No true heroes but I guess Lucker and Patrolman O’Connor combine to make one hero. Lucker had the proverbial cloud following over his head; he certainly wasn’t a likable character. That photo of Ty Cobb was very ‘period’: he looked very mysterious. Paul, I subscribe to another baseball Substack called Lost in Left Field by another Paul (White). While both of you report on baseball history, you get the story behind the story and he has a lot of stats and comparisons. I enjoy both. Funny, when I subscribed to LILF, I didn’t pay close enough attention and saw Paul and thought it was you!
That era of photography and dress really combined to make folks look a little haunting, didn't it? I feel the same way as you, Meg, about Lucker, but I was fascinated by the little coda from 1914. A perfect illustration of how nearly all people are complex and more than just a single "note." Lucker was a bully and probably bad-tempered in general, but he also had a little bit of something heroic in him.
Between both Pauls you are getting a great package on baseball history, very complementary.
Paul, I always heard Cobb was an SOB not that I’m an expert on him but things were different in those days. I can just imagine if a player today even wrongfully touched a fan what would happen. Then again we had A Rod getting women’s phone numbers from the crowd by signing baseballs… while he was married.
Maybe players require more ‘Charm School’ before they’re allowed to sit in the dugout.
It's an interesting observation on how mores and bad behaviors shift over time, Jeff. What Cobb did in 1912 would be an even bigger scandal today than it was then, but we'd also be having a very different conversation today about the language that was used to provoke him.
Cobb was not a fun guy, but he wasn't a monster in the way some of his early biographers made him out to be. These hypercompetitive guys often have a huge chip on their shoulder and aren't much fun at parties, and that was certainly Cobb. I was surprised to see how fully his teammates rallied around him in this moment, as few liked him as a person. I suppose they understood clearly that their fortunes were tied to his and acted accordingly.
No true heroes but I guess Lucker and Patrolman O’Connor combine to make one hero. Lucker had the proverbial cloud following over his head; he certainly wasn’t a likable character. That photo of Ty Cobb was very ‘period’: he looked very mysterious. Paul, I subscribe to another baseball Substack called Lost in Left Field by another Paul (White). While both of you report on baseball history, you get the story behind the story and he has a lot of stats and comparisons. I enjoy both. Funny, when I subscribed to LILF, I didn’t pay close enough attention and saw Paul and thought it was you!
That era of photography and dress really combined to make folks look a little haunting, didn't it? I feel the same way as you, Meg, about Lucker, but I was fascinated by the little coda from 1914. A perfect illustration of how nearly all people are complex and more than just a single "note." Lucker was a bully and probably bad-tempered in general, but he also had a little bit of something heroic in him.
Between both Pauls you are getting a great package on baseball history, very complementary.
Paul, I always heard Cobb was an SOB not that I’m an expert on him but things were different in those days. I can just imagine if a player today even wrongfully touched a fan what would happen. Then again we had A Rod getting women’s phone numbers from the crowd by signing baseballs… while he was married.
Maybe players require more ‘Charm School’ before they’re allowed to sit in the dugout.
Players union would love that, right?
Good article.
It's an interesting observation on how mores and bad behaviors shift over time, Jeff. What Cobb did in 1912 would be an even bigger scandal today than it was then, but we'd also be having a very different conversation today about the language that was used to provoke him.
Cobb was not a fun guy, but he wasn't a monster in the way some of his early biographers made him out to be. These hypercompetitive guys often have a huge chip on their shoulder and aren't much fun at parties, and that was certainly Cobb. I was surprised to see how fully his teammates rallied around him in this moment, as few liked him as a person. I suppose they understood clearly that their fortunes were tied to his and acted accordingly.