Ty Cobb

March 20th, 2013

The famous Tiger baseball player, Ty Cobb, visited Grand Rapids in October of 1912. The city's baseball fans had long regarded Cobb, nicknamed the "Georgia Peach," as the greatest player the sport had ever known.

Transcript

The famous Tiger baseball player, Ty Cobb, visited Grand Rapids in October of 1912 when he was elected a director and vice president of the William B. Jarvis Sporting Goods Company located on Canal St. Cobb had become a stockholder in the Grand Rapids firm, which had expanded its territory by opening a large store in Detroit. The Jarvis Company sold a Ty Cobb brand of sporting goods, and Cobb would be on the road at times as a salesman.

This was Cobb’s third visit to the city. He had played a half-week’s engagement at a local theater during the prior winter. Later he returned to purchase some Grand Rapids furniture, and attend the Shriners’ convention.

The city’s baseball fans had long regarded Cobb, nicknamed the “Georgia Peach,” as the greatest player the sport had ever known, and they gave him much of the credit for Detroit’s pennant wins.

Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics had said that the Detroit team was Cobb, and Cobb the Detroit team. Mack added, “Cobb makes the Detroit team the greatest drawing card in baseball because of his dashing play and uncanny way of pulling off wonderful and unusual play in almost every game he takes part in.”

Plainly, Ty Cobb would always be a welcome visitor to Grand Rapids.