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Ty and The Babe: Baseball's Fiercest Rivals: A Surprising Friendship and the 1941 Has-Beens Golf Championship
Early in the twentieth century, fate thrust a young Babe Ruth into the gleaming orbit of Ty Cobb. The resulting collision produced a dazzling explosion and a struggle of mythic magnitude. At stake was not just baseball dominance, but eternal glory and the very soul of a sport. For much of fourteen seasons, the Cobb-Ruth rivalry occupied both men and enthralled a generation of fans. Even their retirement from the ball diamond didn’t extinguish it.
On the cusp of America’s entry into World War II, a quarter century after they first met at Navin Field, Cobb and Ruth rekindled their long-simmering feud—this time on the golf course. Ty and Babe battled on the fairways of Long Island, New York; Newton, Massachusetts; and Grosse Ile, Michigan; in a series of charity matches that spawned national headlines and catapulted them once more into the spotlight.
Ty and The Babe is the story of their remarkable relationship. It is a tale of grand gestures and petty jealousies, superstition and egotism, spectacular feats and dirty tricks, mind games and athleticism, confrontations, conflagrations, good humor, growth, redemption, and, ultimately, friendship. Spanning several decades, Ty and The Babe conjures the rollicking cities of New York, Boston, and Detroit and the raucous world of baseball from 1915 to 1928, as it moved from the Deadball days of Cobb to the Lively Ball era of Ruth. It also visits the spring and summer of 1941, starting with the Masters Tournament at Augusta National, where Cobb formally challenged Ruth, and continuing with the golf showdown that saw both men employ secret weapons.
On these pages, author Tom Stanton challenges the stereotypes that have cast Cobb forever as a Satan and Ruth as a Santa Claus. Along the way, he brings to life a parade of memorable characters: Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, Grantland Rice, Tris Speaker, Lou Gehrig, Will Rogers, Joe DiMaggio, a trick shot–shooting former fugitive, and a fifteen-year-old caddy with an impeccable golf lineage.
No other ball players dominated their time as formidably as Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth. Even today, many decades since either man walked this earth, they tower over the sport. Who was better? Who was the greatest? Those questions followed them throughout their baseball careers, into retirement, and onto the putting greens. That they linger yet is a testament to their talents and personalities.
Praise for the Writing of Tom Stanton:
"Ruth and Cobb come together as never before in this charming story of rivalry and friendship. Stanton, a keen storyteller, has written a book that surprises and delights."
-Jonathan Eig, author of Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig
"The wardrobe mistress of baseball history seems to have assigned the white hat to Babe Ruth and the black hat to Ty Cobb for all time. The Babe, the legendary Sultan of Swat, has become the patron saint of the sport, flamboyant and loud, larger than life, hail fellow well met, a character who hit mammoth home runs and wiped the runny noses of neighborhood urchins. Cobb has become the villain, foul mouthed and cantankerous, unliked and unloved by even his teammates. . . . Now Tom Stanton comes along to rearrange the roles in his terrific new book, Ty and The Babe, which chronicles the relationship between the two baseball icons. He takes off the hats and tells us about the real people. And it all is great fun."
-Leigh Montville, author of The Big Bam
"Wonderful! Ty and The Babe is rich, elegant, and powerful. Tom Stanton vividly brings back to life two rival sports icons in a rollicking tale filled with tension, humor, and warmth. It's fantastic."
-Ernie Harwell, Hall of Fame broadcaster
"Frankly, Ty and The Babe had me hooked from the opening page, a thoroughly absorbing tale that has all the charm and elements of an unforgettable film-the two greatest players from baseball's Golden Era, blood feuds, dueling rivals, brawling fans, mythologizing sportswriters and the consequences of a rapidly changing game . . . all capped off by a poignant golf match between a pair of fading titans. Tom Stanton has beautifully re-created the most romantic period of American sports, provided new and powerful insights into a pair of greatly misunderstood figures in Cobb and Ruth, and given baseball and golf fans everywhere something to cheer lustily about."
-James Dodson, author of Final Rounds and Ben Hogan: An American Life
On the cusp of America’s entry into World War II, a quarter century after they first met at Navin Field, Cobb and Ruth rekindled their long-simmering feud—this time on the golf course. Ty and Babe battled on the fairways of Long Island, New York; Newton, Massachusetts; and Grosse Ile, Michigan; in a series of charity matches that spawned national headlines and catapulted them once more into the spotlight.
Ty and The Babe is the story of their remarkable relationship. It is a tale of grand gestures and petty jealousies, superstition and egotism, spectacular feats and dirty tricks, mind games and athleticism, confrontations, conflagrations, good humor, growth, redemption, and, ultimately, friendship. Spanning several decades, Ty and The Babe conjures the rollicking cities of New York, Boston, and Detroit and the raucous world of baseball from 1915 to 1928, as it moved from the Deadball days of Cobb to the Lively Ball era of Ruth. It also visits the spring and summer of 1941, starting with the Masters Tournament at Augusta National, where Cobb formally challenged Ruth, and continuing with the golf showdown that saw both men employ secret weapons.
