899

Ty Cobb

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:NA Estimated At:1,500.00 - 2,500.00 USD
Ty Cobb

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Auction Date:2018 Dec 05 @ 18:00 (UTC-5 : EST/CDT)
Location:236 Commercial St., Suite 100, Boston, Massachusetts, 02109, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
ALS signed “Ty,” three pages, 7.25 x 10.5, personal letterhead, March 25, 1946. Letter to his ghostwriter, Stoney McLinn, regarding a possible book on baseball fundamentals. In full: “I find most of what you had is right and good on base running. I have made some corrections, not many, have added some ideas also put in some elaborations & yet in next paragraph found you had covered it, so it is a little jumbled up and not very orderly as I simply started without going over it & went on through. Now you cut out anything you wish and put it into proper order that suits you & will be O.K. with me. I dashed off some points and had it copied in ink which you will find enclosed & seperate [sic] from your typewritten matter, take only what you want of this matter. As to batting stress the important things to begin with, position of hands, elbows away from body, the arm towards pitcher whether right handed hitter or left, elevated, bat must not be on shoulder, but back in proper position to hit only forward. Also position of feet, use these fundamentals. Don’t try to use all I have outlined in the beginning. It would confuse and affect proper concentration. Use these fundamentals & never try to copy some favorite players stance or style. For instance just two players who got results but should never by copied, Simmons & Heine Groh as example. I like the batting thing.

If you can get these old boys lined up to do their positions, to them they were little things, position of body bent over on infield, position of feet, how to pull the ball in, blocking the ball, double plays, the proper throw manner or style, all such would be very interesting & would sell syndicate, book etc., and how about a short Radio instruction, Eddie Collins said so & so, Sisler, Cochrane, etc. Sure get Tinker and Frank Chance and Joe Dugan. Get all the best you can then if fail get someone good, not a fill in. Write those you haven’t secured, tell them you wanted to get the true fundamentals of their position play back when they had the real fundamentals which many do not use or have today and you want them in book form for kids as present day kids don’t get them and give them some question relative to each position play. Get in touch with good old Lobert and have him come out and help you as to questions. He will & you can in that way get it all worked out in a couple of hours as one ball knows even if it isn’t his position. Good pictures, autographs and I believe the kids will go for it. Actual instructions outlined from the great players of the greatest era in baseball. Anything else just drop me a line. All kinds of luck and best wishes to Mrs. McLinn & yourself.” In fine condition.

One of the game’s greatest hitters, Cobb batted .320 in 1906, the first of 23 straight years in which he hit .300 or better. In that period, he led the league 12 times, including nine straight seasons, and three times he hit better than .400—a feat equaled by only two other players— Rogers Hornsby and Ed Delahanty. A fantastic letter that boasts incredible playing content on both hitting and base-running—Cobb’s foremost specialties—elevated furthermore by his mention of some of the “old boys” like Eddie Collins, George Sisler, and Joe Tinker.