Even after a third read, 14 years beyond its initial release and some 40 years following the interviews from which the book was based, Cobb: A Biography remains one of the best sports biographies ever published and one that upon further review doesn’t lose its ability to fascinate, disturb, excite and entertain. While the book’s ranking against other such publications as When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi and A Flame of Pure Fire: Jack Dempsey and the Roaring 20s may open to debate, that Cobb was the game’s most ferocious, intelligent, conflicted, brutal, and in the end, tragic, figure is without question. Or as Ernest Hemmingway said, “Ty Cobb, the greatest of all ballplayers ? and an absolute ####”
Tyrus Raymond Cobb helped usher in baseball's modern era when the sport moved from a suspected blight on American society where mothers were known to chastise their sons with comments that “you're acting no better than a ball player” to a profession worthy of pursuit. Cobb's father, William Herschel, an educator, farmer and politician in rural Georgia was just such an opponent. The man whom the former Detroit Tiger called “the greatest man I ever knew” felt baseball was not worth the effort of decent men and initially forbade his son to take part in such a worthless endeavor. “There is nothing so useless on Earth as knocking a string ball around a pasture with ruffians,” quotes the author of William Cobb. It wasn’t until his father accepted the fact that his determined son was never going to enter medical or law school that he finally gave his consent to give baseball a try and to “not come back a failure.”
This show of support combined with unbelievable talent and a burning desire to not just win but to completely decimated opponents, would lead the junior Cobb onto unmatched athletic achievement. His psychological problems that first began to appear as a child (at the age of 10 he beat a classmate for missing a word during a spelling bee) would only get worse as the years progressed, ensuring that the part of Cobb that drove away nearly everyone who ever knew or cared about him, and that caused him to die alone and practically unmourned, would occupy as much column space as his unmatched athleticism that produced a .367 batting average, 36 successful steals of home and, most likely, the lone ability to score from first base on an infield hit.
Author Al Stump’s work has been hailed for its depth and honesty, but his biggest achievement may not have come within the book’s 420 pages, but from surviving the process of documenting the life of a man who at his best was, according to Hall of Famer George Sisler, “the greatest and most amazing ballplayer I ever saw” and a paranoid megalomaniac who carried a loaded pistol with him at all times and who bragged about beating to death a would-be mugger in a Detroit alley with another pocket firearm. The Peach went on to collect two triples and a double before receiving medical help for the stab wound he suffered in the melee.
Recommended by screenwriter Gene Fowler and legendary sports writer Grantland Rice, Stump signed on to ghostwrite the ballplayer’s official biography, “My Life in Baseball: The True Record” — a job that almost everyone familiar with the old ballplayer warned Stump to refuse. A Cobb in-law warned Stump that the he may come under physical danger. The prediction proved prophetic amidst Cobb’s anger, su####ion and drug and alcohol fueled rage that caused the author to develop a “nervous twitch” and to “sleep with one eye open.” With Cobb having final editorial say over the book, most of the true story was left untold. After three decades, and perhaps after the author came to terms with his conflicted feelings over a man who he admired for his physical gifts, despised for his temper and treatment of others and pitied for his failing health that forced him to live in near constant pain — which is sure to be seen my many as a fitting punishment — Stump compiled the mass of unpublished information to the publication that Booklist called, “Alternatively chilling and oddly moving.” They got it exactly right.
Cobb was a #### and maybe the best to ever play the sport. He ended his long time friendship with Ted Williams after the Splinter suggested that Rogers Hornsby — whom Cobb hated — would lead off any all-time all star team and he upon his death created an educational fund for underprivileged children. He hit five homeruns in two games to prove a point, bludgeoned a man who had an argument with his wife over a 20-cent piece of fish and secretly supported dozens for former ballplayers for decades with anonymous checks. Cobb was as evil as he was talented and Cobb: A Biography takes you along for the confusing and exciting ride.
With the positively mediocre preseason predictions for the 2007 season designated shredder food, it’s time to once again wade into the unpredictable future that is the 2008 Major League Baseball season.
AL East
While the New York Yankees will put a lot of hurtin’ on pitchers, this division belongs to the Red Sox. The team is loaded offensively with Manny, Big Papi and Mike Lowell, but for the team that scored the third most runs in the league, it’s the pitching staff that separates them from the Yankees and every other team in the AL. Boston led the league with a 3.87 ERA last season and boasts two Cy Young candidates and enough depth that their fifth starterr was good for 12 wins. Even if the staff struggles, which could very well happen as the long season took its toll on Daisuke Matsuzaka while Curt Schilling battled injuries and age, their offense and bullpen will get them into post-season play. And that’s where it will get scarier for AL teams because of the Sox top four relievers racked up 46 saves and a combined era of 2.05.
