, interestingly, was auctioned off and purchased by cartoonist Tad Dorgan for $50. Detroit Free Press, October 7, 1909, p. 8.

  69 Bourke was a junior partner in the law practice of Navin, Sheahan, and Bourke. Navin, in this instance, was Thomas J. Navin, brother of Detroit Tigers owner Frank Navin. He handled much of the legal duties for the club. Tom Navin died unexpectedly in December 1910 and Cobb was quick to send a message of sympathy to Frank. It was mentioned in a letter to Cobb from Navin dated December 21, 1910, Ernie Harwell Collection, Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library, Detroit, Michigan.

  70 Mintz said the settlement amount between Cobb and Stanfield was “so small that I would be ashamed to tell you.” Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 10, 1909, p. 9.

  71 Wagner would win eight National League batting championships during his career, including four in a row from 1906 to ’09.

  72 Detroit Free Press, November 21, 1909, p. 19.

  73 Detroit Free Press, October 9, 1909, p. 1. A photo of Wagner and Cobb’s initial meeting appeared in the newspaper. Detroit Free Press, October 10, 1909, p. 23. Bat expert Henry Morrow of the J.H. Hillerich Company, manufacturers of the Louisville Slugger, once claimed Cobb began his career using a 44-ouncer, and then went to a 38-ounce later on. The Sporting News, January 21, 1953, p. 17. The same resource stated Wagner used a 38-ounce bat. The Sporting News, May 6, 1953, p. 3. For that reason, it isn’t known how much of a dramatic difference in the bats of Cobb and Wagner were observed in 1909.

  74 Detroit Free Press, October 9, 1909, p. 1.

  75 In his recollection, Wagner said he tagged Cobb out. The Sporting News, April 13, 1944, p. 17.

  76 The Sporting News, November 11, 1909, p. 4.

  77 The Sporting News, November 13, 1941, p. 2.

  78 Detroit Free Press, October 11, 1909, p. 8. Amanda Cobb, R.O. Lombard, and the latter’s brother were also in Pittsburgh on October 9 and likely attended Series games. Detroit Free Press, October 10, 1909, p. 23.

  79 Detroit Free Press, October 12–13, 1909.

  80 Detroit Free Press, October 13, 1909, p. 10.

  81 Detroit Free Press, October 14, 1909, p. 1.

  82 Detroit Free Press, October 17, 1909, p. 17.

  83 A full breakdown of the 1909 World Series was offered in The Detroit Tigers, Frederick G. Lieb, 2008, Kent State University Press edition, p. 125–137. Detroit players earned $1,274.76 for their work.

  84 Wagner had eight hits and six stolen bases during the Series. Cobb had six hits, three of them being doubles, and two stolen bases.

  85 Bismarck Daily Tribune, October 24, 1909, p. 6.

  CHAPTER SEVEN: DETROIT’S PRIMA DONNA

  1 Comiskey wrote a lengthy article explicitly lauding Cobb’s baseball skills. Denver Post, April 17, 1910, p. 30.

  2 Augusta Chronicle, December 27, 1908, p. 9.

  3 Detroit Free Press, September 19, 1909, p. 19.

  4 Ty Cobb: My Life in Baseball by Ty Cobb with Al Stump, 1993, Bison Books edition, p. 178–180. It is altogether likely that Cobb also mingled with fans at the Pontchartrain Hotel. He reportedly found “delight in fanning with the local bugs,” and “bugs” in this sense was baseball-speak for enthusiasts. The Sporting News, April 16, 1908, p. 6.

  5 It was said he was going to invest in “Georgia timberlands.” The Sporting News, October 24, 1907, p. 2.

  6 Cobb also owned property outside Brunswick, Georgia. Detroit Free Press, March 21, 1909, p. 17. Another report stated his property was two miles from Hazlehurst and that he bought it in 1908. Boston Herald, December 13, 1909, p. 4. Hazlehurst is 169 miles south of Royston and west of Savannah. Brunswick is directly south of Savannah, along the Atlantic coast.

  7 Cobb’s new investment was in the southern part of Jeff Davis County. Ibid. An article located in the Macon Telegraph said that George W. Evans lived on the “Ty Cobb place” in Hazlehurst and was growing cotton. He was evidently a renter on Cobb’s property. Macon Telegraph, June 11, 1912, p. 4.

  8 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 9, 1909, p. 1S. The property was also known as the “Booker T. Washington Heights subdivision.”

  9 Atlanta Constitution, November 9, 1932, p. 20.

  10 Notably, Cobb’s advertisement for Coca Cola coincided with his first batting championship and with Detroit’s initial showing in the World Series in 1907. The Sporting News, September 26, 1907, p. 8. Coca Cola was an Atlanta-based organization, or
iginally introduced in 1886, and Cobb would later have a lengthy association with the company.

  11 See Grand Rapids Press, October 17, 1907, p. 6 and Muskegon Chronicle, March 25, 1908, p. 3.

  12 Wagner was the first to sign a deal with Hillerich on September 1, 1905, then Lajoie on September 12, 1905. Following Cobb was Eddie Collins (1910) and Frank Baker (1911). Henry Morrow was the central bat contact for players at the company. The Sporting News, June 22, 1939, p. 6B.