On these pages, author Tom Stanton challenges the stereotypes that have cast Cobb forever as a Satan and Ruth as a Santa Claus. Along the way, he brings to life a parade of memorable characters: Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, Grantland Rice, Tris Speaker, Lou Gehrig, Will Rogers, Joe DiMaggio, a trick shot–shooting former fugitive, and a fifteen-year-old caddy with an impeccable golf lineage.
No other ball players dominated their time as formidably as Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth. Even today, many decades since either man walked this earth, they tower over the sport. Who was better? Who was the greatest? Those questions followed them throughout their baseball careers, into retirement, and onto the putting greens. That they linger yet is a testament to their talents and personalities.
Praise for the Writing of Tom Stanton:
"Ruth and Cobb come together as never before in this charming story of rivalry and friendship. Stanton, a keen storyteller, has written a book that surprises and delights."
-Jonathan Eig, author of Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig
"The wardrobe mistress of baseball history seems to have assigned the white hat to Babe Ruth and the black hat to Ty Cobb for all time. The Babe, the legendary Sultan of Swat, has become the patron saint of the sport, flamboyant and loud, larger than life, hail fellow well met, a character who hit mammoth home runs and wiped the runny noses of neighborhood urchins. Cobb has become the villain, foul mouthed and cantankerous, unliked and unloved by even his teammates. . . . Now Tom Stanton comes along to rearrange the roles in his terrific new book, Ty and The Babe, which chronicles the relationship between the two baseball icons. He takes off the hats and tells us about the real people. And it all is great fun."
-Leigh Montville, author of The Big Bam
"Wonderful! Ty and The Babe is rich, elegant, and powerful. Tom Stanton vividly brings back to life two rival sports icons in a rollicking tale filled with tension, humor, and warmth. It's fantastic."
-Ernie Harwell, Hall of Fame broadcaster
"Frankly, Ty and The Babe had me hooked from the opening page, a thoroughly absorbing tale that has all the charm and elements of an unforgettable film-the two greatest players from baseball's Golden Era, blood feuds, dueling rivals, brawling fans, mythologizing sportswriters and the consequences of a rapidly changing game . . . all capped off by a poignant golf match between a pair of fading titans. Tom Stanton has beautifully re-created the most romantic period of American sports, provided new and powerful insights into a pair of greatly misunderstood figures in Cobb and Ruth, and given baseball and golf fans everywhere something to cheer lustily about."
-James Dodson, author of Final Rounds and Ben Hogan: An American Life
238 pages, Hardcover
First published May 15, 2007
14 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
Tom Stanton
20 books38 followersDear Readers:
I feel fortunate to have been writing professionally since age 18, beginning back in the final year of Jimmy Carter's presidency, when I sported a poorly executed, Peter Frampton-inspired perm. Decades on, my hair is gone, but writing remains central to my life. I've been a reporter, editor, publisher and, more recently, an author and journalism professor (Go University of Detroit Mercy Titans!). If you know me for my books, it's likely for the Tiger Stadium memoir The Final Season, the Quill Award finalist Ty and The Babe or the feverishly publicized Hank Aaron and the Home Run That Changed America. My forthcoming book is Terror in the City of Champions, a true story set in mid-1930s Detroit.
OK, enough of the formal stuff. Some things you might be interested to know:
* Elton John's music has been a big part of my life since "Bennie and the Jets," which is no excuse for accidentally setting off one of his legendary tantrums backstage one evening. (My fault.)
* I drink too many ... Tim Hortons Ice Caps.
* The three biggest thrills to come my way due to book writing: going with Elmore Leonard to a Detroit Tigers baseball game, hearing Alec Baldwin read an excerpt from one of my books on television and receiving an unexpected phone call from one of my favorite authors, Pat Conroy.
* My eternally kind wife and I care for four feral cats -- Pumpkin, Sox, Frisco and Panther -- who dictate our schedule.
* When I travel, I inevitably wind up searching out bookstores and libraries. (We probably have that in common.)
* One of my uncles, Edward Stanton, was a photographer in Detroit in the 1930s, and his shots of black Detroit can be found here: http://reuther.wayne.edu/image/tid/1983
I feel fortunate to have been writing professionally since age 18, beginning back in the final year of Jimmy Carter's presidency, when I sported a poorly executed, Peter Frampton-inspired perm. Decades on, my hair is gone, but writing remains central to my life. I've been a reporter, editor, publisher and, more recently, an author and journalism professor (Go University of Detroit Mercy Titans!). If you know me for my books, it's likely for the Tiger Stadium memoir The Final Season, the Quill Award finalist Ty and The Babe or the feverishly publicized Hank Aaron and the Home Run That Changed America. My forthcoming book is Terror in the City of Champions, a true story set in mid-1930s Detroit.
