- Collection:
- WSB-TV Newsfilm Collection
- Title:
- WSB-TV newsfilm clip of reporter Ray Moore interviewing Ty Cobb about his baseball career and other players he admires, Atlanta, Georgia, 1955
- Creator:
- WSB-TV (Television station : Atlanta, Ga.)
- Contributor to Resource:
- Moore, Ray, 1922-
Cobb, Ty, 1886-1961 - Date of Original:
- 1955
- Subject:
- Baseball
Sports records
Baseball--Records
Baseball players
Baseball--Anecdotes
Baseball--Equipment and supplies
Baseball bats
Baseball--Interviews
Baseball--Offense
Batting (Baseball) - People:
- Moore, Ray, 1922-
Cobb, Ty, 1886-1961
Matthews, Eddie (Edwin), 1931-2001
Mays, Willie, 1931- - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Fulton County, 33.79025, -84.46702
United States, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, 33.749, -84.38798
United States, Missouri, City of Saint Louis, St. Louis, 38.62727, -90.19789 - Medium:
- moving images
news
unedited footage - Type:
- Moving Image
- Format:
- video/mp4
- Description:
- In this WSB-TV newsfilm clip from 1955 probably from Atlanta, Georgia, reporter Ray Moore interviews Ty Cobb about his baseball career and other players he admires. The interview between Moore and Cobb is transcribed in full below.
Moore: "Well there's a lot of [unintelligible] about who was the greatest player who ever lived, but most veteran baseball writers who have watched the scene unfold would bet on the gentleman who is sitting right with me now. And he's Ty Cobb, known to many as the Georgia Peach, a fighting, scrapping, good baseball player all along the line. Ty, of the modern day players, is there anyone in particular that you like?"
Cobb: "Well in the first place as far as the baseball player that's a very much mooted and debatable question. I cannot subscribe to the fact that I am of present day baseball players. I like this boy that came from Atlanta, this Eddie Matthews. And of course the colored boy Willie Mays. He really is an amazing ball player."
Moore: "He certainly is."
Cobb: "He has shown it. And there's no question about it. Those are two that stand out at the present moment in my mind, and I would subscribe to those fellows."
Moore: "Well about this, back to this greatest baseball player deal, I think you're being very modest about it. I've taken a look at the records only today, and they show among other things that you batted .367 over a lifetime career of 24 years in the major leagues. The best batting average ever compiled on a lifetime basis. But there's one thing especially that interests me and that is very few people know that you could hit the long ball when you had to. Tell me about the time that you hit, got the most total bases in any single game."
Cobb: [Laughs.] "Well that's just a matter of luck to tell you the truth. One day in St. Louis, we were discussing the bet of hitting and I made a foolish remark that 'Well, if we wanted to we could hit the long ball' and it just happened that the wind was right...
Moore: "Yeah." [Laughs]
Cobb: "...and the catcher was right, and I happened to hit I think it was three home runs..."
Moore: "It was."
Cobb: "...and two base hits and a single, and maybe another home run or two the next day. I don't know. I couldn't tell you. I don't follow it."
Moore: "Well sir, you had as I recall it, 16 total bases in that one day on those three home runs and I think it was a double and two singles as it all compiled. And that record has been tied but it has never since been beaten. Tell me how you gripped the bat. I understood that you actually had a spread grip or choked the bat, is that right?"
Cobb: "Well that is correct that I did have a spread grip because it's a known fact that if you get your hands together, they're going to cramp each other as you come through, see [camera zooms in to show Cobb's grip demonstration]
Moore: "How about that."
Cobb: "That's just the North Georgia's boy idea that it wouldn't be correct, and so he separated his hands just a little bit."
Moore: "Well a North Georgia boy must have been right. The records show that. How about in the years that you played the famous men that you played? Would you like to cite any in particular as your kind of a ballplayer?"
Cobb: "What do you mean? Outfielder? Pitcher?"
Moore: "Well any of them that had the fighting instinct that characterized your play."
Cobb: "Well I've always had an admiration for any ballplayer that really went out there and hustled and hit and fielded. I wouldn't care if he was a gorilla, I'd like him."
Moore: [Laughs.] "Just so he had that spunk?"
Cobb: "Yeah, I think baseball is that: to hustle, to do the best you can. You're only in there a short time and I think that inspires the fans, people, for the love of baseball. I really think so. I think that's the spark--is the real effort that you put into it."
Moore: "Well you have shown us on the playing field that effort, Ty Cobb, and I wish, oh how I wish I could have seen you demonstrate it. Thank you ever so much for talking to us, Ty Cobb, and much luck to you on the rest of the way."
Cobb: "Well this is very nice. I feel complimented and I should be asked out here and no doubt lots of people in North Georgia and Georgia will possibly see me and I bid them all my very good wishes."
Moore: "Thank you, Ty."
Reporter: Moore, Ray, 1922-
Title supplied by cataloger. - Local Identifier:
- Clip number: wsbn43665
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/news/id:wsbn43665
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/news/id:wsbn43665
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/ugabma_wsbn_wsbn43665/presentation/manifest.json
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: wsbn43665, WSB-TV newsfilm clip of reporter Ray Moore interviewing Ty Cobb about his baseball career and other players he admires, Atlanta, Georgia, 1955, WSB-TV newsfilm collection, reel 0985, 14:02/19:06, Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, The University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia
- Extent:
- 1 clip (about 5 mins., 4 secs.): black-and-white, sound ; 16 mm.
- Original Collection:
- Original found in the WSB-TV newsfilm collection.
- Holding Institution:
- Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection
- Rights:
-
