Along with his supernormal ability to hit a baseball at a high clip, what avid fans of the game remember most about Ty Cobb was the aberrant way he went about his business. Often described as a genetic talent with a brute mindset, it’s possible Cobb’s ruthless desire to perform at an exceptional level on the ballfield outweighed his uncanny hitting skills. Which, for someone who has the highest batting average (.366) in Major League Baseball (MLB) history, is saying something. To get a feel for how bad he wanted to be a star in the big leagues, in the opening chapter of his professional baseball, Cobb spent some time competing in the semipro Tennessee-Alabama League, for a ballclub known as the Anniston Steelers. As a member of the Steelers, during his moments away from the ballfield, Cobb, in an effort to market his knacks to those with influence, would rave about his play on postcards, and mail the self-promoting letters to Grantland Rice, a renowned sportswriter. To avoid looking like a self-conceited man, Cobb would write under aliases before sending off his notes. After receiving countless messages in the mail from the anonymous Cobb, all about Cobb, Rice eventually gave the young ballplayer a shoutout in the Atlanta Journal, publishing that, “a young fellow named Cobb seems to be showing an unusual lot of talent.” As the world would soon find out, the man behind the pseudonyms, though cryptic with his proclamations, told no lies when it came to his baseball game. However, once he shined under the bright lights, those invested in the product, while heavy admirers of his offensive proficiency at the dish, had much more to discuss than his wonderous hitting. In particular, his savage-like approach to fulfilling his desire to dominate the profession.
On the diamond, Cobb’s barbaric mentality was best personified via his aggressive sliding style. His vehement way of blasting into the ensuing base with such ferocity gave him a reputation of being a dirty player who was out to injure the opposition. Though not a metric that has ever been tracked by baseball statisticians, it’s believed that, had the sport measured the amount of times that a player has spiked a fielder with his cleat while speeding into a base, Ty Cobb would be the, hands-down, undisputed, career leader in the infamous category. During his 24-year career, there were so many reports filed against the Georgia-born ballplayer for the way he would use his steel spurs to hurt his opponent in a deliberate manner, that many victims petitioned for him to get kicked out of the league for his reckless ways. To paint the full picture, one must understand how he went about securing the subsequent bag on a play that called for him to glissade to better his chances of getting the outcome he wanted. Unlike the lion’s share of players who, out of respect for their opponent, slow up a bit prior to getting into a slide on a play that warrants one. This drop-off in speed forces the baserunner to slide earlier, which creates a safe distance between the launching of their feet, and the base that the fielder is holding. By doing this, the runner is able to avoid injuring the fielder with his spikes. Cobb neglected the idea of decelerating and would dart into the base at maximum speed. In a poetic way, one of his legs would be steered towards the bag, while the other would be angled a bit higher, at a degree that, far too many times, would be aligned with the baseman. Leading with his spikes, Cobb would position his body at a right angle with the base line, which made it hard to tag him on any spot other than his cleats. Though perceived as truculent in its nature, Cobb’s form was bardic-like, and above all, worked well for the man. During his lengthy career, he led the league in steals five times, including in 1915, a year where he swiped 96 bases, a mark that, to this day, stands as the Tigers single-season franchise record.
Cobb’s method to becoming a great baserunner was similar to his hitting strategy. He treated it like a science and is said to have spent just as much time perfecting his slide, as he did his swing. His meticulous process involved an intense examination of both pitcher and catcher. Cobb would study every opposing hurler in the league to pick up on their tendencies, while also analyzing the catcher’s characteristics. While running on the base path, the second he’s within distance, Cobb fixates his attention on the basemen’s eyes to dictate how he will go about taking the base. Since the fielder, serving as the receiver, is forced to use his eyes when attempting to catch the ball, his organs of sight operate as a ‘tell’ to the runner, which, if picked up on, can help the man on base plan his course of attack.
To enhance the number of opportunities he would get to improve in this area, Cobb would slide into a base on plays that didn’t even call for it. He didn’t care if it wasn’t a ‘bang-bang’ play. Sticking by his maniacal tactics, every time he slid, he would be training his body to perform the act on autopilot. This forced his body and mind to master the mechanics, no matter what. Of course, when he practiced his technique on plays that did not warrant a slide, both the opposition and spectators would look down on his act, deeming it unnecessary and potentially harmful. One of his most-immoral, inessential slides took place in August of 1909. During the bottom half of the first inning in a contest against the Philadelphia Athletics, a prominent team at the time who had formed a rivalry with Cobb’s Detroit Tigers, ‘The Georgia Peach’ stepped up to the plate with two outs. In the opening frame, the A’s plated a pair of runs, so Cobb, hitting in the heart of the Detroit order, was eager to get his team back in the game. After walking, he wound up stealing 2nd. Yearning for more, Cobb attempted to swipe third, but Athletics catcher Patrick “Paddy” Livingston, was more than ready for it. He fired the ball to Frank Baker, rookie third baseman, who caught it far before Cobb had the time to get close to the base. Though the throw was a tad low, Philadelphia had Cobb dead to rights, but, as somewhat expected, the Detroit outfielder slid regardless of the situation. In typical Cobb fashion, he tossed his foot up, and spiked Baker on his forearm. While Baker was able to tag him out to end the inning, the rookie was left with a gruesome gash from the incident. The wound from Cobb’s spikes forced Baker to sport a massive bandage over the impacted area. In defense of his player, A’s coach, the legendary Connie Mack, called to the president of the American League, Ban Johnson, and complained with passion over the un-called for incident. Following the game, Mack, according to an article published in the Boston Globe, stated, “Cobb is the greatest ballplayer in the world, but he is also one of the dirtiest…Action against Cobb should be taken by the league officials. I would not have him on my team if he played for nothing.”
