Cobb Slides Hard Into Third

Picture of the Day

The Georgia Peach

Ty Cobb Slides Hard Into Third

Projection, ink and pencil on 1939 London Times

When I was in high school I wrote a paper titled Who Was the Greatest Baseball Player of all Time. I attempted to use various metrics to measure modern players versus the old timers, hitters and pitchers and other variables. In the end I concluded Ty Cobb was the best in Major League history. Unfortunately, my English teacher did not agree and I got a U on the paper and U- for the quality of the writing. This paper was half my final grade, so I got a C for the final quarter, my first C in high school

In case your wondering, the answer might very well be different today. Miss Salzbart's response when I questioned the low grade was succinct. "Joe DiMaggio was the greatest baseball player."

This photo was taken in July 1910 by photographer Charles Conlon. It shows an aggressive Ty Cobb slamming hard into the bag right below the incoming throw. Whether it's the "most famous photo in baseball" as Cobb's biographer claimed, it's a pretty legendary shot and it tells a story, which is a lot of baseball's appeal.