AL Central
A year ago the Tigers were one win behind Boston for the best record in baseball at the All-Star break just to have it collapse as injuries devastated their pitching staff and cost DH Gary Sheffield a large part of the second half. Though pitching remains a concern, a similar break down is unlikely as this team will simply bash its way to the division crown. Defensive improvements will also help if for no other reason than moving stone-handed shortstop Carlos Guillen to first but hitting will be the star of the show. The Tigers’ likely batting order for 2008 hit .302, .341, .265, .363, .320, .296, .330, .280 and .285 a year ago. Included in this onslaught was 168 home runs in the pitching-friendly park and 762 RBI. Don’t be surprised if Miguel Cabrera wins the AL MVP award.
AL West
Provided that John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar and Scott Shields have no lingering effects from their injuries, the Angles will win their fourth division title in five years. The Mariners, with the addition of starter Erik Bedard, will make it a close, but the Angles should be able to pull this one off. In addition to strengthening their pitching staff with Jon Garland, the Angels finally found some offensive help for All-Star Vladimir Guerrero. The outfield of Garret Anderson (.297, 16, 80), newcomer Torii Hunter (.287, 28, 107 and 18 stolen bases) and Guerrero (.324, 27, 125) gives Los Angeles the firepower to weather early season pitching problems. Hunter’s addition also means better defense and more production out of the DH spot with Gary Matthews Jr. (.252, 18, 72, 18 stolen bases) being relieved of fielding duties.
NL East
If you think the Mets season-ending collapse won’t happen again, well, you’re right. But even with Johan Santana, it will hardly be a cakewalk to the division title because, surprisingly, pitching could be their downfall. Offensively the team is set with some of the best young hitters in the game, but outside of the possible 2008 NL Cy Young Award winner, the staff has holes. Pedro Martinez did post a 2.57 ERA a year ago but it was in only five starts and he hasn’t really put it together since 2005. He’s also 37 years old. John Maine is young and had a break-out year in 2007, but he’s no lock to repeat. Likewise for Oliver Perez, whose 15 wins last year were more than his combined totals in the three previous seasons. The bullpen is solid with Billy Wagner, but as a unit the relief corps pitched 500-plus innings a year ago and could falter if once again asked to carry such a load. Any bump in the road, and the Phillies will once again take over.
NL Central
Milwakee’s rotation is short and they have a retread at closer. The Cardinals’ starting five will be a piecemeal project while Matt Clement, Mark Mulder, Joel Pineiro and Chris Carpenter slowly come off the DL over the next few months. That leaves the Cubs as repeat winners of the division and it isn’t totally due to the shortcomings of others. A year ago Chicago had the second best team ERA in the league. Carlos Zambrano has a fine backup in Ted Lilly, who won 15 games last year and has reduced his ERA each season for the past three years. Rich Hill is in his third year, and though he has struggled this spring is a lock at No. 3. Hitting looks to improve with the addition of highly regarded import Kosuke Fukudome and promising catcher Geovany Soto, who hit .389 in 12 games last year.
NL West
Good luck picking what has been baseball’s tightest, but hardly best, division over the past few years. A year ago three teams finished within one-and-a-half games of each other, and No. 4 made the biggest off-season move by bringing in arguably baseball’s best manager. San Diego had the best staff in the league last year with Arizona coming in at No. 4. Unfortunately, neither team could hit worth a lick finishing at two final spots on the board. Colorado and Los Angeles finishing atop the hitting category, but couldn’t match their two interdivisional rivals in pitching. Flip a coin if you must, but with solid starting pitching, an outstanding closer, the signing of Andruw Jones and a young and talented James Loney who — at the time of this writing — was hitting .331 during spring and the Dodgers are the team to beat in the National League West.
AL Playoffs
Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Cleveland
Even with Chien-Ming Wang fronting the rotation and Joba Chamberlain likely to move into a starting role, the Yankees’ long-in-the-tooth pitching staff is finally too much to overcome. Cleveland, a 96-game winner last year, beats Boston and Detroit out powers L.A. to set up a American League Central showdown for league supremacy.
NL Playoffs
Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia
The deeper Dodgers get past Philly while Chicago provides some hope after a century of failure by defeating the Mets and getting to the division finals.
World Series
Detroit’s lack of bullpen strength becomes obvious as the team cannot hold its early leads and Cleveland moves on to the World Series to play Los Angeles as once again the Cubs suffer another season of disappointment.
Indian fans, who themselves have suffered through 50 years of losing, celebrate their team’s victory at the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame.
Where else are they going to go?
