Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-04-02
'RUBE' WADDELL
PASSES INTO
GREAT BEYOND
Baseball Expert Writes Of Past
Experience With Famous
Southpaw TwirIer,
By O.: B. Keller.

is to duck the ensuing column or
7-point type. Then neither of us will
be Inconvenience.
The ball player in question is RUDE
Waddell | put it in the present
tense because l hate the idea of hay
ing to write was" about the RUDE.
My sentiment for the Rube arises
from rather an odd mixing up of the
Rube's destinies and my humble own.
In fact Of you will pardon the per-
sonality), if the RUDE had been some
thing else besides what he happened
to be it would be someone else writ
ing this Cor probably much better
story a bout him
Strong for Strike-outs.
You see, | always was attracted by
the queer personality of the RUDE
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 a the
tinel ! mistreated d 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 | knew /
was working for newspaper.
We'll. that led incidentally to my
making friends with the Rube, who
had innocently got me my job, so to
speak.
went out and worked on The X, {.
Star about the time the Rube finished
up with the Big SHOW, 50 that We
hit class "A ball Simultaneously. you
might say | iourneyed about with
the X G. Blues and the Rube toiled
somewhat erratically) for Joe Can
tilon 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 RUDE at the entrance to the ball
field in Nicollet Park, Minneapolis.
l had Gra1eX with me and the
'Rube had his well-knoWn ragged
glove and a new uniform coat. excess
sively blue, the kind Joe Issued to his
hands
Stick out our chest, Rube, and
get shot" l suggested.
If there's one thing the RUDE likes
Il mean liked-better than another
il was being photographed He stuck
out his chest, fleXed his mighty Shout
ders and drew up his siX-teet-tWo OF
husky manhood.
| have that picture to-day. 1t is
the best character picture I ever have
seen of a ball player. That is be-
cause the RUDE contrived for that
dieting instant to look exactly ike
hmself-huge, bombastc indomita-
BILE unreliable, thoughtless, straight
forward, generous-a great, big, sim
Pile minded soul thinking only ABOUT
one tick ahead of the CLOCK. Ruoe
Waddell
A Track Meet Hero.
carried big copy Of that picture
North on my next trip and gave it to
the Rube. That was the day he or
ranized a track m eet before batting
practice. and surprised everybody by
winning nearly all the events. In the
standing broad jump. he beat me
nearly two feet-and ! used to thlnA
something Of myself It that game.
/ saw the last really great game the
Rube pitched: in Minneapolis, against
the Blues. He lost it, too-and the
other pitcher was working ms iast
great game also: Nick Maddox. TOR
merry of the Pirates. now-whN
don't know where he is
Neither Of them was looking tor
ward to the curtain or the Grim
Reaper in that game, however
The final score was ! to o. The
Nilers rot one hit off nick, and our
bows got two off the Rube, but one
OF them came after the only base on
balls Of the game.
Great Times With Joe.
The Rube had no end of funny
times with Joe Cantillon VINO was
F,,,I ,f O ''big filDeTf the