The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-01-29
/ ALKING
IT OVER
BY JOE WILLIAMS
NEW YORK. Jan


THE headlines tell of the fight
Il that Joe Cantillon is making for
his life on a death bed. And that
reminds me:
I think the last time 1 saw Can
tillon was in the little town Of Hick-
man, KY, where his ball club, Min
neapolis, was doing its spring train
ing. One of the members Of the club
vas fairly distinguished left
hander-Rube Waddel. by name.
Generously they called Rube eccen-
trio. Actually he was simple
minded giant. with few scruples,
great fast ball and tremendous
thirst. He had spent the glory OF
his big league career at the time
Cantillon took him on. He was set
In his ways and his ways ran large
" to barroom soirees. Indscrim-
mate fist fights and miscellaneous
loves.
During this particular spring the Rube
was fated 10 play an heroic part In
swift moving human drama. There had
been unusual SHOWS in the north and the
Mississippi river at this point was swollen
10 the breaking stage. Another tumultuous
day and the clay banked levee would
break Such q day came. 1t came late
In the night after a warm spring sun
had settled over the quaint community and
the househoIders had zone TO their beds.
4 N alarm for volunteer workmen
IA was sounded. Curiously, 1t
seemed to me-in a younger day
that most of these volunteer work
men we're Negroes. Under the lash
ing commands of whites they sloshed
out into the angry waters and threw
up a temporary barricade OF bags
filled with sand There was one
white man among them-and it was
the Rube. He had come hckety-
split from the village inn when the
alarm was sounded, little bit shaky
and with the lit of a boisterous
song on his lips. This was an as
sienment he could measure up to.
II required a strong back, and a
mechanical procedure.
All through the night the NeEroes-and
the Rube-worked throwing up the sand
hays that were to divert the gluttonous
course Of = maddened stream and thus
save a whole township. The dawn came
ana the Rube went back to his favorite !
brass rail.
''You look as n you have been M all
night" said CantillOn-
IT have. 1 saved the town for YOU" he (
answered.
wen. 20 in and save the ball game this
afternoon"
Minneapolis was playing Memphis In an /
exhibition game. The RUDE pitched six
innings Of bitIess baseball.
ONE OF the greatest games the
~ Rube ever pitched was against
Detroit in the American League |
when he was with the Athletics. He /
had been out all night chasing IRE |
engines-which next to chasing fire |
water. was his most soul-consuming
pleasure. Connie Mack had way |
of handling the RUDE. He tried to |
shame him into reform. When ne /
knew the RUDE had broken training |
he would send him out to pitch. The
Rube was always secuted. Connie
knew when he had been on
twister.
You pitch today. Rube," Connie told
him after the all night siege. And Rube
pitehed. This was in the early DAYS of
Cobb's career and Cobb at the time was
the Iead-on man for the Tigers. First
I'M, he dragged n hunt down the third
base line and because of his extraordinary
speed, beat the throw TO first and II was
scored as base hit. 1t was the only hit
the Tigers got.
1t should be added here that the
Rube's gallant gesture in the little |
Kentucky village cost him his life. |
He contracted a cold which de-
veloped into pneumonia and later
into a fatal lung trouble.
"He had more stuff than any
pitcher 1 ever saw" Mack will tell
you. He had everything but a
sense of responsibility"
Which may or may not have been
a handicap.