Cobb - The Lueker Incident

On May 15, 1912 the Detroit Tigers were in town to play the New York Highlanders (who would become the Yankees.) Great day at the ballpark for everyone including Ty Cobb until hometown fan Claude Lueker showed up. During the first three innings Cobb and Lueker went at it verbally as Cobb sparred with the fan who was sitting just above the visitor's dugout. Sam Crawford the Tiger's rightfielder asked Cobb if he was going to take such abuse and as soon as he did Lueker let loose with an insult implicating Cobb's mother and a black man having intimate relations or Cobb being black depending on the account of the story. Being from Royston, Georgia at the turn of the century Cobb took extreme exception and climbed into the stands to attack Lueker. The problem for Lueker was that he was a cripple who had no hands and thus could not fight back against Cobb.

Needless to say Tyrus Raymond Cobb won the fight beating Lueker to a pulp and was suspended indefinitely. Be on the look out for more entertaining Cobb stories that make Barry Bonds look like a great citizen and humanitarian in the future.