When Cobb left the Royals in 1990

When Cobb left the Royals in 1990, newspaper accounts said he resigned. Cobb calls it fired. He was 48 and said he held a grudge for seven years. At the time, he said, the thought of no longer being a major-league trainer made him physically ill.It’s been 22 years now. When he talked about the end, the smile disappeared. “I’m not bitter,” Cobb said. “But I would have been happy if I had died in that training room.”

White said Cobb “gave so much of himself for such a long time, and he made it pretty simple. He was the last to leave the place every night.”Wilson and White said they thought there should be a spot in the Royals Hall of Fame for Cobb. His wife said she thinks “it would really be an honor for him.”Getting to the World Series twice and winning once were “good times,” Wilson said, but hard work for everyone who was there. Cobb was there.

Cobb shrugs off the idea. He said he’s got enough trophies, rings, photos and memories.“My prized possessions from my years with major-league baseball are the people I got to know.”