The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-01-10

having been my bellef that we can much better than to make the old d;
 After have recalled a few more of the picturesque characters of T 7, 80 years an baseball it is my inten- tion to go back to the e..rly days anI drift down again. In th=t way I ] hope .y recall iahdmarks that other wise l might forget.
 Some Picturesque Ones
 Next to Raymond the most pictur- esaue characters-I don't necessarily mean drinking pl.yers-of my Knowledge were Rurbe Waddell Larry McAean, Ossie Schreckengost and Walter (Steve) Brodie.
 Most all baseball people remember the time when reck-the scorers had shortened his name t. that-re- fused to sign contract with Connie Mack until clause was inserted that Waddell mus not eat crackers in bed.
 These two cuaint characters all ways roomt together. At times they were trial to Connie and he figured that he could keep an eye on them better by having them in the same room, especially on the road.
 Ate Crackers in Bed
 No, Connie,r said Shreck when he slowed up to rign his new contract, T won't sign it unless you put in there that RuDe musa't eat crackers in the bed. Yor know, tn big bum has got to where he eats these little animal crackers every night. I didn't m nd the flat CT. skers so much. But for a WI ole week last year l woke uu with elephan g tusks and cow horns stickin' tw. ell my ribs.
 Connie Mack gravely inserted the clause and Ossie signed.
 Like Bugs Raymond, Waddell had an uncanny ability for getting money when there was none in sight. He had worked so many schemes on Connie that the Athletic manager thought he couldn't be- fooled
 Rube's Ruse
 One night in Detroit Rube came to Comics room in deep distress. lie had lost the diamond watch charm that had been given to each member of the team for having won the pen nant It was an expensive trinket and one that Waddell was very proud of. It was his fondest possession, and Mack knew it.
 T wanted to ask you what to oo' Connie" said Rube. How can 1 go bout findin' it. l know l had it on this afternoon
 T would suggest advised Connie taking the matter very seriously, that you put an ad in the local papers-yes, and offer reward,
 How much reward, Connie, would he right? You know I'm flat broke. You Know that better than anybody" :"
 That's true" said Mack, but you go ahead and offer $10 reward and If the diamond charm is found l will pay the reward myself
 Rube promptly put an ad. in the paper.
 The next day at noon he went down to saloon where he had left the charm with the bartender, an old acquaintance.
 Rube Collects Reward
 "Connie,y Rube said to his mana ger over the phone, there's a guy down here in saloon that's found my diamond charm. Will you come down and pay the reward for me?'
 That. sounded fair enough. So Connie walked down, paid the man the reward. turned the trinket over to Rube and they walked away. Nyaddell was very grateful. At the corner. though, he left Connie, slip ped around the other way to the saloon and collected S10 from the bartender, large portion of which they proceeded to drink up.
 Connie ha b. en completely taken in. Now. you can't say that man who cas think up th"t scheme hasn't got keen 1rain.
 Wadden was ne of tie greatest pi.chers that ever lived. He had such a large hand that he could encircle a baseball wiz his fingers as the oi Ginary man could a b.llif I'd ball. That gave hira tremendous speed and a, ,so wonder eul ''trve.
 Wanted to Help
 Rube was very vain about his arm and had -c.ute conf .dence in being able to beas any club in the world. Generally he could do it, too. In the spring training exhibition games he used to demand that all the players except himself, the catcher and the first baseman be taken off the field. For fun the ct him do F. All the men he did not strike out he pro- pozed to get out on infield grounders.
 On several occasions he did that trick and actually got away with it.
 I played on his vanity one time to win a game. That was many years ago. We knew that Rube would pitch and we kne ' the chances were that he would beat IS. As he came walk ing across the field from the club house l called to him to throw me a ball that had rolled out there. He made great throw of it.
 Turning Tables on Rube
 "Thats no throw" I called back to him. Look at this one" I threw the ball back.
 Ranking at my remarks, he whipped the ball from the fence to