MovieChat Forums > Cobb (1994) Discussion > Do not confuse with a true story.

Do not confuse with a true story.

posted 12 years ago by fivehole84
9 replies | jump to latest

If you want to see this movie, by all means, watch it. However, do not confuse this with an actual depiction of Ty Cobb. The book that this was based on was written by Al Stump and has been thoroughly discredited. Two huge issues are.....
Cobb never killed anyone.
Cobb was not in a sexual relationship with his mother

Cobb was an ornery old guy. Of course, but he was very intelligent and there is strong evidence to say that he was not a racist. You know, since his college fund went mostly to poor black children and his hospital both employed and treated poor black people. He also built a house on his property for his friend Uncle Bob Robinson. He happened to be black. So either he was a racist that didn't seem to hate black people, or this is another made up thing by Al

You can still enjoy the movie, but do not confuse this for a true story. Al Stump was a basically that generations Jerry Springer. Unfortunately, Cobb will be remembered more for this garbage than how great of a ball player her was.

[–] michaelds204 11 years ago

I never got the impression from the movie that Cobb had a relationship with his mother. I read both books and one of the most impressive stories was Cobb was mugged and stabbed then played a game before he went to the hospital. Now thats one tough sob.

[–] ec1979 11 years ago

Cobb is generally considered to be a jerk. Anyone my parents generation or older know that and there is plenty of evidence that he was racist, including the attempted murder of a black elevator operator he thought was being "uppity". He used to call Ruth an "n". Considering the time he lived and the fact that he was from Georgia, it's not such a stretch to think he was racist. Like with most things, the truth lies somewhere in between and no one is all bad, but Cobb's legacy is strictly with the sport, not his character.

[–] MarkedSoul 11 years ago

I guess it depends on who is telling the story. Most things I read said he only slapped the elevator operator and either slashed or stabbed the hotel manager or security guard who hit him first with a night stick....depending on who is telling the story. Doesn't seem to be a consistent story.

[–] ec1979 11 years ago

Maybe if there was only that one story about him would I cut him some slack, but there are so many horrible stories about him. The truth probably lies somewhere in between. My guess is that, if he liked you, he was decent to you, but lord help you if he didnt like you.

[–] haynese_98 11 years ago

We can't possibly judge Cobb from the vastly different world he came from. He grew up in the Jim Crow south and do you know what the attitudes towards race and women were like back then?

Ironically, Ty Cobb's style of play and attitudes towards teammates were largely due to the extreme hazing he was subjected to by veterans during his rookie season. He never got over this hazing, and thus played extremely rough for the rest of his career.

In the end, Ty Cobb played hard and lived hard. He was very rich and successful, he admitted to making a lot of mistakes but coming from nowheresville, GA he lived life the only way he knew how. His real legacy after his death(not the fiction crap Al Stump wrote) is that he's helped a lot of poor people of all races get a fair shake at life. Ty Cobb truly is a Georgia Peach!!

"There is no Hollywood any more, there's just a bunch of banks"

[–] ec1979 11 years ago

Yes he can be judged for many things he did, some of which were violent. People don't get infamous for being an *beep* for no reason. Anyone from his generation will talk about what a nasty jerk he was, regardless of his talent.

[–] rspahn-35561 7 years ago

"We can't possibly judge Cobb from the vastly different world he came from. He grew up in the Jim Crow south and do you know what the attitudes towards race and women were like back then?'

Wow.... Is that ever a horrible defense. Embarrassing

[–] rspahn-35561 7 years ago

"coming from nowheresville, GA he lived life the only way he knew how"

Why isn't every individual from that era in that area as awful as him? Save this garbage

[–] jaystarstar 11 years ago

The story about Cobb beating a mugger to death in an alleyway on the way to a game was mainly spread by Cobb himself, although investigators have turned up no conclusive evidence that it ever really happened.

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4) You ever seen Superman $#$# his pants? Case closed.