OK, enough of the formal stuff. Some things you might be interested to know:
* Elton John's music has been a big part of my life since "Bennie and the Jets," which is no excuse for accidentally setting off one of his legendary tantrums backstage one evening. (My fault.)
* I drink too many ... Tim Hortons Ice Caps.
* The three biggest thrills to come my way due to book writing: going with Elmore Leonard to a Detroit Tigers baseball game, hearing Alec Baldwin read an excerpt from one of my books on television and receiving an unexpected phone call from one of my favorite authors, Pat Conroy.
* My eternally kind wife and I care for four feral cats -- Pumpkin, Sox, Frisco and Panther -- who dictate our schedule.
* When I travel, I inevitably wind up searching out bookstores and libraries. (We probably have that in common.)
* One of my uncles, Edward Stanton, was a photographer in Detroit in the 1930s, and his shots of black Detroit can be found here: http://reuther.wayne.edu/image/tid/1983
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 26, 2020
If you love baseball this is a must read. It actually goes beyond baseball into the lifelong competition love of golf and very real friendship between two sports icons
October 3, 2009
This is a strange little book. For one thing, it presents a far more positive picture of Ty Cobb than one often encounters. Second, golf becomes a key part of the relationship between two bitter antagonists--Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb.
Ty Cobb was an exemplar of the old fashioned "scientific" approach to baseball, bunts, stolen bases, sacrifices, etc. Babe Ruth was a harbinger of a new era--focusing on the home run.
Cobb versus Ruth, while they were in the major leagues together, had a pretty negative relationship. Cobb had little respect for Ruth; Ruth despised Cobb.
The book tells of their slowly evolving relationship, to the point where they expressed respect toward one another by the end of Cobb's career.
Their rivalry took a turn after their respective retirements. Both became avid golfers. They took part in a series of golf matches, where there was much greater camaraderie than when they played baseball.
The book chronicles that strange evolution in their relationship.
There is a nice appendix, which chronicles those games in which they opposed one another. Interesting. . . .
An offbeat little book that ends up humanizing Cobb.
Ty Cobb was an exemplar of the old fashioned "scientific" approach to baseball, bunts, stolen bases, sacrifices, etc. Babe Ruth was a harbinger of a new era--focusing on the home run.
Cobb versus Ruth, while they were in the major leagues together, had a pretty negative relationship. Cobb had little respect for Ruth; Ruth despised Cobb.
The book tells of their slowly evolving relationship, to the point where they expressed respect toward one another by the end of Cobb's career.
Their rivalry took a turn after their respective retirements. Both became avid golfers. They took part in a series of golf matches, where there was much greater camaraderie than when they played baseball.
The book chronicles that strange evolution in their relationship.
There is a nice appendix, which chronicles those games in which they opposed one another. Interesting. . . .
An offbeat little book that ends up humanizing Cobb.
March 9, 2009
A decent little book about Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb's relationship. Arguably the two greatest players of all time, one exemplified the Dead Ball Era and the other the Lively Ball Era. Since Ruth and his era replaced Cobb and his, naturally, Cobb initially disliked Ruth. Ruth returned the hatred. The dislike eventually grew to reluctant respect, then sterile admiration, and then genuine friendship.
Half the book is about their 3-part golf match in 1941 which is both interesting and a little dull. It's interesting because it's a relatively unknown part of their lives, but it's dull because it's hard to spend 100 or so pages on a golf match. But overall, reading about Cobb and Ruth's personalities, as displayed through a friendly yet competitive golf match, is well worth it.
The Cobb of this book is not the stereotype we've come to know. He's fierce and driven and probably over-bearing at times, but he's also not the monster as often described. He's funny and kind of a card, even humble at times. The truth is probably somewhere in between.
Half the book is about their 3-part golf match in 1941 which is both interesting and a little dull. It's interesting because it's a relatively unknown part of their lives, but it's dull because it's hard to spend 100 or so pages on a golf match. But overall, reading about Cobb and Ruth's personalities, as displayed through a friendly yet competitive golf match, is well worth it.
The Cobb of this book is not the stereotype we've come to know. He's fierce and driven and probably over-bearing at times, but he's also not the monster as often described. He's funny and kind of a card, even humble at times. The truth is probably somewhere in between.
September 22, 2008
Fascinating accounts of the dualism connected to baseball's two most recognizable names. The stories are great and I like to be reminded of how the game was in the teens and '20s in America. The writing is a little dry, though. This book was given to me, but I am not normally in the custom of seeking out Tom Stanton's work. He is a capable and competent baseball historian, but lacks the zip that can make a good story sing.
