The Glory Years of the Detroit Tigers: 1920-1950

2. Franchise Stars

Franchise Stars The issue of who should be considered star players is sure to evoke debate and disagreement. Here the distinction is reserved for those who have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. In both this chapter and the following one, “The Supporting Cast,” the order of introduction is based sequentially on the year the players debuted with the Tigers franchise. t y c o b b Tyrus Raymond Cobb is naturally the lead-off man for this chapter, having begun his long major league career as a Detroit Tiger in 1905. He is the brightest Bengal star of all time. When the new decade began in 1920, Cobb was beginning his sixteenth season; he was thirty-three years old and had played in 1,928 games. Because he was known for his blazing speed, some observers felt he had slowed down a bit by 1920. If he had that was surely the only noticeable change. Most important, Cobb had not mellowed with age and experience. He remained a fierce and fiery competitor whose personality changed dramatically when the umpire called out: “Play ball!” His competitive spirit drove him to excel and fueled his aggressive and confrontational behavior. t w o 56 c h a p t e r t w o His incredible human will may have been his greatest asset for it allowed him to overcome odds and painful injuries, feed on challenging situations, and envision greatness and winning with astounding confidence. Ty Cobb was recognized for his intelligence; he continually tried to think of ways and opportunities to gain a completive advantage. He was tricky and conniving, and his opponents needed to be on guard for his penetrating ability to exploit the slightest mannerism or clue. A story from Oscar Ruhl’s Sporting News column in 1950 illustrates that Cobb was always paying attention. c o b b m a d e s a r g e b a g b y b u t t o n h i s l i p One of the most amusing incidents in Steve O’Neil’s career occurred 30 years ago when the present Red Sox pilot was catching for the Cleveland Indians, who were heading for their first American League pennant.“Jim Bagby was our ace—a 34 game winner that season,”recalled Steve.“And I guess he won a couple of World’s Series with the Brooklyn Robins. . . . Anyway, Ol’Jim, whose nickname was Sarge, had more varieties of pitches than Heinz has pickles. And he generally used every one of them at some time or other during a game. On this day, we’re playing the Detroit Tigers, always a tough club, even as now, with the immortal Ty Cobb making them a little tougher. At a critical situation late in the game, The Georgia Peach (Cobb) is at the plate and Sarge is having his troubles getting the ball by him. Finally I run into a situation where Sarge is shaking me off on every pitch. I run out of signs. So I walk out to Bagby and say,‘Sarge, what is it you want?’Sarge mumbles something . So I say,‘Give it to me again, Sarge.’This time it sounds like‘Ade-way.’ Being rather bright for my age, I say‘Fade-away—Christy Mathewson’s famous pitch?’And Sarge nods. But I’m curious as to why Sarge says it through clenched teeth. So I asked him if he had lockjaw or was practicing to be a ventriloquist .‘No,’snapped the Sarge,‘but I ain’t takin’any chance on that Cobb reading my lips.’” (Originally published September 13, 1950; permission granted by The Sporting News.) Cobb’s last year in a Tigers uniform when he could concentrate solely on being a player, 1920, turned out to be an off-year for the great outfielder as Franchise Stars 57 Ty Cobb (left) signs a new contract with Detroit as owner Frank Navin looks on. Cobb was a superb businessman who demanded and commanded a big salary, which he invested wisely. He became a wealthy man. (Detroit News Archives) he compiled an uncharacteristic .334 batting average, his worst offensive performance in eleven years. Cobb’s confidence and iron will produced a very independent attitude and a continuing challenge for all who sought to manage his behavior—owner Frank Navin, manager Hughie Jennings, the umpires. Ty Cobb did not believe...