Ty and The Babe: Baseball's Fiercest Rivals: A Surprising Friendship and the 1941 Has-Beens Golf Championship
by Tom Stanton
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Tom Stanton's Ty and The Babe tells of the incredible saga of baseball's fiercest rivals, the forging of a surprising friendship, and the battle for 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, show more 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. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
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.
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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Author Information
6+ Works 467 Members
Tom Stanton is the author of several critically acclaimed nonfiction, books, including The Final Season and Ty and The Babe. A longtime journalist, he co-founded the suburban Detroit Voice newspapers, and teaches at the University of Detroit Mercy. A former Knight-Walface Fellow at the University of Michigan, he lives with wife, Beth show more Bagley-Stanton, in New Baltimore, Michigan. show less
Awards and Honors
Awards
Common Knowledge
- People/Characters
- Babe Ruth; Ty Cobb
- Dedication
- For Mike Varney, an uncommon friend
- First words
- The evidence began to mount a few yours back when I came upon an old baseball fan, Fred Smith, who had met Ty Cobb during his playing days.
- Blurbers
- Dodson, James; Harwell, Ernie; Montville, Leigh; Eig, Jonathan
Classifications
- Genres
- Sports and Leisure, Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, General Nonfiction, History
- DDC/MDS
- 796.357092 — Arts & recreation Recreation, sports, and performing arts Sports Ball sports Ball and stick sports Baseball Biography And History Biography
- LCC
- GV865 .A1 .S725 — Geography, Anthropology and Recreation Recreation. Leisure Recreation. Leisure Sports Ball games: Baseball, football, golf, etc.
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 80
- Popularity
- 395,740
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.62)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 2