  13 Detroit Free Press, April 18, 1908, p. 10.

  14 Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 16–19, 1909. McKisson served as Cleveland Mayor from 1895 to 1898. He was part of a law firm with William E. Minshall, working out of the Williamson Building.

  15 The newspaper called the night watchman, “Frank Stanfield,” and said he was “formerly a park policeman.” No other information was provided about Stanfield or his background. Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 21, 1909, p. 5.

  16 “Old Reliable” had been driven to Mexico City and other locations, adding up a mileage of 40,000 prior to the “Good Roads” journey. Harrisburg Patriot, November 3, 1909, p. 8.

  17 Detroit Free Press, October 27, 1909, p. 9. Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader, October 27, 1909, p. 12.

  18 Charlotte Observer, October 31, 1909, p. 7.

  19 Augusta Chronicle, November 3, 1909, p. 5. The tour itself ended in Atlanta at the headquarters of the Atlanta Journal. The New York Herald was the other sponsor of the event. Cobb sent a telegram to the Chalmers-Detroit Company, extolling the virtues of the vehicle he drove, and made a point to say that he “arrived first” at the destination. Augusta Chronicle, November 7, 1909, p. 12. A few days later, he was involved in a car accident in Atlanta with another member of the Good Roads excursion, but wasn’t injured. Augusta Chronicle, November 6, 1909, p. 5. Cobb was always a fan of vehicles and speed. He raced around Augusta on a motorcycle on New Year’s Day 1909. Augusta Chronicle, January 2, 1909, p. 5. A few months later, he was in Texas for spring training, and went for a ride in Murray Raymond’s Apperson automobile along with teammates Crawford, Bush, Summers, and Rossman. Raymond apparently was showing off and sped beyond 50 miles per hour before Crawford told him to slow it down. An accident, the Detroit paper noted, would have destroyed the Tigers ballclub. Detroit Free Press, April 2, 1909, p. 8.

  20 Butt called Cobb and set the meeting up. The Cobb-Taft conversation lasted about twenty minutes. Augusta Chronicle, November 8–9, 1909. Butt, a hero in every sense of the word, would later perish in the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Cobb and other members of the Tigers first met President Taft during a visit to the White House on June 14, 1909. Detroit Free Press, June 15, 1909, p. 9. The Augusta Country Club, where Taft and Cobb met, is not to be confused with the Augusta National Golf Club, established in the early 1930s.

  21 Daily Capital Journal, November 5, 1909, p. 1.

  22 See Cincinnati Post, November 22, 1909, p. 1 and Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 23, 1909, p. 10.

  23 Letter to Cobb from Navin dated February 24, 1910, Ernie Harwell Collection, Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library, Detroit, Michigan.

  24 Ibid.

  25 Detroit Free Press, October 24, 1909, p. 17. Detroit Free Press, March 30, 1910, p. 11. Transaction Card Collection, National Baseball Library, Cooperstown, New York.

  26 Detroit Free Press, March 30, 1910, p. 11.

  27 Augusta Chronicle, November 28, 1909, p. 7.

  28 Detroit Free Press, December 7, 1909, p. 8.

  29 Augusta Chronicle, December 29, 1909, p. 7.

  30 Detroit Free Press, December 29, 1909, p. 9. The silver trophy stood about two feet tall and a photo of the prize was featured in the Detroit Free Press, October 5, 1909, p. 10.

  31 Augusta Chronicle, January 15, 1910, p. 10.

  32 Macon Telegraph, February 1, 1910, p. 7. The Cobbs sent out announcements about their newborn to friends and reporters. Macon Telegraph, March 5, 1910, p. 7.

  33 Detroit Free Press, April 10, 1910, p. 15.

  34 Charlie and Ty Jr. joined Cobb in Detroit in May. Charlie joined other Tigers’ wives as chaperones for “Blue Star Day,” collecting money in the fight against Tuberculosis, at Bennett Park on June 9. Detroit Free Press, June 9, 1910, p. 1.

  35 Cobb’s garage was on Broad Street in Augusta.

  36 Letter to Cobb from Navin dated March 29, 1910, Ernie Harwell Collection, Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library, Detroit, Michigan.

  37 Detroit Free Press, March 24, 1910, p. 8. Detroit Free Press, March 29, 1910, p. 8.

  38 Detroit Free Press, April 4, 1910, p. 4.

  39 Detroit Free Press, April 9, 1910, p. 9.

  40 Sporting Life, June 4 and June 25, 1910.

  41 Sporting Life, June 4, 1910, p. 5.

  42 Cobb was late and pitcher Bill Donovan covered for him in centerfield. Detroit Free Press, June 8, 1910, p. 9.

  43 Atlanta Constitution, January 6, 1926, p. 6.

  44 Jones was educated to be a lawyer, and when he got into it with Cobb, displayed his excellent arguing skills.

  45 Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, February 5, 1918, p. 24. Cobb’s hounding of Bush may have started in 1908, when the latter was first breaking into the majors at twenty years of age. Bush played 20 games that year. Charlotte Observer, March 14, 1911, p. 2.

