Today we are joined by Howard W. Rosenberg, author of Ty Cobb Unleashed: The Definitive Counter-Biography of the Chastened Racist (Tile Books, 2018). In this deeply researched volume, Rosenberg achieves what many biographers have failed to do: to put Cobb into the context of his times. That means seeing Cobb not as a man of the twenty-first century, but as he was perceived during and after his 24-year career in major league baseball. Rosenberg pulls no punches as he critiques several recent biographies about Cobb and demonstrates how some information in those works were either glossed over or lifted out of context. He also provides balance, giving credit where it is due as he focuses on several books. Rosenberg compiles an impressive list of facts, figures, notes, quotes and anecdotes about Cobb, particularly after his playing days. There are also plenty of vintage photographs and vintage editorial cartoons. Rosenberg lets his research do the talking and tackles the extent of Cobb’s racism. While the Georgia Peach was not a monster in terms of race relations, he certainly was no angel, either. Rosenberg takes the reader on a jaunty ride that can be as exciting — or frightening — as Ty Cobb tearing around the base paths, using his brains and athleticism to defeat his opponents.

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