[Mick]

Cobb as an 18 year old rookie was mercilessly hazed. (He also learned on his first day in MLB that his mother shot and killed his father.) In part because the players knew right from the start that he was much better than them. In part cause that’s what they did to rookies.

As a tall, skinny rookie in 1905, Cobb wasn't all that great (batted .238, OPS was .544). He didn't start, and only played in 41 games. But his talent exploded his second year, in 1906, and that's when the jealousy that Lex refers to arrived in spades. Cobb was tall for the time, 6'1", and weighed about 175. Cobb was the youngest on that team by at least six years, and he was brash, and in those days, men settled scores with their fists. A catcher named Boss Schmidt joined the team in 1906, he was 5'10" and weighed 200 pounds, and he hated Cobb. Schmidt was a coal miner and a boxer. He couldn't hit, but could handle pitchers and had a cannon for an arm. Schmidt beat the heck out of Cobb, leaving him with two black eyes. They fought another time after that.

Cobb and Schmidt ultimately became friendly, if not friends, and when Schmidt's fortunes went bad at the beginning of the Great Depression, Cobb helped him out financially.

Interesting NY Post article on Cobb and race, from 2015: How Ty Cobb was framed as a racist (nypost.com)

[Mick]

Cobb as an 18 year old rookie was mercilessly hazed. (He also learned on his first day in MLB that his mother shot and killed his father.) In part because the players knew right from the start that he was much better than them. In part cause that’s what they did to rookies.

As a tall, skinny rookie in 1905, Cobb wasn't all that great (batted .238, OPS was .544). He didn't start, and only played in 41 games. But his talent exploded his second year, in 1906, and that's when the jealousy that Lex refers to arrived in spades. Cobb was tall for the time, 6'1", and weighed about 175. Cobb was the youngest on that team by at least six years, and he was brash, and in those days, men settled scores with their fists. A catcher named Boss Schmidt joined the team in 1906, he was 5'10" and weighed 200 pounds, and he hated Cobb. Schmidt was a coal miner and a boxer. He couldn't hit, but could handle pitchers and had a cannon for an arm. Schmidt beat the heck out of Cobb, leaving him with two black eyes. They fought another time after that.

Cobb and Schmidt ultimately became friendly, if not friends, and when Schmidt's fortunes went bad at the beginning of the Great Depression, Cobb helped him out financially.

Interesting NY Post article on Cobb and race, from 2015: How Ty Cobb was framed as a racist (nypost.com)