Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-07-27
Tyrus Cobb Without an Equal in National Game
Born and Trained in Empire State of the South
Bv Percy II. Whiting.


- just died. Two Atlanta law
yers on New York train were
reading papers.
4 see Cobb is dead. said one to
the other.
A drummer, seated next them,
pricked up his ears, groaned and
then walled
Wen. that ruins Detroit's
chance for the pennant."
THIS historic joke must serve
\ ns an introduction to this story
CITY Cobb-not because it is par
tfculariy funny, but because we
nave to start some way.
Writing about Ty cobb, in the
limits Of an ordinary newspaper
article, is like trying to narrate the
life and crimes Of \. Bonaparte on
the back Of postage stamp. one
doesn't know where to begin, and
even less where to leave off
1T is tolerably remarkable that
there should be a Best Ball
Player in the World. There wasn't
one before Ty Cobbs day Critics
agreed that Wagner was best of
the shertsteos. that Lajoie was
thunderine good second baseman;
that gent named Collins was onto
some OF tie inside points Of playing
third. and taat c. Mathewson was
the pick OF AL pitchers But there
wasn't any "One Best Bet'-until
Co5b.
1t is even more remarkable that,
our Of the many places OF birth
that Cobb might have picked, he
selccted-or had selected for him
little cottage hardly more than a
cabin. located in Banks county,
Georgia.
But SO Il happened And so it
fen to the lot Of Georgia to present
to the world the only player OF all
time upon whom all men could
agree in comforting the title Of the
Greatest Ball Player in the World"
TYRUS RAYMOND COBB was
born on December is, 1885. His
father was william H Cobb edi
tor. school teacher and state sena-
tor-a man Of much education and
less money.
Many fine young incidents have
l1t
mostly fictitious About all
that anybody knows of his early
days is that he was skinny. light
haired lad. with leaning toward
baseball good. lively. smart, two
listed kid When he was a bit of
a lad in short pants, his family
moved to Gainesville, Ca. and
there Ty played his first baseball,
in the. games between the East Sid
ers and the West Siders of that
burg.
A bit later Cobb's family, with Ty
trailing, moved to Royston and set
tied there. BY this time Ty had
grown large enough to play with
the Royston second team, an organ
ization of dds and scrubs. against
which the regulars worked out So
long as playing with this team aid
not interfere with TVS studies or
his farm work. The elder cobb Of
fered no objections. At length,
however. the Royston team had a
game scheduled with Elberton. The
regular center fielder was away
cobb was the most likely substi-
tute available. Robert McCreary
managed the Royston nine in those
days, and It took a stiff line of talk
80 persuade Senator Cobb TO let his
son go on the trip. This game
was Cobb's first appearance ION the
road and he proved a wonder,
The opposition Of Father" Cobb
continued strong. and finally, in an
effort to overcome it. Senator Cobb
was lured out to a game between
Royston and Commerce. Cobb
played good ball from the start,
but nothing Sensational until the
eighth Then. with the bases full
and two down. a Commerce batter
ripped off an awful wallop. Cobb
played a bunch that the left fielder
would miss 1t. and started on
run to back him mp. True to his
suspicious. the left fielder just got
his finger tips on it. and it fell to
Cobb's lot to make a running dive.
scoop the ball up with one hand
and retire the side. When he re-
turned TO the bench he was show
cred with money-but what was
more 10 the point he found that
his marvellous playing had made a
fan our of Senator Cobb and had
swept away all objections that
were raised to Tvs playing base
ball. In a fash his threatened ga
reer' at the University Of Georgia
and the medical education for which
Ty had always hankered were
swept away and "The Greatest Ball
Player in the World" was started
on his glorious career.
THERE is a story that the jealous
members Of the Royston team
kidded Cobb into going into profess
sional baseball Knowing Tvs inn
pulsive nature ana his restiveness
under criticism, 1t is believable that
the constant taunts Of his fellow