Opponents hated him. Teammates hated him but were glad he was on their side. Cobb used his spikes as weapons. "I always went into a bag full speed, feet first. I had sharp spikes on my shoes. If the baseman stood where he had no business to be and got hurt, that was his fault," said Cobb. "A violent psychopath and stone racist, Cobb hit opposing players as hard as he hit baseballs."

Not only did his teammates hate him, they once sent a gift basket of congratulations to a player on another team after they thought he beat Cobb for the batting title. Cobb would go to a place in the dugout where the infielders on the other team could see him, and sharpen his spikes. Cobb was called "the dirtiest player I ever saw" by the normally reserved Connie Mack.

The best story is about a young pitcher who intentionally beaned him in his first plate appearance. Cobb took his base without saying a word. The next time he came up to bat, he dropped a bunt down the first-base line. When the pitcher went to field the ball, Cobb knocked him over, then spiked him on the chest. The pitcher was sliced open and had to leave the game. If you look up the definition of "dirty" in the dictionary, there's a picture of Ty Cobb.