The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-02-02
RUDE WADDfLl MUST BE
GOOD OR LOSE HIS JOB
St. Louis Management Threatens
to Discard Once Great Pitch
er for Good.
YARNS ABOUT GREAT HURLER

Before the month of June has dim
ned and the first lap of the American
league 1910 race has closed, one of
the greatest pitchers and characters
ever known to organized baseball will
learn his fate For If Rube Waddell
does not win at least half of his early
season games, the sword which has
swayed above his head for many,
many moons, will descend and the
erratic southpaw will drop from Class
baseball
There appears to be but little chance
for the RUDE. With the exception of
a couple OF spasmodic efforts, his
work i'm 1909 was away below the
standard. Twice last season McAleer
was on the verge of selling him; twice
the RUDE, by twirling swell games,
pulled his big league reputation from
the quicksands OF obscurity. The re-
mainder of the season he proved a
soft snap for even the tail enders and
many a nervy youngster fattened his
batting average at the expense OF the
erstwhile pitching king. But the soft
sung its siren song so many times into
the ears of the Rube. that his exit APP
pears 70 be close at hand.
A Career of Mrth.
Rube's baseball career, from his
earliest days. has proven to be a
comedy melodrama. Here and there
tincture of sentiment has entered into
il; now and then a heroic act enabl-
ed the indomitable George Edward
To bask i'm the calcium glare of the
heroic-but only for a day. A few
hours and he pulled off newer and
freakier stunt. The feat of the day
before was forgotten. He was again
simply crazy. brainless gazab with
herculean left arm and the consti-
tition of n steam engine.
Too Many Bats.
Baseball history is replete with
Waddell stories. Some have been
told hundred times, while others,
for some unaccountable reason. have
scarcely ever appeared i'm print.
only a few years ago. WaddeH
to twirl against Boston at Boston
Mack's twirlers were all on the bum
and when the starboard singer turn
cd up at the park, bearing all the
frayed evidences of champagne
battle, Mack was furious. Determined
to sober Waddell up for the morrow.
he ordered him to pitch. In the first
inning he received splendid support
and managed to hold the Beans TO
single run.
The Athletics tied the score in the
first inning and when WaddelI came
To bat in the second there were two
gone and men on second and third
Bill Dinnecn was twirling and the
first two balls he dished up were both
wide of the plate Nevertheless Wad-
dell nearly broke his back trying to
connect. After the second strike he
turned and shouted to Mack:
SHAY Connie. / s'hee three balls.
witch onc'll hit at?"
punch the middle one, Rube."
urged Connie, praying that wadder
N'uiu NOiiltCl.
But RUDE didn't. He swung hard
but missed the pill by couple of feet.
Turning he walked disgustedly To the
bench and as he reached for the water
glass, Connie quietly remarked:
why didn't you hit the middle
ball, Rube?"
We'll | tried to- was the re-
Spouse, "but l swung at II with the
outside bat"
How He Stung Raymond.
Late last fall Waddell and Ray
mond met i'm New York cafe. It was
shortly after the north pole contro-
versy reached its height and the two
clowns began to discuss the compare
tive merits of Cook and Peary.
Jaw I'm sick of the blooming talk.
Bugs" swectly remarked G. Il. 81
don't believe the old pole is so hard
to reach after all. Huh! Lots of
Eslimos have lived upstairs there,
and
Upstairs upsta-why you're crazy.
Whoever heard of anybody living up