Two Cobb Books, One Review of a Maligned Legacy

I purposely waited to review this book until I had read both, War on the Basepaths: The Definitive Biography of Ty Cobb (Tim Hornbaker) and Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty (Charles Leerhsen). When purchasing, I couldn't decide between the two so I hope this review helps you to decide.

Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): I thoroughly enjoyed 'War on the Basepaths,' (4 stars) which I read first, but 'A Terrible Beauty,' (5 Stars) has more detail and apparent research to counter some of the more colorful Cobb History. Both books counter the tainted Cobb legacy of a racist, jerk, and spiker.

Regarding both narrators: I listen at 3x speed and neither narrator appealed to me more than the other. If narration performance is important to you, I really can't help you decide. I gave both 4 stars for performance since I could clearly hear both without adjusting the speed.

Since I read 'War on the Basepaths' first, I almost felt like I didn't need to read the other, but I committed myself to it and this review. Despite both books being about 15 hours (1x speed) the biggest difference is focus of the book. As previously mentioned, 'Terrible Beauty' provides more context and theory to Cobb's upbringing, personality, motivations, and day-to-day life minutia. I felt that 'War' covered more baseball statistics but missed some key information that I got from 'Terrible Beauty' (e.g., circumstances around Ty's Father's death, post baseball life with 2nd wife, personal finances and wealth growth).

It was nice to listen to both books and I didn't feel like it was repetitive; in fact the juxtaposing of the two books helped inculcate me to Ty's life. Both books dispel myths of Ty's alleged racism (which by today's standard is Racism, but he grew up and lived in a different time (not excusable, but understandable)), his unpopularity with baseball contemporaries (see Field of Dreams quote), as well as the most enduring Cobb legacy as a spike sharpener and spiker of competition when sliding into base (until Rickey Henderson, Ty Cobb was considered the greatest base-stealer of all time even though two others had more stolen bases).

If you have time, read both. If not, read 'A Terrible Beauty.'

35 people found this helpful

The Best Ever Account of Ty Cobb

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would; especially if he/she was a baseball fan. I was only 11 years old when Cobb died, so I obviously was not able to follow his career; but I was always in constant admiration of his incredible feats. I was also disappointed, and frankly confused, by so much of what was written about his alleged racism and psychotic behaviors, which are portrayed in what is perhaps the most popular biography on Cobb entitled: Cobb: A Biography by Al Stump (which was also the basis for the movie). While I suspected that much of Stump's book was untrue, I am relieved to now see it confirmed by an author of far greater integrity and scholarship. Leerhsen bases all of his story on well researched facts and presents on accurate and objective picture of Ty Cobb----neither an apologia nor a hatchet job. Among the many myths that Leerhsen debunks are Cobb's alleged racism and psychotic behavior. This is not simply a difference of opinion or interpretation. I would like to say that Stump simply made some errors or that he was guilty of sloppy research, the latter of which is typical of many biographers. This book however clearly reveals that Stump repeatedly and deliberately lied in order to deliver a more sensational product. At any rate, Leerhsen not only presents the most accurate but also the most well written account of Ty Cobb.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ty Cobb?

Since I was already familiar with his unbelievable accomplishments, I would have to say the most memorable moments were seeing so many examples of his intelligence, class, and his vigorous support of allowing African Americans into Major League baseball.

Have you listened to any of Malcolm Hillgartner’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any of Hillgartner's other performances but I consider him one of the very best readers I've heard. Superb job! Great tone, modulation and most importantly (for me) no blatant mispronounciations!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"The True Story of America's Greatest Baseball Player"

Any additional comments?

This is an absolute "must read" for any baseball fan----whether or not you're a fan of Cobb or not.

13 people found this helpful

TONS OF SUBJECTIVE CONJECTURE

This is a hard review to write as the book overall is well written and the narration is fine --- but Leerhsen puts his own spin on the Cobb story and it's not backed up by much (well, not enough for me) substantial information. Yes, he discredits the old Al Stump biography (and is not the first to do so) but throughout this book Ty Cobb is painted as some saintly, unbiased, almost gentle at times, non-racist, not so very violent tempered --- and there is very little but Mr. Leerhsen's conjecture to back it up. He'll state that Cobb was not racist yet tell stories of him beating African Americans. He'll say Cobb didn't go out of his way to hurt opposing players ("right to the bag") but then lists many times he put good players in the hospital. He dismisses these accounts as fiction (some accounts may be exaggerated or may or may not be true) but has nothing but his own personal opinion to back up his best intentioned --- but own personal opinion.