  46 Bush batted .262 in 1910 with 130 hits, a .365 OBP, and 82 strikeouts.

  47 Jones, incidentally, demonstrated his physicality when he fought with Washington Senators manager Jimmy McAleer after a game in June. Detroit Free Press, June 9, 1910, p. 9.

  48 The Glory of Their Times, Lawrence S. Ritter, 1966, p. 42.

  49 Boston Journal, August 3, 1910, p. 1.

  50 The Glory of Their Times, Lawrence S. Ritter, 1966, p. 42. Moreover, other sources have claimed the Cobb-Jones hit-and-run argument occurred in the ninth inning, during an important rally. This appears false, as neither Jones nor Cobb went to bat in that inning. Batters four through nine in the line-up went to the plate in the bottom of ninth, and Crawford and George Simmons scored. Detroit Free Press, August 3, 1910, p. 9.

  51 Detroit Free Press, August 7, 1910, p. 15.

  52 The Tigers beat Boston, 4–2 on August 4, and New York on August 5, 9–6. Sporting Life, August 20, 1910, p. 7.

  53 Detroit Free Press, August 6, 1910, p. 8.

  55 Detroit Free Press, August 7, 1910, p. 15. Boston reportedly offered to send Harry Lord and Tris Speaker to Detroit for Cobb, but Navin refused.

  56 Detroit won 5–0. When Cobb and Jones went to bat the first time around, the crowd gave them a nice ovation. Additionally, Cobb hit a sacrifice fly to score Jones in the opening inning, which was a “very neat touch to the reconciliation sketch.” Detroit Free Press, August 7, 1910, p. 15.

  57 Ibid.

  58 Detroit Free Press, June 19, 1910, p. 15.

  59 Detroit Free Press, August 12, 1910, p. 9.

  60 Detroit Free Press, July 24, 1910, p. C4.

  61 Detroit Free Press, September 8, 1910, p. 9. Ty Cobb: My Life in Baseball by Ty Cobb with Al Stump, 1993, Bison Books edition, p. 95–96, 101.

  62 See Chicago Daily Tribune, October 9, 1910, p. C1 and Detroit Free Press, October 13, 1910, p. 9.

  63 Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 10, 1910, p. 1.

  64 Detailed coverage appeared in most major American newspapers. Amongst the sources used were the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and Detroit Free Press, October 10–12, 1910. St. Louis journalists were amongst the most fierce in response to the actions of the Browns. R. E. McLaughlin, a St. Louis businessman, was part of a movement to collect money to purchase Cobb his own automobile, if Lajoie was awarded the Chalmers. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 10, 1910, p. 12.

  65 Corriden played 26 games for St. Louis in 1910, including 14 games at shortstop and 12 games at third.

  66 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 11, 1910, p. 15. Lajoie said Cobb wrote a “blistering letter” to Corriden following the incident. The Sporting News, February 26, 1942,
p. 7.

  67 Detroit Free Press, October 12, 1910, p. 9.

  68 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 14–16, 1910. While it is difficult to prove either way, it is not unlikely, particularly because Lajoie was well-liked across the majors. Shortly after Lajoie was pronounced the unofficial winner, eight-members of the Detroit Tigers wired congratulations to Lajoie for winning the championship. The classy move was common in those days, and might not have been purposefully done to show preference over Cobb, despite the impression it gave. The names of the eight members of the Tigers who signed the telegram were not revealed.

  69 The Sporting News, February 26, 1942, p. 7.

  70 Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 11, 1910, p. 1.

  71 Detroit Free Press, October 16, 1910, p. 15.

  72 Boston Herald, October 16, 1910, p. 1.

  73 Canton Repository, October 27, 1910, p. 6.

  74 The Sporting News, April 18, 1981, p. 3, 10–11. Amongst the historians to work on the new 1910 Cobb-Lajoie research were Leonard Gettelson, Pete Palmer, and Clifford Kachline, with additional help from the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Today, many sources have updated the stats to reflect .384 for Lajoie and .383 for Cobb.

  75 MLB.com lists Cobb ahead of Lajoie in the 1910 race with a .385, compared to the latter’s .384.

  76 Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader, September 28, 1910, p. 14.

  77 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 25, 1910, p. 1S.

  78 New York Evening World, August 12, 1911, p. 7.

  79 Detroit Free Press, March 27, 1911, p. 10.

  CHAPTER EIGHT: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ADVANTAGE

  1 Detroit Free Press, September 5, 1908, p. 9.

  2 Detroit Free Press, June 24, 1910, p. 9.

  3 Washington Post, September 13, 1914, p. S2.

  4 Atlanta Constitution, May 20, 1934, p. SM3.

  5 Boston Daily Globe, June 13, 1915, p. 53.

  6 New York Tribune, November 7, 1920, p. 9.

  7 Atlanta Constitution, July 5, 1939, p. 14. It isn’t known when Cobb adopted this particular routine. Stambaugh, from Demorest, GA, was a newsreel cameraman and lived for a time in Cleveland. When Cobb would tour through Cleveland with the Tigers, he’d often meet up with Stambaugh, who Cobb saw as a trusted Southern friend.