Anniversary of Cobb's Death Fuels Effort to Improve His Image

Is Ty Cobb simply misunderstood? Or, is he the dark figure that many view him as? Forty-seven years after the death of Ty Cobb, a Michigan author has launched an effort to resurrect the image of the Georgia Peach. Ty Cobb is the most maligned sports figure in American history, said Tom Stanton, author of Ty and The Babe (2008, St. Martin's Griffin). A fan from his era would not recognize Cobb based on how he is portrayed today. He has been reduced to a cliche -- as the Satan of baseball -- and it is absolutely inaccurate. During his day, Cobb was arguably idolized by fans, and the majority of sportswriters viewed Cobb as the greatest player of his day. Cobb spent 22 of his 24 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, winning a record 12 batting titles and amassing an unparalleled .367 lifetime batting average. Ty Cobb died in 1961, said Stanton. Obviously, he's not done anything to diminish his own reputation since then. But his image continues to spiral downward. Every ...