SP:    You started your playing career in Geneva and played there two years.

NC:    That's right.

SP:    You then moved on to Dothan in 1950.  What did you do next?

NC:    I came home and ran for chief of police here (in Crestview). Then Crestview got a team in the league and they asked me to play here. I played here for two seasons then I played at Fort Walton.

SP:    You managed there too.

NC:    Yes, in 1957.

SP:    The official records say you played in Eufaula in 1952.  Is that incorrect?

NC:    Yes, that's incorrect.

SP:     In Crestview in 1954, you lost the (county) sheriff's race and decided to play again.  That year you won the batting title for the entire minor leagues.  What kind of recognition did you receive for that?

NC:     Well, they gave me a silver bat, a silver Louisville Slugger.  That's something I treasure real highly.  Bobby Avila led the American League, Willie Mays lead the National League, and I lead all the minors. You know, I'd work from 10 to 6, then go play ball at night, then get up at 6:00 am the next days for work (as chief of police). I had this fellow named A.C. Sanders, he was good to me. If I had to make that long trip up to Donalsonville or Dothan or somewhere, he'd let me sleep in a little. My eyes would sometimes get so heavy, I'd take Beechnut chewing tobacco and put it up in my eyes to get them cleared up a little bit. Once in Fort Walton, they had this pitcher named Hank Hemmerly, he lead the lead in strikeouts and I went to put some maroon eye water in my eyes to kind of freshen them up, and somebody put Iodine in one of the bottles! It felt like someone put a fire in there (my eye). I still went up there and got 4 for 4 off Hemmerly anyway. You know, Fred "Pap" Williams was the manager that year and we had this young boy (Ron Lacey), a catcher, he just started goin' good. We were on our way to Dothan one night and Fred said, "Neal, I'm gonna let Lacey hit cleanup tonight and you hit third". I told him, "That was alright, but I'll tell you what, Ol' Lacey's sitting up there in the front of the bus now, but after Onion (Spencer Davis, Dothan's star pitcher) gets through with him, he'll be riding in the back". Onion got up there that night and struck Lacey out four straight times. Onion was later superintendent at Americus, Georgia so called him up, without saying who it was and told him I wanted a job. He said, "Who is this?" and I said, "This is the best left-handed hitter you ever pitched to", and he said, "Neal Cobb, where are you at?"!

SP:    He was quite a pitcher wasn't he?

NC:    Oh yeah, he was 23 and 4 that year! He was a left-handed pitcher and I was a left-handed hitter. I still managed to hit 13 out of 17 times off him. That's the reason he called me a good hitter!

SP:    Were you hot all year?

NC:    Yeah.  I had a 26 game hitting streak.  I'd get one hit a game, sometimes double up.  I was a line drive hitter.

SP:    You had 124 RBIs that year.

NC:    Yes I did.

SP:    Did they have a ceremony for you when you won the title?

NC:    Oh yeah, they had a day for me in Crestview. Before that, only two others had ever had a day to honor them. One of them was a Civil War veteran.

SP:    Did you have any national press coverage?

NC:    I had people from all over calling me.  A guy named Bowden from the Associated Press in Pensacola, from the Pensacola Leader Journal; I gave him the first story.  He's still down there.

SP:    Any major league scouts come to visit?

NC:    Well I was a little up in age then (28). When I came out of the service, I was already 21 years old. They were looking for guys who were 18 or 19 years old. I guess I was lucky I even got a chance to play when I did. You know, you get breaks sometimes. I remember nobody would sign Don Sutton out of high school. Then, a fellow named Billy Hamilton was bird-dogging for the Dodgers and he went over there and signed him up.

SP:    What were the playing conditions like in most of these stadiums and towns?

NC:    Well, it wasn't all that bad.

SP:    Did teams travel by bus?

NC:    Yes, by bus.  Sometimes we'd travel by car.

SP:    Just groups of players going together?

NC:    Yes.

SP:    What positions did you play?

NC:    I played the outfield and first base.

SP:    And in '57 you were player-manager. What was managing like for you?

