Tyrus Raymond Cobb was by far the greatest player in Major League Baseball's history, but very few write about his personal side—the side that has been buried beneath the weight of time.
Cobb died on the afternoon of July 17, 1961. It was at that point when dime-store writers finally had their way with Cobb and his legacy, as the great player and personality in the game.
Today, I would like to share with you some things that have been misinterpreted by these writers down through the generations. The one that stands out most is the assault that writers of today have placed on Cobb's relationship with blacks and minorities.
I will carefully explain the truth and let you come to your on conclusion.
As I have recognized a need to present facts about Ty's relationships with blacks, I have decide to write a story that displays Ty Cobb’s support for blacks and other minorities.
It is important to provide facts, supporting the reality that the negative publicity came after Cobb died in 1961. I also enclosed several articles, and interestingly, one that I found where his son, Jim Cobb, made the exact same assessment in 1977.
My readers, if you were to research the facts, you’ll find that Mr. Cobb was different than he is portrayed in the eye of the modern public. He was rich with popularity, and writers back then could always count on his name to generate interest in their newspaper.
Mr. Cobb was a charitably natured man, who actually was soft for the minority, whether the minority was someone who had different colored skin, or handicapped, someone who was less fortunate, or even someone who was small in size.
He would always tell the little fellow that was standing in the back and could not get close to come to the front. He wanted to make sure they got a chance, too.
In the late 1920s, Ty Cobb leased a hunting preserve with over 12,000 acres in MaGruder, GA, and built a house on it for a black man, named Uncle Bob Robinson, and his family to live there.
In place of the rent, they would make sure no intruders trespassed on the property. Anytime Cobb and his friends were hunting on the land, this fellow, by his own choice, would always hunt along beside Cobb. At times, he would entertain the guest with his story-telling.
After a long day of hunting, they would gather around a campfire and talk baseball or whatever came to mind. On this particular day, Cobb had bagged 12 birds and had not missed a one, as Mr. Cobb was a crack shot.
Mr. Robinson told the story to Tris Speaker and the others, “Yeah, Mr. Cobb had a bad day today.” "What do you mean, Cobb bagged 12 birds and didn’t miss,” said Speaker. “Yeah, but he near ‘bout missed one,” recounted Mr. Robinson.
Present-day authors have distorted Cobb’s reputation to a point of the ridiculous. For example, the book COBB, which the movie COBB was based on, tried to show that COBB hosted orgies and drinking parties.
I have the contract agreement on the land, and it clearly states that there was to be “absolutely NO alcohol on the premises.”



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