No Brotherly Love Was Lost When Ty Cobb Came to Town

On this date 83 years ago, Ty Cobb rode to Shibe Park in Philadelphia in a taxicab surrounded by six police wagons. Three weeks earlier, Cobb had spiked Frank (Home Run) Baker of the Athletics. Horace Fogel of the Philadelphia Bulletin wrote, “This city seethes with Cobb hatred.”

One headline said: “13 Black Hand Death Threat Letters Received by Detroit Star.” Assassination by sniper at Shibe Park was promised, historian Al Stump recalls. In right field, Cobb was screened by 300 special police from fans packed behind ropes.

Add Cobb: Was there a shot fired? During the fourth inning, a loud “bang” was heard over the din of 30,000. Cobb leaped several feet off the ground. Some called it a nearby auto’s backfire. Others claimed it was a gunshot. Cobb wasn’t sure either way, but that night he said he left the Aldine Hotel with “the biggest revolver in town” in his pocket.

Trivia time: UCLA has won eight consecutive bowl games. When did the Bruins last lose in a bowl appearance?

KOCO cuckoo: When Keith Miller hit a solo home run during the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Oklahoma City 89ers a 6-5 victory over the Buffalo Bisons in Game 2 of the American Assn. championship series, he was greeted as he rounded third base by Mick Cornett, a sports reporter for Oklahoma City television station KOCO.

“Gimme five,” said Cornett, holding out his right palm.

Cornett, who provided live updates that cut into regular programming, then ran with Miller down the third-base line to home plate. After Miller crossed the plate, Cornett interviewed him.

Mr. Consistency: When Nick Faldo won the European Open on Sunday in Sunningdale, England, it was the third tournament in a row on the European tour, starting with the British Open at Muirfield in July, that he has won.

His last eight finishes read 1-4-3-3-1-1-2-1, the second place in the PGA Championship.

Want a ticket? Only 3,500 end-zone tickets for the Rose Bowl game will be available to the public. Winners in a drawing will get the opportunity to buy two tickets at $46 each.

“The ticket drawing gives fans throughout the nation the opportunity to visit Pasadena and experience our New Year’s celebration,” said Harriman Cronk, chairman of the Tournament of Roses Football Committee.

Novel idea: Mike Purkey of Golf magazine offers an intriguing thought on his game:

“Wouldn’t it be great if we could play golf like the Brits and Scots--hit bump-and-run shots, carry our bags, and play in three hours?”

Top five: Caught on the Fly filed this intriguing college football top five in the Sporting News: 1. Washington’s offense; 2. Miami’s grant program; 3. Florida State’s point guard; 4. Notre Dame’s loan program; 5. Arizona State’s bail bondsman.

Trivia answer: Dec. 31, 1981, when Michigan beat the Bruins in the Bluebonnet Bowl, 33-14.

But it was free: Stacy Smith of San Francisco was one of the vacationers who rode out Hurricane Iniki in the basement of the Hyatt Regency in Kauai. After the storm, she found water in her hotel room five feet deep. Her vacation plans were swamped.

Smith salvaged something by playing golf during the weekend. “We had to pick up trees, but we didn’t have to pay greens fees,” she said.

Quotebook: Singer Billy Joel in People magazine: “A typical day in the life of a heavy-metal musician consists of a round of golf and an AA meeting.”