Ty Cobb was one of the smartest baseball players of all time. He could stretch a single into a double. He could steal second, third, and home base all in the same at-bat. He used the threat of violence to intimidate other players and get what he wanted. He had a short fuse, so violence wasn’t reserved for the basepaths. He fought with teammates, with fans, and with normal people just going about their business. He beat up hecklers with his bare hands. He pointed loaded guns at grocers. Some said he even killed a man who tried to rob him. Some of Ty Cobb’s legend was fact, and some of it was fiction—but it was all part of the mythology that made him larger than life.

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