Of course, there’s two sides to every story. After years of backlash for his unsportsmanlike ways, Cobb went on the record to share his perspective. While the bulk of those contending against him were certain he was a scoundrel on the diamond, who was out to injure his foes, the man facing the detestation from his peers believed he was anything but brute. In a 1913 article published in the Boston Globe, Cobb spoke right to his haters, saying, “I would not intentionally hurt a fellow player for twice my salary, and yet, whenever somebody bumps up against these spikes of mine, they say I do it intentionally.” In the column, he went on to mention that there were far less incidents where a baserunners of the game’s past spiked a fielder because those on defense provided the runner with the right to a clear path when charging into the ensuing cushion. From his point of view, this was something that the game had lost. “Nowadays,” said Cobb. “The basemen seems to think the way to stop a runner is to use football tactics – to step way over on the side nearest the approaching runner and block him off the bag.” Claiming that it is the fielder, not him, who puts himself in a vulnerable position, Cobb posed the question, “If the basemen deliberately comes over the base, standing in the road so that I have no chance to slide in except by violent contact with him, whose fault is it if he gets spiked? Think it all over and then decide – am I a brute, a butcher, or a reformer. I think I am a real reformer, correcting abuses, and trying to bring back certain phases of the game to their condition in the early days.” Towards the tail end of the piece, Cobb summarized his stance with an emphatic statement: “I don’t want to play hog. Half the base is mine, and I claim that half whenever I go for it.”
With a refusal to bend the knee, Cobb, whether people liked it or not, continued to play the game his way. By sticking to his guns and drowning out all external noise, he cemented himself as one of the greatest ballplayers of all-time. Though his career hits record was shattered by the great Pete Rose in 1985, to this day, Cobb remains atop in lifetime batting (.366), and has the most of steals of home (54) in baseball history.
The lesson braided within Cobb’s sadistic-sensed, approach to sliding, is to block out all outside opinions in pursuit of your objective. His goal was to take the proximate base, and he did whatever It took to ensure that he wound up successful in his mission. Cobb suppressed all the loathing, and by doing so, channeled every ounce of his energy and focus into assuring he would create the desired result. When chasing down a goal, no matter its perceived level of importance, small or big, minor or major, all matter not pertaining to your labor is irrelevant. Weighing the opinions of others while tracking down a set intention creates an unnecessary roadblock between where you stand, and where you’re trying to reside. Since its your personal objective, you’re the one who withholds all the power and understanding as it pertains to the configuration of the desired realization. No other being perceiving this experience will ever command the same degree of comprehension when it comes to whatever results that you aspire to create. Thus, it would be illogical to allow any external perspective the power to blur your vision.
Often times, those who feel a strong urge from within to create a specific outcome are in possession of that intense sense of passion because the inherent desire at-hand is in direct alignment with their soul’s wants. Meaning, their current goal is something that is meaningful to their heart, and not something that they are chasing to receive applause from the outside world. It’s a target that is true to them. To command a fixed yearning for something is a blessing. A benediction that must be acted on until it’s fulfillment. With a fixed amount of time in the flesh to create wonderous outcomes, all individuals who bear these personal cravings must do everything in their power to materialize them in the physical space. This is why exhausting any amount of attention on the beliefs of others is of massive detriment to all those aiming to bring forth their visions. Especially if you find yourself in a space like Cobb did, where the collective opinion surrounding his pursuit to eminence was flooded with negativity. One who concentrates on adverse thoughts, in particular, the beliefs that others have shared regarding their mission, exposes themselves to the possibility of derailing their level of self-assurance in the sought-after objective. A knock in self-confidence wounds one’s ability to sense their goal with the appropriate degree of clarity that is needed to see it come to fruition. The desires that dwell within a dreamer are the most essential shapes of matter in the idealizer’s reality. Their value trumps all external substance. The want to bring forth these said visions must be louder than all the noise that comes one’s way when on the path to realization. It is vital that all fantasizers protect their self-belief status from those in the external space striving to shoot it down.
Putting outside opinions aside, the inner-dialogue that one carries on within themselves on a daily basis is often just as important to shield from negativity. Based on Cobb’s public response to the accusations of him being a dirty player, it is clear that the ballplayer believed, in his heart of hearts, that he was playing the game the right way. Having gone as far to say that he should be analyzed as more of a ‘reformer’, than an ‘offender’, Cobb displayed his unalterable perspective as it related to his slide. In this case, what is relevant to him is getting the base, and doing so in a manner that is in line with the rules of the game. Despite a flurry of adverse reactions coming his way, Cobb held his ground, and spun the narrative to showcase his lack of fear in the opposition. If he had purchased stock in his enemies opinions, and remolded the way he went about his business, then he would have allowed an outsider to recast his inherent vision, which was to take the next base in a manner that aligned with his spirit and morals. The idea of granting someone permission to revise your ambitions is ludicrous, which is why dreamers must pay no mind to all who share their thoughts while chasing down what’s meant for them to conqueror.
Should one let an outsider’s thoughts refashion how they speak to themselves, it’s very possible that a spike in doubt will make its way into their psyche. No matter what the world says, or feedback it gives, for best results, one must tune in to their inner-voice, and ensure, on a regular basis, that the guide within has not been tainted by external beliefs of any kind. Realizing the overarching mission upstages all elements that are misaligned with its final form. The healthy goal-hunter shall comprehend this, and, in a symbol sense, spike all external factors in their way.
LIFE LESSON: Amid materializing a vision, eliminate all external noise.