Ty Cobb

Former Detroit Tiger Ty Cobb, nicknamed the Georgia Peach, was as much of a menace on the field as he was off it.

 By the time Ty Cobb retired in 1928, he had set more than 90 MLB records. He still holds the record for career batting average at .367 and his 12 batting titles are also unrivaled. Ty Cobb hit at least .320 for 23 consecutive seasons and also scored 2,245 runs.

Cobb was a danger (literally) on the base paths, too. He stole 892 bases in his career and rumor has it, he used to sharpen the metal spikes on the bottom of his cleats so that they would cut into any infielder that impeded his progress. (Cobb debunked that rumor after he retired, however.)

Ty Cobb led the American League in slugging percentage and hits a total of eight times in his career. He also led the AL in steals six times, runs scored five times, triples and RBI four times, doubles three times and home runs once. On three separate times during his career, Cobb batted above .400 and in one four-year span he averaged .401 – an incredible feat in the game of baseball. And if it weren’t for Pete Rose, Cobb’s record of 4,191 hits would still stand today, as well.

For as much as Ty Cobb was revered for his game, he was hated for the way he treated teammates, fans and the general public. Cobb was a racist who hated blacks, Catholics and northerners.

In one incident during his career, Cobb fought a black groundskeeper over the condition of a Tigers’ spring training field and then choked the man’s wife when she tried to break up the fight. Cobb was also a real treat to deal with when he drank, and apparently was abusive to teammates, waitresses and anyone else who pissed him off.

 As the legend goes, only four people from baseball showed up at his funeral. Still, Ty Cobb was one of the best baseball player s in the history of the game.