Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-07-27
Bv Percy H. Whiting.

- just died. Two Atlanta law
yers on New York train we're
reading papers.
Il see Cobb is dead" said one to
The other.
A drummer. seated next them.
pricked up his ears, groaned and
then walled:
Well. that ruins Detroits
chance for the pennant."
THIS historic joke must serve
as an introduction to this story
Of Ty Cobb-not because it is par
tcularly funny, but because We
have 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 n. Bonaparte on
the back of a 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 WASH
one before Ty Cobb's day .'sacTftics
agreed that Wagner was best, of
the shortstops, that Lajoie StaeS a
laundering good second baASRsn
that a gent named Collins wassDnto
some of the inside points of7nlhying
third. and that c. Mathewson Was
the pick OF all pitchers. But there
wasn't any lone Best Bet'-until
Cobb.
1t is even more remarkable that
out Of the many places of birth
that Cobb might have picked, he
selected-or had selected for him
a little cottage hardly more than
cabin located in Banks county,
Georgia
But so it happened And so 1t
fell 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 II. Cobb. edi-
tor school teacher and state sena7
tor-a man of much education and
less money.
Many fine young incidents have
been dug up about Cobb's boyhood
career-m mostly fictitious About all
f,P d g.n1rlN
days is that he was skinny, light
haired lad with leaning toward
baseball--a good. lively. smart, two
listed kid. When he was a bit of
a lad in short pants, his family
moved TO GAINESVILLE. Ga. 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 kids and scrubs. against
which the regulars worked out So
long as playing with this team did
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 1t took a stiff line of talk
to persuade Senator Cobb to let his
son go on the trip. This game
was Cobbs first appearance ION the
road" and he proved a wonder
The opposition of Father Cobb
continued strong. and finally. In an
effort to overcome 1t, Senator Cobb
was lured out to a game between
Royston and Commerce. Cobb
played good bah 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 bunch that the left fielder
would miss 1t. and started on
run to back him up. True TO his
suspicious. the left fielder just got
his finger tips on IT, and 1t 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 10 the bench. he was show
cred with money-but what was
more to the point. he found that
his marvellous playing had made a
fan out of Senator Cobb and had
swept away all objections that
were raised to Tvs playing base
ball IN a flash his threatened Ca
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
It HERE Is q story that the jealous
members Of the Royston team
kidded Cobb into going into profes-
sionai baseball knowing Tvs i'm
pusive nature and his restiveness
under criticism, it is berevable that
the constant taunts Of his fellow
r,f..4rl~e