The cast of Off-Broadway's Cobb — the Lee Blessing play that documents the brutish world of baseball player Ty Cobb — will present scenes from the show and field questions at Barnes & Noble in Union Square in Manhattan 6 PM Jan 9.

Actors Michael Cullen, Matthew Mabe, Michael Sabatino and Clark Jackson will appear at the book store, and director Joe Brancato will lead a Q&A about the historical, racial and social issues raised in the play. The Union Square Barnes and Noble is at 33 E. 17th Street.

Cobb plays Off-Broadway's Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street in Manhattan), where it opened to solid notices Nov. 8, 2000. The production was originally staged at the Melting Pot Theatre in spring 2000, and subsequent high profile endorsements from the actor Kevin Spacey helped fuel word of mouth.

In Cobb, three actors play the legendary slugger — as the young ballplayer; the middle-aged businessman; and the broken old man. He is haunted by Oscar Charleston, a black player of great talent who never made it out of the Negro League.

Cobb is produced by the Melting Pot Theatre Company (Larry Hirschhorn, Artistic Director; Darren Press, Managing Director) by arrangement with Trigger Street Productions and Kevin Spacey. The play was seen in regional theatres in the 1990s before it landed Off-Broadway.

Tickets are $45. For information, call (212) 239-6200.

— By Kenneth Jones