Ty Cobb-A Terrible Beauty by; Charles Leerhsen

I found this book courtesy of Hillsdale College. They published a talk given by Mr. Leershsen and published it in their March 2016 Imprimis Publication. I was intrigued by the thought that this author felt that Mr. Cobb’s reputation had been tarnished by other authors and he wanted to clear the record. I immediately purchased a copy from Amazon and have just finished it. Since most of Mr. Cobb’s great achievements were before my time I have taken the position that this latest effort was done with a noble purpose and therefore I accept his writing as factual. I read this, not as a fan of baseball, but because of the author’s attempt to right the record of Ty Cobb. There can be no question that to this day his records stand as recognition of his great ability, strength and persistence. Right up until his last days as a ball player he gave it all he had. It was the stigma that he was a dirty player and would deliberately spike players as he slid into bases that tarnished his image. For me the author cleared the air. Mr. Cobb’s family should be relieved that his honor has been restored. He played in the Majors from 1905 to 1928 (the year I was born). He played in 3034 games with the following statistics; 11,434 at bats, 2246 runs, 4189 hits, 1938 RBI’s 897 bases stolen and a life time batting average of .366. The book chronicles his life as a child, through his years as a ball player and his later years. He was fearless and always strove to win. Fans either loved him or hated him, but for sure he was not ignored. Whether baseball is a sport you care about or not, this is a well written biography of a legend whose achievements will never be equaled. Jack B. Walters May 22, 2016