Interesting review from the NY Post about a new book that completely and factually disputes the idea that Ty Cobb was a racist (anymore then anyone at the time). “Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beautyâ€
http://nypost.com/2015/05/31/how-ty-cobb-was-framed-as-a-racist/
"Why the determination to brand Cobb as the worst racist ever? Stump apparently believed a more sensational book would lead to more sales. But a large part of the story, Leerhsen notes, is simply that the accurate perception of Cobb as a hothead simply got mixed up with the fact that he was born in Georgia in 1886. Bad temper, southerner: Must have been a racist.
That’s both too broadly damning — not only were southerners not necessarily racist, Cobb’s own father fought for better treatment of blacks — and it lets us off the hook too easily."
http://nypost.com/2015/05/31/how-ty-cobb-was-framed-as-a-racist/
"Why the determination to brand Cobb as the worst racist ever? Stump apparently believed a more sensational book would lead to more sales. But a large part of the story, Leerhsen notes, is simply that the accurate perception of Cobb as a hothead simply got mixed up with the fact that he was born in Georgia in 1886. Bad temper, southerner: Must have been a racist.
That’s both too broadly damning — not only were southerners not necessarily racist, Cobb’s own father fought for better treatment of blacks — and it lets us off the hook too easily."