January 13, 2008
The subject material was fascinating -- as the title says, the turbulent relationship between Ty Cobb and Baby Ruth -- but the writing was so purple that I couldn't recommend this to anyone who didn't have a strong stomach. Worth it for what I learned, but a real struggle to finish.
August 18, 2016
Any book that combines baseball history and golf with talk of The Masters and a little Calcutta action is good in my book.
October 24, 2020
Begins with 1939 Hall of Fame inductions, then flashback to a decade of unpleasant encounters on ball fields for a decade, occasional insights. Then goes to them engaging in three charity golf matches. B/W images. Easy to set aside.
April 20, 2021
The Ruth vs. Cobb golf matches after each player had retired from baseball was all new to me. As a golfer myself, I found that interesting. But the author's limited golf knowledge shows through and that was a bit annoying. Still, a good story that fans of baseball's early days will appreciate.
January 24, 2022
It was fun reading about the rivalry.
June 29, 2013
An enjoyable book, and a pretty easy read, although it would have benefitted from cutting about 30-40 pages. This book presents Ty Cobb in a VERY different light than anything I have ever read or heard before. While he was fiercely competitive on the field, he was liked and respected by his fellow players off it. The author provides ample evidence of this view of Cobb, and fairly portrays his racism as being no better or worse than the norm among southerners of that time. (Stanton says his views changed a bit towards the end of his life, which seems to be in contradiction to Cobb becoming more of a curmudgeon in his later years - some examples here could have helped.) The main focus is off the Ruth - Cobb golf competition in 1941. While interesting and a great medium to explore these Hall of Famers' personalities and relationship, there were a few too many anecdotes. Still, overall this was a fun read for fans of baseball.
August 24, 2014
A great book to finish reading on Opening Day. Tom Stanton found a 1941 trio of charity golf (grudge) matches between Ty Cobb and the Bambino, and uses them to recount in fresh, vivid prose the playing history and complicated relationship of these two giants of the game.
Of particular interest to this reader was the rehabilitation of Cobb's reputation that this book represents. Stanton goes to great lengths to present a clearer, more comprehensive look at the man behind the violent, angry myths. Baseball has long been a game that loves its apocrypha, and it was refreshing to read a new spin on Tyrus. Babe Ruth remains as lovable as ever.
Stanton is a writer I will be looking for from here on out.
Of particular interest to this reader was the rehabilitation of Cobb's reputation that this book represents. Stanton goes to great lengths to present a clearer, more comprehensive look at the man behind the violent, angry myths. Baseball has long been a game that loves its apocrypha, and it was refreshing to read a new spin on Tyrus. Babe Ruth remains as lovable as ever.
Stanton is a writer I will be looking for from here on out.
April 9, 2015
This book placed me literally 80-100 years back and made me feel as if I was in the same room with "the supermen of baseball," Tyrus Raymond Cobb and Babe Ruth. Tom Stanton did an exceptional job portraying the relationship these two greats shared both on the baseball field and on the golf course. These two were well-known to be very competitive athletes and their numbers didn't lie. Ty Cobb won batting title after batting title while Babe Ruth set record after record. After reading this book, I learned a lot more about who these two men really were. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is even remotely interested. A quick read that holds a lot of weight.
October 11, 2007
A fascinating look at a rivalry (and friendship) I honestly hadn't given much thought to as a baseball fan. (Maybe I need to brush up on my baseball history, and if so, this was a good start.) Stanton lost me a little bit with the golf stuff (not a golf fan), but kept it compelling with his portrayals of those involved.
April 16, 2009
This is a great read for baseball fans and golf fans, alike. It gave an amazing insight into the humanity of these two men. It was humorous at times and ,for the most part, entirely entertaining. Baseball was a different game back in those days and this novel really exemplifies this.
May 19, 2010
A fascinating look at the rivalry between Cobb and Ruth, two titans of the game during their day and for years after. Focusing on the human elements of both men, with The Legend of both woven skillfully through, Stanton tells an engaging and enlightening story.
November 6, 2007
Really a light book but it is an interesting read, hung on a series of charity golf matches between Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth.
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April 16, 2016Another of my books
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Read
July 31, 2008Finalist for 2008 Great Lakes Book Award in the General Category
April 2, 2010
Stanton offers a new perspective on two legends. It's detailed, well-researched and a great read.
August 3, 2011
A nice book, quick read....some very funny stories, but nothing to really blow you away. Worth it to read if you're a sports fan.
July 23, 2013
Great book about two of the greatest baseball players ever
May 31, 2017
I couldn't get into this book. The first half was about baseball, and I couldn't get into it. If I can't get into the part about baseball, then I'll have a ton of trouble with the section about golf.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews