Ty Cobb is considered to be the greatest baseball player of all time. He had a reputation as the fiercest competitor of them all, but he realised that the qualities that made him successful also undermined his relationship with his children. Herschel Cobb's father was abusive, and his mother an adulterous alcoholic. After his father died, Herschel he began to spend a portion of each summer with his grandfather Ty. Heart of a Tiger is Herschel's moving account of how Ty Cobb seized a second chance at having a close family and finally to peace with himself.