NC:    Well, you had to be kind of a disciplinarian and kind of a father figure. I had this one kid; he got a $100, 00 bonus to sign. I don't know how he got it but he must have known somebody. I had to tell him I didn't need him no more and that was kind of hard. We had a limited roster, usually 16 guys. You could have 1 or 2 experienced guys and then a bunch of young players. I had this guy, Virgil Petty, who I used to play with, he wanted to come play with us. Well, we were over near Jacksonville, Florida for spring training and Virgil was taking some of these young kids into Jacksonville at night and doing things they shouldn't. I told him to stop it and the next night he did it again. I met him at the ballpark the next day and told him to get to the hotel and get his things and get out of there. He cussed at me and when he did, I popped him one and I broke my hand.  That slowed me down that season. Virgil was a pretty good kid but he developed some bad habits.

SP:    Did you play any leagues outside of the AFL/ASL?

NC:    No, but I was in the Cleveland organization and I went to spring training with Spartanburg (Tri State League) in 1948.  Kerby Farrell was the manager.  He was managing Cleveland the same time Herb Score took that line drive off his eye (1954). That's the organization I was in, the Cleveland organization.

SP:    Did you play with any of the future major leaguers during your years in the AFL/ASL?

NC:    Give me some names.

SP:    Well, from your era, how about Bob Purkey?

NC:    Bob Purkey I remember very well.  Big tall right hander.  I had a great thrill against him. He played with Greenville, Alabama. I remember once he had us beat 1-0 in the ninth and we had a guy on base and I hit a home run off him and we won 2-1.  He only had one more start that season and he no-hit Dothan in that game. He won 19 ballgames that year (1948). I remember another name: I had a boy there that pitched for me that made it too.  His name was Lee Stange.

SP:    I remember him pitching with the Indians.

NC:    And he was the pitching coach for the Red Sox.   Lee was a big help coming back from spring training.  I liked Lee because he coached third base for me.  He was a smart, intelligent fellow. He was supposed to be the quarterback at Duke University but he hurt his knee. Lee kept the ball down real low.  He got hurt during the season (1957) and the business manager wanted me to release him. Well, I wouldn't sign the release. They brought him back to Fort Walton the next year and won 13 games for them. He wasn't a very large fellow, but he kept the ball downstairs and threw pretty hard.

SP:    You told me that you and Pete Hammer have been life-long best friends.

NC:    Oh yes, Pete and I played against each other and with each other (at Cordele, Georgia, during spring training) and we'd talk at the ball practices. Pete lived here in Crestview and he pitched here for the semi-pro club under Mr. Richbourg (ex-major-leaguer Lance Richbourg). Both of us played on that club. I never will forget Mr. Richbourg was about 50 years old when we beat Andalusia 2-0. He was a great athlete for a little man. Pete was pitching and Mr. Richbourg hit two home runs. Mr. Richbourg gave me a great compliment: He managed Tommy Heinrich in the South Association (New Orleans) and he told me I was the best looking prospect he'd ever seen since Tommy. Mr. Richbourg ran for school superintendent in 1948 and got elected, and stayed until 1964. I got a job through him in transportation and retired out of there.

SP:    Were there any players that you coached that you thought would make it that didn't?

NC:    There was a kid named Bill Felker that I though would probably make it. He made it up to Nashville. I also had a kid named Berto Cueto.

SP:    Berto Cuerto? I think he actually made it to the Senators (actually, he made it to the Twins)

NC:    Berto did make it.  He pitched for me (in 1957).  He was a big tall right-hander.  Kept the ball behind and pitched side-armed.  He was good because he'd work on those right-handed hitters. He and Tano (Roberto Tano) were both Cubans.  See, Tano was an educated fellow, and Berto was a country boy.  He and Tano are arguing one time (in Spanish) and I asked Tano, "What the hell are you talking about?" and Tano says: "Berto, he crazy, crazy.  Him Castro and me Batista".

SP:    How about another pitcher you had, Billy Beane?

NC:    Bill Beane was a good pitcher.  I don't know why he couldn't make it.  He had everything it took to be a great pitcher.

SP:    It must have been tough for some of the young kids to adjust to life in the league.  What were living arrangements like in a town like Crestview?

NC:    You know they'd give you a buck, buck and a half a day for food.  The players would just come to town and get them a room.  Just anywhere they could.  Sometimes with local families, most the time just themselves.

SP:    What about the stadiums?  Were they as bad as one might be lead to believe?

NC:    Well the stadium there (in Crestview) was pretty good.  In Fort Walton, the water was there.  Seemed like the wind was always going out to right field, which was pretty good for a left-handed hitter like me.

SP:    What was the pay like?

NC:    Oh, I'd say the average was about $200 - $250 a month.

SP:    That wasn't all that bad.

NC:    No, especially for those boys who came in from Cuba.  That was big money.