And what does he have against Christy Mathewson? He makes up a story that Mathewson attended a lynching and bases this account on what? I really wonder. The only time that I am aware of a lynching that Mathewson was anywhere near was a tiny blip in a news account that the Giants were invited to one. NOTHING in ANY account backs up that ANY Giant ACTUALLY ATTENDED that or any such even and Mathewson certainly did not. As, literally, world's expert on Christy Mathewson I can unequivocally say that there is zero evidence that Matty never attended such a thing and much reason to believe that had he ever had the opportunity to do so he would not have. Ever. And, Leerhsen multiple times refers to Mathewson as a "goody two shoes." Something that was fabricated by the press and, again, inaccurate. Mathewson was thrown out of well over a dozen games in his career for "swearing a good oath." Does Mr. Leerhsen know that Ty Cobb considered only Mickey Cochrane and Christy Mathewson his only true friends "in baseball?" Matty enjoyed Cobb in the times they briefly spent together (his favorite time during a spring training with the Reds that is barely mentioned in this book --- and there is NO mention that Mathewson was the Reds manager when Cobb spent that last part of Spring Training with him).

Cobb was certainly NOT the monster that history has portrayed him to be but there is little reason to think that so many accounts of his temper and the fact that so many in the game disliked him does not paint a historical picture of a less hostile personality. There is too much evidence to support a less likeable Cobb. Leerhsen brushes almost ALL of these off accounts as embellished or made up. Al Stump's accounts have been largely discredited but, really, unless there was a small element of truth to some of it why would HE have such an ax to grind when there was no money in it? Yet ANYONE who can sit through even 10 minutes of the horrible Tommy Lee Jones movie based on Stump's accounts can see that you can't believe much of anything that HE wrote (Stump). But even if ALL of Stumps words are thrown out as if never written there is much to support many of the "Cobb myths," as Leerhsen implies.

Had Mr. Leerhsen done just a tad more research (and I'm not saying he didn't do a lot --- this book is VERY WELL written and interesting to listen to --- I'm not dismissing it --- and he does not discount ALL negative Cobb accounts) he may have spoken with me and been able to base his take on Cobb's gentler and more likeable side by basing his opinion on what a person that was NOT a goody-goody but a true friend of Cobb's (Christy Mathewson) thought about and had to say about the man. And Mathewson did have good things to say about Cobb.

As I listened on and on to the subjective opinions and dismissals of accounts in this book --- it really annoyed me to no end.

Two small notes on the narration (and this only bothered me because I am an expert on the era) --- Malcolm Hillgartner is a terrific narrator and I liked his cadence and style. But he mispronounced Honus Wagner's name repeatedly. It is NOT "HONE-US" but "HAHN-US" ... based on the old German Johannes, Johan, "Hans" ... thus Honus. The Wagner family has also verified this with me so I'm not just throwing out my own opinion. So it bothered me. Many seem not to know the pronunciation of Wagner's name and where the name comes from and he was SO FAMOUS that this is just too bad. The other mispronunciation is NOT so well known (thus hard to blame Mr. Hillgarner). The pronunciation of the old time fireballer Jack Chesbro. His last name is not pronounced "CHEZZ-bro" but "CHEESE-bro." A small thing, but it bothered me. There are others but these are the two that stood out to me.

I DO RECOMMEND THIS BOOK as it has many wonderful accounts of Cobb's career and is written in a fine narrative style. I just have to recommend you take Leehrsen's take with a grain of salt based on what I stated above --- you cannot rewrite history based on opinion (even if it is interesting to think about --- I think that it was probably Leerhsen's intent ... to give that opinion and let the reader mull it over --- but it came off as throwing subjective ideas onto the reader as fact). I would love to meet him someday to chat old baseball and try to find out what got in his craw to try and turn Cobb into "gentle man" and Mathewson into some sort of pompous goon. Cobb did have a gentler side and Mathewson could be aloof but both loved the game and had a fire that help elevate them to the pantheon of not just the sport but American history as well.

