War on the Basepaths (The Definitive Biography of Ty Cobb)

During his twenty-four-year Hall of Fame career, Ty Cobb was an MVP, Triple Crown winner, and twelve-time batting champion. Even though he retired over eighty-five years ago, he is still the leader for career batting average; second in runs, hits, and triples; and is a mainstay in dozens of other categories.

However, when most people think of “The Georgia Peach,” they’re reminded of his reputation as a “dirty” player. It was said that he got so many of his steals because he would sharpen his metal cleats and “spike” the second basemen if they would try to tag him out (even though most of the ballplayers he played against refuted that allegation). It’s also said that he was rude, nasty, racist, and hated by peers and the press alike. A majority of these claims came from the famous biography written by Al Stump. The issue is that Stump had his own agenda, and herein is the first opportunity to learn who Cobb really was: a man who played with his heart on his sleeve and left all he could on the basepaths, while donating his time and money to help those less fortunate off the field.

In the same unbiased style of his Turning the Black Sox White (on Charles Comiskey), Tim Hornbaker offers a fresh look of one of the greatest players ever to grace a baseball diamond. Based on detailed research and analysis, Hornbaker offers the full story of Cobb’s life and career, some of which has been lied about and mythologized for almost a century. War on the Basepaths will show who Ty Cobb really was, and place readers in box seats to view his life and career.

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