12/18/1886 AD born
Cobb was born ina small, unincorporated rural community of farmers. He was the first of three children born to William Herschel Cobb (1863–1905) and Amanda Chitwood Cobb (1871–1936). Cobb's father was a state senator.
When he was still an infant, his parents moved to the nearby town of Royston, where he grew up.[26] By most accounts, he became fascinated with baseball as a child, and decided he wanted to play professional ball one day; his father was vehemently opposed to this idea, but by his teen years, he was trying out for area teams.
He played his first years in organized baseball for the Royston Rompers, the semi-pro Royston Reds, and the Augusta Tourists of the South Atlantic League, who released him after only two days.
He then tried out for the Anniston Steelers of the semipro Tennessee–Alabama League, with his father's stern admonition ringing in his ears: "Don't come home a failure!"
After joining the Steelers for a monthly salary of $50, Cobb promoted himself by sending several postcards written about his talents under different aliases to Grantland Rice, the Atlanta Journal sports editor. Eventually, Rice wrote a small note in the Journal that a "young fellow named Cobb seems to be showing an unusual lot of talent."
After about three months, Cobb returned to the Tourists and finished the season hitting .237 in 35 games.
In August 1905, the management of the Tourists sold Cobb to the American League's Detroit Tigers for $750 (equivalent to $22,619 in 2021).
Subjects Who or What born?
-
Ty Cobb (The Georgia Peach) American Major League Ba...
Events in 1886 MORE
