On Sun, 6 Aug 2006 09:38:21 -0700, [email hidden] (Tom Keats)
Quoted message said:AIUI Cobb's stolen base record is largely the result of brandishing
well-aimed spikes while sliding in, and other means of physically
intimidating those who might deign to tag him.
As you know, The Georgia Peach's meanness is legendary, and stories
abound about it, probably inflated & exaggerated over the years, right
down to the one about how in his latter years he curmudgeonly sat in
his wheelchair at the Old Folks Home with his blanket over his lap,
his money in a paper bag in one hand, and an old single action revolver
in the other.
[snip]
Dear Tom,
Yes, Cobb played in a much rougher era:
"That god damned Dutchman (Honus Wagner) is the only man in the game I
can't scare."
"The base paths belonged to me, the runner. The rules gave me the
right. I always went into a bag full speed, feet first. I had sharp
spikes on my shoes. If the baseman stood where he had no business to
be and got hurt, that was his fault."
(And lots more juicy Cobb quotes, most made for publicity purposes.)
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/quotes/quocobb.shtml
But Cobb stole bases just as he hit pitches--by relentless practice
and taking advantage of every weakness that he could spot.
"The Babe was a great ballplayer, sure, but Cobb was even greater.
Babe could knock your brains out but Cobb would drive you crazy."
--Tris Speaker
http://www.answers.com/topic/ty-cobb
Even just a quick look at Wiki shows Cobb's skill:
"When he retired in 1928, he was the holder of ninety major league
records and he received the most votes of the first five players
elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, in 1936. . . ."
"In one regular season game Cobb reached first, stole second, third
and home. He would do it again three more times in his career to set
the record. . . ."
"In a 1909 game, Cobb spiked Frank "Home Run" Baker. After the
incident, Connie Mack called Cobb "the dirtiest player around." Ban
Johnson, AL President, initially condemned him for his slide, but
later said that Cobb was merely playing hard within the rules. A photo
of the incident also supported Cobb, as it was clear that Cobb was
sliding to the inside of the base and Baker was reaching across the
base to try to tag him. There was no obvious malevolent intent. Cobb's
unyielding style of play extended to himself; writer Grantland Rice
once recalled "when Cobb played a series with each leg a mass of raw
flesh. He had a temperature of 103 and the doctors ordered him to bed
for several days, but he got three hits, stole three bases, and won
the game. Afterward he collapsed at the bench." Cobb would practice
sliding until his legs were raw. During winter, he hunted through
daylight hours in weighted boots, so that his legs would be stronger
for the upcoming campaign. . . ."
"A personal achievement came in February, 1936, when the first Hall of
Fame election results were announced. Cobb had been named on 222 of
226 ballots, outdistancing Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson
and Walter Johnson, the only others to earn the necessary 75% of votes
to be elected in that first year. His 98.2 percentage stood as the
record until Tom Seaver received 98.8% of the vote in 1992 (Nolan Ryan
also surpassed Cobb, being named on 98.79% of the ballots in 1999).
Those incredible results show that although many people disliked him
personally, they respected the way he played and what he
accomplished."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ty_Cobb
As for sliding, here's Conlon's famous picture:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d2/Cobbstealing3rd.jpg
Despite all the claims, Cobb couldn't have been further away from the
infielder and still touched the bag. Cobb wanted the base, not the
fielder, and stole
While it's not generally appreciated, sliding into the bag is an art
that can be elevated to the level of boxing. Just as an amateur is
practically helpless to hit a professional boxer in the face, even
with the pro's hands behind his back, so would an amateur have been
unable to tag Cobb sliding into a base, even with the ball already in
the amateur's glove. Cobb could come in under a tag from either side
and reach the bag with either hand or foot at nearly full stretch,
leaving the fielder leaning the wrong way, just like Baker.
As a trivia question, try to find anyone claiming that Clyde Milan
stole his bases by intimidation.
Don't know who Clyde Milan was? A quick read explains why anyone
arguing about Cobb's base stealing should know Clyde Milan:
http://www.answers.com/topic/clyde-milan
In any case, no one ever claims that Cobb's career .366 batting
average was achieved by intimidation instead of skill. Mud doesn't
stick as easily to a bat.
I note with satisfaction that the Yankees are a game ahead of Boston.
Cheers,
Carl Fogel
