Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-12-13
BY II. Ct. SALSINGER.
\ HYSICALLY, Ty Cobb always
has appeared like superman.
Ball players have said of him !:

n HYSICALLY, Ty Cobb always
has appeared like superman.
Ball players have said of him
THE guy just amt human"
He went through 20 seasons of
the most strenuous competition that
any man has ever known in base
ball.
For 90 years he spent six months
each year going at top-speed, setting a
nerve-racking, muscle-tearing, It's
sue-destroying clip. And 20 years is
four times as long as the most opti-
mistic gave him.
When he started his career and
players realized his style they said
he could not go at that pace more
than a year or two-no man could
go longer. They did not think 1t
was possible for human being to
do 1t.
Their "Conaolation."
College sprinters burn themselves
out in a few years. Cobb did more
sprinting IN one year than col
lege Splinter does in a lifetime. The
pace he set was beyond the imag-
nation. He threw his body into the
breach, risked limb day after day in
desperate running and sliding. He
took long chances as far as bodily
risk was concerned. And his COM
petitors, whom he overshadowed,
had the consolation that 1t could
not last long. Cobb would burn
himself out, or break a leg or. an
arm and that would be the end of
their troubles: for Cobb was a con-
slant source of annoyance to them
he "hogged" the headlines. They
did not like it. He had all the spot
light.
But Cobb did not burn out. He
outlasted them by years and years.
He went double the distance given
the exception among big leaguers.
The average major league career
stretches over six seasons. An ex-
ceptional career lasts 10. Those
that hang on longer than 10 are
the real stars of the game and their
number Is extremely limited. And
Cobb, who extended himself more
each year than any three men in
the game, has enjoyed one of the
longest careers on record. In the
twentieth season of his career he
batters of his league.
Carefully Planned.
But Cobb had studied out the entire
thing years ago. He had method In his
base ball madness; his carelessness
was studied and fully comprehended.
Cobb realized the dangers Of sliding
as we'll as any one. But he also knew
how to discount the dangers. A man
sliding always takes the risk of strain
ing or spraining an ankle, often of
breaking it. early every player has at
some time or other suffered a strain or
sprain in sliding. Not a few of them
have ended their careers with broken
legs. Cobb has suffered less injuries
than any player in the game. or any
player of his time The only serious leg
injury he ever suffered was a sprained
ankle few years ago. He received this
in a game played on a fresh diamond.
1t was the game that opened the new
playing field, and the base lines were
filled with holes and bumps. Cobb struck
one of these bumps while sliding and
twisted his ankle He was out for
weeks.
Cobb never received serious leg or
ankle injury on big league playing fields.
Early in his career he studied out a
method to prevent accidents of this
kind. He started his slide while going
at top speed. He hurled his body into
the air and toward the ground at an
angle. AS soon as he left his feet his
body went limp. He relaxed completely
until he was Strengthened out on the
ground, sliding toward the base. Then
ne resumed control of the muscles so
that he could throw his body in any
direction. But he remained partly re-.
laxed. There was no tenseness There
fore. there was no injury.
What Often Happens.
He had learned, or figured it out,
that most injuries in base ball come
to players who fail to relax. They
hesitate q moment before starting
their slide. Then they are uncertain
about hitting the dirt. They are
tense: the legs are generally stiff;