Ty Cobb was one of the most talented baseball players of all time. He was also the most hated ballplayer of all time. Cobb was despised by his teammates, opposing players, the press, fans, management and, in particular African Americans. One time, Cobb got to practice in Detroit very early in the morning. He was working on his swing. During one swing, his cap flew off and the wind carried it about 25 yards away from the batter's box. Kept took no mind of it. He just kept practicing his swing.
A man walked up and tapped Cobb on the shoulder very gently to let him know that he had retrieved his hat. That man was a groundskeeper. He was also African American and Ty Cobb beat him to death. Cobb , you see, was from the state of Georgia, thus his nickname, the Georgia Peach. Like most white Southerners, Cobb had a pathological hatred of African Americans. Cobb was also a member of the KKK, as was Rogers Hornsby. Although, Hornsby later admitted it and publicly apologized for his involvement with the group.
The Detroit Tigers paid a sizable amount of money to the grounds-keeper's family to not press charges and keep the event out of the papers. Cobb was a mean-spirited bigot with not one friend in the world. He hated everybody and everybody hated him. One of his teammates described Cobb's nasty nature thusly, "He would climb a mountain just to punch an echo." One year, on the last day of the season, Cobb's Tigers played a doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians. Cobb held a slight lead in points for the batting title that season over Cleveland's star slugger, Napoleon Lajoie. Lajoie was the polar opposite of Cobb. He was loved by everybody in Baseball, especially the fans. Cobb's own team, the Tigers, hated him so much, they let Lajoie bunt 8 times in those games to get on base and beat Cobb for the batting title that season. Cobb sat on the bench and watched his teammates laugh at it him as they helped Lajoie win the batting title.
To make matters worse, when Lajoie had won the title, one of the Tiger fans laughed at Cobb. Cobb ran over to the stands and jumped up into the seats and ran at the man, where he preceded to beat the man into a coma. The man was a war vet and had no arms. Cobb said he didn't care that the man had no arms.
That night after the last game of the season, the Tigers headed back to their team hotel where the players stayed during the season. Ty Cobb wanted to make a phone call. He went to the lobby and saw a guy on the phone. The guy acknowledged him, smiled and held up five fingers, as if to say, "Five more minutes." The man talked for five, ten, fifteen more minutes and Cobb was now enraged. This had been the most embarrassing and infuriating day of his entire life and now this guy in the phone booth won't get off the phone! Cobb snapped, kicked the door in, which caused glass to shatter everywhere. Cobb grabbed the man by the arm to pull him out of the booth. The man, literally raised Cobb high into the air with his right arm. Cobb was stunned. The man he had interrupted so rudely, was none other than Jack Dempsey, the current reigning, defending and undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
Now, if Cobb had profusely apologized right then and there or started to cry and beg for mercy, he may have gotten away with his actions. Cobb being Cobb, picked himself up and rushed at Dempsey. Dempsey hit him twice. Cobb was out for just under an hour. He awoke in a hospital with a broken nose, a broken cheekbone, a partial jaw fracture and 8 missing teeth. Dempsey received dozens of floral bouquets and gifts from the Detroit Tigers thanking hi for what he had done. When asked by the media who was tougher, Ty Cobb or Jess Willard, Dempsey said, "The phonebooth."
A man walked up and tapped Cobb on the shoulder very gently to let him know that he had retrieved his hat. That man was a groundskeeper. He was also African American and Ty Cobb beat him to death. Cobb , you see, was from the state of Georgia, thus his nickname, the Georgia Peach. Like most white Southerners, Cobb had a pathological hatred of African Americans. Cobb was also a member of the KKK, as was Rogers Hornsby. Although, Hornsby later admitted it and publicly apologized for his involvement with the group.
The Detroit Tigers paid a sizable amount of money to the grounds-keeper's family to not press charges and keep the event out of the papers. Cobb was a mean-spirited bigot with not one friend in the world. He hated everybody and everybody hated him. One of his teammates described Cobb's nasty nature thusly, "He would climb a mountain just to punch an echo." One year, on the last day of the season, Cobb's Tigers played a doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians. Cobb held a slight lead in points for the batting title that season over Cleveland's star slugger, Napoleon Lajoie. Lajoie was the polar opposite of Cobb. He was loved by everybody in Baseball, especially the fans. Cobb's own team, the Tigers, hated him so much, they let Lajoie bunt 8 times in those games to get on base and beat Cobb for the batting title that season. Cobb sat on the bench and watched his teammates laugh at it him as they helped Lajoie win the batting title.
To make matters worse, when Lajoie had won the title, one of the Tiger fans laughed at Cobb. Cobb ran over to the stands and jumped up into the seats and ran at the man, where he preceded to beat the man into a coma. The man was a war vet and had no arms. Cobb said he didn't care that the man had no arms.
That night after the last game of the season, the Tigers headed back to their team hotel where the players stayed during the season. Ty Cobb wanted to make a phone call. He went to the lobby and saw a guy on the phone. The guy acknowledged him, smiled and held up five fingers, as if to say, "Five more minutes." The man talked for five, ten, fifteen more minutes and Cobb was now enraged. This had been the most embarrassing and infuriating day of his entire life and now this guy in the phone booth won't get off the phone! Cobb snapped, kicked the door in, which caused glass to shatter everywhere. Cobb grabbed the man by the arm to pull him out of the booth. The man, literally raised Cobb high into the air with his right arm. Cobb was stunned. The man he had interrupted so rudely, was none other than Jack Dempsey, the current reigning, defending and undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
Now, if Cobb had profusely apologized right then and there or started to cry and beg for mercy, he may have gotten away with his actions. Cobb being Cobb, picked himself up and rushed at Dempsey. Dempsey hit him twice. Cobb was out for just under an hour. He awoke in a hospital with a broken nose, a broken cheekbone, a partial jaw fracture and 8 missing teeth. Dempsey received dozens of floral bouquets and gifts from the Detroit Tigers thanking hi for what he had done. When asked by the media who was tougher, Ty Cobb or Jess Willard, Dempsey said, "The phonebooth."
Although Ty Cobb is a huge asshole. This story I hate to say is false. I really wish it was true cause Jack Dempsey is a badass and the greatest boxer that ever lived. But here is why it is false, the Nap Lajoie incident, correctly known as the Chalmers Award Controversy, happened in 1910, where as at the time, Dempsey was not the world champion. Dempsey was still fighting in mining towns and places like that under the alias Kid Blackie. Dempsey did not win the world championship until 1919. Making the two incidents that were supposed to coincide, 9 years apart. Second, the Nap Lojoie incident occurred against the St. Louis Browns not the Detroit Tigers (Cobb's team) placing Ty Cobb no where near Cleveland at the time. Third, this is the only mention of this incident every happening on the internet. Huh, thing aren't adding up here. I mean, I'm sure Jack Dempsey would knock Cobb senseless and quite honestly Cobb deserved it, but this didn't happen.
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