Peach: Ty Cobb in His Time and Ours

Although it has been more than 75 years since he last laced up his spikes, Ty Cobb remains arguably the greatest player in the long history of baseball. Certainly the Detroit Tigers outfielder remains the most controversial. He hit .367 over 24 seasons (1905-1928), won a dozen batting titles, and was the first man elected to baseball's Hall of Fame. But it was his blowtorch personality that set the Georgia Peach apart from all others. Peach: Ty Cobb in His Time and Ours takes readers into the cauldron that was his life--the spikings and assaults, the rivalries and petty jealousies, the never-ending string of battles on the diamond, in the stands, and at home. At the same time author Richard Bak reveals a side of Cobb not generally known--a man who quietly looked after the affairs of down-and-out ballplayers, founded a hospital system and educational foundation that still thrives after a half-century, and who belatedly came to grips with his own soiled legend.