How Coca-Cola was the key to this man's wealth
Rehabilitating the reputation of a legend
Though they didn’t know it at the time, the year of 1886 would prove to be a fortunate one for Georgians.
Just over 20 years since George Tecumseh Sherman laid waste to the state, marauding, raping, and pillaging on his “March to the Sea,” a phoenix began to rise in the Peach State.
On May 8, a new elixir developed by John Stith Pemberton called “Coca-Cola” was revealed to the world. For decades now, “Coke” is known as one of the biggest brands across the globe.
Later that year, on December 18, a young chap was born in The Narrows, Georgia to a state senator and his wife. The family eventually settled in the North Georgia town of Royston.
The man went on to have a “rich” life in so many ways.
By the time this fellow died at age 74, he had parlayed his fame and savvy business acumen into $2.1 million of Coca-Cola stock and a reported net worth of at least $12.1 million.
For several years this man lived in the tony Bay Area suburb of Atherton and spent time at his compound on Lake Tahoe.
He was Joe DiMaggio’s first “agent.”
He liked to hunt deer and upland game birds in the Ochocos of Central Oregon and owned a Coca-Cola bottling plant in the small town near there called Bend.
Near the end of his life, he left the West behind and moved back home to Georgia.
On July 9, 1961, at 11:59 am, Mickey Mantle sent a telegram to this man now in an Atlanta hospital:
“SAW WHERE YOU WERE IN FOR A REST JUST WANTED TO SAY REST WELL AND THANKS FOR ALL YOUR ADVICE ON HITTING IT HAS HELPED ME.
MICKEY MANTLE.”
Over the course of 24 seasons in the major leagues the man in the hospital amassed 4,191 “bingles” (but baseball-reference retroactively credits him with just 4,189 hits).
Eight days after that Western Union wire from The Mick, Tyrus Raymond Cobb, a.k.a. “The Georgia Peach,” went to his eternal reward…
July 17, 1961. Sixty-one years ago today.
For more:
https://olearybaseball.com/cobb/
Brian O’Leary
I am sorry to see you ruin a good article on Ty Cobb by peddling those inaccurate stats.
Ty Cobb batted .367 over 24 big league seasons from 1905-1928. His career batting average of .367 and his career hits of 4,191 are the official stats recognized by Major League Baseball, Ty Cobb, and Elias Sports Bureau, the official statistician of Major League Baseball since 1913.
The incorrect batting average of .366 was brought before the MLB records committee on Saturday April 13, 1981 and because of inconclusive evidence, the inability to change all player errors and the expiration of the statue of limitation, Major League Baseball declined to change Ty Cobb's batting average and his career hits total of 4,191.
Therefore, his career batting average of .367 will continue to be the ideal mark for young baseball players to aspire to duplicate.