Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-04-03
'RUBE' WADDELL
PASSES INTO
GREAT BEYOND
Baseball Expert Writes of Past
Experience With Famous
Southpaw TwirIer,
BY O. B. Keeler.

II
gone ball player, the thing to do
is to duck the ensuing column of
7-point type Then neither of us will
be inconvenience.
The ball player in question is Rube
Waddell l put it in the present
tense because | hate the idea of hav-
ing to write was" about the Rube.
MY sentiment for the RUDE arises
from rather an odd mixing up OF the
Rube's destinies and my humble own.
In fact (if you will pardon the per-
sonality) If the Rube had been some
thing else besides what he happened
TO be it would be someone else writ
ing this COR probably much better
story about him.
Strong for Strike outs.
You see, l always was attracted by
the queer personality of the Rube
and his mighty feats Of pitching, and
especially his ability to pitch EN-
past" the batter So one day (being
a clerk in an insurance office at the
tin-e) l mistreated a typewriter into
some alleged verses about the RUDE,
and showed them ruthlessly up
against P H Whiting, who was then
SPIT. ed. of this paper, and he fell for
them, and the first thing l knew
was working for a newspaper.
Well, that led incidentally to my
making friends with the Rube who
had innocently got me my job, so to
speak
I went out and worked on The X. c.
Star about the time the RUDE finished
up with the Big Show, 50 that we
hit Glass IA ball spontaneously you
might say. ! journeyed about with
the K. c. Blues, and the RUDE toiled
somewhat erratcally) for Joe Can
tillon in Minneapolis, and Collided
with our boys occasionally, and usu-
ally with severe effects-for the boys.
He was still some pitcher.
a "Character Photograph
| remember one afternoon | met
the Rube at the entrance to the ball
field in Nicollet Park, Minneapolis.
I had a GraheX with me and the
Rube had his well-knoWn ragged
glove and a new uniform coat, excess
siveIv blue. the kind Joe issued to his
hands
stick out vour chest, RUDE, and
get shot" | suggested.
If there's one thing the Rube likes
i mean Iiked-better than another
If was being photographed. He stuck
out his chest, flexed his mighty shout
ders and drew up his siN-feet-tWo 81
husky manhood
have that picture to-day 1t is
the best character picture ever nave
seen of a ball player That is be
cause the Rube contrived for that
heeting instant to look exactly IKE
htmself-huge, bombastic lndomlta-
BILE. Unreliable thoughtless, stralg NJ
forward generous great Dig, SIM
ple- minded soul thinking. only 4oout
one tick ahead Of the clock huoe
Waddell
A Track Meet Hero,
carried a big copy of that picture
North on my next trip and gave II y
rhe Rube That was the day ne or
ranfzed A track meet before batting
practice and surprised everybody nS
winning nearly all the events. In lhe
standing broad jump, he beat me
nearly two feet-and | used to thlhh
something of myself at that game
saw the last really great game me
Rube pitched. in Minneapolis, against
the Blues He lost it, too-and me
otter pitcher was working his last
great game also. Nick Maddox, tor-
merlv of the Pirates, noW-Why' !
don't know where he is.
Neither of them was looking Tor
ward to the curtain or the Gilm
Reaper in that game, however
The final score was 10 u ne
Mllers got one hit off NICK ana ouI
bows got two off the Rube nut one
Of them came after the Only piSe 'i'
balls of the game.
Great Times With Joe
The Rube had no end of funny
times with Joe Cantillon, who was
genuinely fond Of the big flbert' 'he
called hin) and used to watch over
him in the winter months. Joe used
10 take the RUDE out fsnlng ana Ie'
him do all the rowing, as beng esPe-
ciaNy good for the Rube's arm And
the Rube appreciated 1t thoroughly
He would work his arm en- Tor Joe,
either in the boat or on the slab
And finally, when Joe couldn't use
the Rube any more, and had to send
him 10 the Northern League, it broke
the old RUDE all up As / recall it,
he nitChed only a part of one game
there He realized he was back in
the bushes at last and 1T took the
starch out of him
Good bye, Rube
think that the RUDE came sud
denly face to face with the contrast
between the Northern League and his
gloriously eccentric past-and it broke
his heart
Well we know the finish. The
Rube was no man for half-meas
When he went to rescuing flood Suf-
ferers in that grim emergency he did
the work Of three men He put on
his gigantic frame a burden Of toll
and exposure that even 1t could not
endure The simple childish enthu-
siasm that once made him supreme
fgure on the slab now betrayed him
Then came tuberculosis And We'd
nesday came the end
He Remains 1.-THE Rube."
You may have noticed that all along
I have been calling him the RUDE
think it should have been capital
ized-"The Rube.' n that only could
be written the way men say H. il
would he a very fine epitaph for "a
million baseball fans say h affection
atclv-"Thp Ruhe'