9 people found this helpful

The Real Ty Cobb is Standing

Leerhsen's Cobb is a believable and balanced account of the complicated and accomplished baseball icon. Diligent research has rendered previous Cobb biographies between folly and fraud. Hilgartner's narration is flawless.

9 people found this helpful

Finally! A Ty Cobb Biography without Prejudice!

I chose this title because I'm a lifelong Tiger fan, but more so because I wanted to learn for myself how ruthless, and racially charged Ty Cobb actually was. As a baseball fan I, like many had heard countless times how Cobb was ruthless on the base paths, and would sharpen his spike so he could slash middle infielders on a steal, or how his Georgian-influenced hatred of blacks made him the meanest, nastiest player ever to step into the batters box. He was awful, right? Maybe not.

Unlike the many authors and film makers who have told Cobb's story before, it seems Charles Leerhsen actually did his research. He actually went to the source of many of these yarns and tall tales to see for himself what was true, and what was made up even challenging noted historians such as Ken Burns whom like other, simply wrote down what they had heard and not what was fact. And in turn, (I think) Cobb got a bad rap. He's been misrepresented from the beginning and it took this title, and an author with the gumption to seek the truth to lay it all out. So now, finally, a Ty Cobb biography without prejudice!

There is no doubt that Cobb played the game with intensity and perfection, that which nobody at the time could replicate. He'd steal a base or lay down a bunt, or take out an infielder on a slide just to make his team win. (Sounds an awful lot like Pete Rose). And he gambled too...on baseball...which was generally accepted in those times. He was ruthless to a degree, but darn good at what he did, and no where near how he's been portrayed in the past which in my opinion is shameful. Sure he turns crotchety as he ages long after retirement, but the countless tales of how he meaninglessly attacked blacks, or how he was cheap, or un-caring in any way is distorted by this account, mean spirited, and unfortunately devastating to a legacy that should be embraced. I'm disappointed this title wasn't written 70 years earlier.

8 people found this helpful

This is a must for baseball fans!

This book is amazing. So well read, well written and overall well done! This give a true light on who Ty Cobb actually was and your opinion will be different on the man with the highest career batting average that still stands today. Interesting, fun and compelling. Absolutely love this book!

6 people found this helpful

Cobb was alright after all ...

I've been a baseball fan my entire life, with a special interest in 19th century/pre-Babe Ruth baseball. I'm astounded to realize how little I knew about the real Cobb - rather than what I'd always accepted as true through the extensive "artistry" applied by Al Stump. My opinion has been swayed to the favorable and I'm proud to be among those who now have a more objective understanding of who this pioneer/legend really was.

4 people found this helpful

Brilliant Blend of Sports, Scholarship, and Style

OUTSTANDING! This book is the opposite of historical revisionism, the deplorable practice of judging the past by contemporary standards. This book strips away the myths that have made Ty Cobb into a monster. It relies on documentation from primary sources to rebut the widely accepted view that Cobb was a dirty player and a very disagreeable man. It is a transformational work in that it changes long held perceptions of Cobb by facing the reader with the simple facts that some writers about Cobb have deliberately ignored. The writing is of the highest quality, with an emphasis on clarity, directness, and description. The narration is excellent, eminently suited to the author's writing style. This book tends to remove the need to consider any of the other works on this subject. Highly recommended!

4 people found this helpful

Bravo!

This book is extremely well written. Any fan of baseball or early twentieth century popular history will want to read it. Well done!

3 people found this helpful

The Real Tyrus

I purchased this book in 2015 during the baseball season when I go through Audible's incredible selection of baseball books. This book basically got passed up by me for two years and I it turned out to be one of my favorite listens ever. The narration to start with is second to none by Malcolm Hillgartner, I have heard the him do old Stephen King recordings and he just has a top notch classic sounding voice a brings so much to the book. This book not only dispels the conventional portrayal of Ty Cobb it will give you a great picture of baseball in that era. I loved the way the author kept the book fresh by finding heavily researched stories of Cobb that other authors just guessed about, while giving you looks into games and seasons. Cobb was baseball's first true superstar and even though he may not have been a saint off the field this is the biography he has always deserved. If there was a classic baseball player you want to learn about pick up this book and pass on all the other fictional Cobb books.

2 people found this helpful