The Detroit times., 1912-05-01
If cOBB KICKED THAT
BALL PURPOSHN ALL
MORE CREDIT is HIS
Booting the Ball as He Did
Comes In Same Class With
Cutting Bases
DID HE GET AWAY WITH IT?
That Is the Answer To It's
Rightness OF Wrongness
In Baseball
DID HE GET AWAY WITH TT
RY RALPH y. YoNKER.

Whether Ty Cobb kicked that ball
lying near third base yesterday In
tentionally In order that he might
score or whether he did so accidental
ksis. sss credit for the wonderful play
~ II II were all accidental, he deserves
Tie plaudits to be doled out because OF
fhe way he drew the play to the third
lack II IL were all intentional that
hitch more credit In taking advantage
of the opportunity that comes once In
81 Thousand times Is due him.
There is hardly man In baseball
but who would countenance an in
tentional play such as Tyrls pulled
Off II were done by team mate.
When II comes to dirty work." plays
that injure or are very likely to injure
q fellow player, there is general con-
demnation of the man who puts per-
sonal achievement or even victory
above regard for the rights of his
ftjlows.
eABut in mere technicalities, such as
Was involved in that play in the tenth
yesterday, the man who goes TO the
3 Hfdit and gets away with il Is the
MAN who is sought. There Is alb
s0lutely no chance to show that Tyrus
klcked the ball purposely; he realiz-
Ia that, IL he did II Intentionally, be-
f6fe he did IL; we'll have to hand II to
the Peach
Cutting bases when II can be done
Without the knowledge OF the umpire
Is recognized as a part of the game.
The umpire Is part of the forces
against which the players must con-
n fhosx i'm IN ndtn OF
OF their opponents, well and good.
This Is what 1t looks as If Ty ac-
complished yesterday to kings
taste. 1t was q sweet specimen Of
what makes Tyrus the greatest ball
player on earth,
Ed Walsh, who was as near to the
play as anybody Qncluding the um-
pire), has probably the clearest ver-
sion Of the feat
It will be remembered that with the
score tied and Witt out In the tenth,
Cobb singled Cobb led on far and
Walsh threw to first several times
to get him. Once he made what look.
ed to Cobb like balk. He almost
caught Ty on the bag and Cobb was
peeved. -
Then Crawford burned a hot single
to Bodie away out In deep center,
Cobb taking second easily. Here is
the place that Ty's strategy began.
Walsh says Ty hesitated at second
just long enough to make Bodie think
he was going to stay there and draw
the play to the keystone sack That
kept Walsh in the middle OF the dia.
mond to back up the throw to second.
When the Peach had set the
scenery that way he pied the act by
dashing to third. IL Cobb ever tore
of space, nimble footed, he did it
then. Before he started a look of de-
Termination came over his face. The
muscles Of his face were tense as
Violin strings. One mighty effort and
he had flashed within few feet OF
third.
Bodies quick throw to Tannehill
was short bound. The third sacker
stood In the way of the ball with Ty
tearing down upon him like mad. II |
wasn't time to parley. The ball hit |
Tannehil's chest and bounded away
from him.
Walsh says that II landed about five |
feet from the sack, a foot outside of |
the base line. Cobb slid. His foot
struck the ball and 1t went like a line
drive to the dugout, while Tyrus
scored.
The circumstantial evidence that
Callahan claims tends to show that
the play was made purposely is this:
After Tannehill had muffed the
Bodie throw, Ty had the ball beat
mile. There was no necessity OF slid
Ing whatever, and, Jim says, players
don't slide unless they have to. Also.
he thinks Ty started his slide a yard
or two further from the sack than he
needed to, making for the ball and
not the bag
Be that as 1t may, Callahan openly
expresses his admiration OF the
Peach's wonderful work. He SAYS
that 1t was one of the greatest plays
that he has ever seen.
The Tigers hold to their official
opinion that Ty hit the ball acciden-
tally and to this they have a perfect
right Ofiicffiially. Ty will have to be
credited with the serenest smile OF
Dame Fortune. Unofncially, he is
given credit he deserves.
After Crawford's stinger with Cobb
on. I'm the tenth, there was bound TO
be a spectacular finish. II the umpire
had ruled that Ty kicked the ball. ;
would have been brought back to third
base.
Callahan says Delahanty would
have been passed, filling the bases
and q chance taken on Gamers hitting
into q double play. II he had, all well
and good for some more Tuesday
baseball. II he hadn't, II would have
been very likely that the winning run
would have been sent over and II all
ended
While Ed Walsh has a great many
friends here. on account of his won.
derful ability, Il tickled many a fan
that the Tigers got to him the way
they did. Then, too, Il makes IL doubt
fnl that he viii pitch today, which Is
source Of further consolation.
Ed was plainly peeyed at Cobb's
actions last night. but he gave the
Peach the credit due him for his
lightning thinking. I'd said that
some OF the people on the field said
they wers sorry for his losing game
Ike that, but he forgets that he has