Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 235, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 October 1912 — ECCENTRIC PITCHER WAS HERE SUNDAY [ARTICLE]

ECCENTRIC PITCHER WAS HERE SUNDAY

Waddell Accompanied Joe CantiUon and Wife on Auto - Trip Through Rensselaer. ___ Hey Rube. There have been a number of “Rubes” in baseball. The uncut grass and the oats stubble field have contributed a number of prominent diamond stats to the great national game through the medium of the bush league. But there is one rube who outrubes them all and that is none other than the famous “Rube” Wad-

dell, who became a sensation in baseball about ten years ago. For a long time he played with the winning Athletics and for three or four years was reckoned the greatest pitcher in the- business except for his decidedly eccentric ways. . Sometimes he did not want to pitch and no coaxing would get him to do it He would go fishing the day it was his turn and when some of the hardest work on the diamond was to be .done. “Rube” was a great “kidder” in a pronouncedly rube manner and no one could ever tell what kind of a stunt he was going to pull off. He woul carry a miniature flag in his pocket and after striking out some strong batter would get the flag out and wave it over his head. He would use the flag also after making a long hit himself. Early in the game Rube learned to drink highballs and he proved very conclusively that whisky and successful ball playing are not synonymous. The more whisky he drank the poorer pitcher he was and while some of the old ball players were holding out year 1 after year Rube was drinking up his athletic vitality. He went backward when he should have been in his prime. Connie Mack released him in .St. Louis and he was sent from there to Minneapolis, where Joe Cantillon, manager of the Minneapolis team, has been having very good success with him. He has won a good per cent of his games this year, because he has kept sober and played baseball, not highbalj.

Last Sunday Rube and his manager, Joe Cantillon, and wife, and Bob Taylor, another pitcher, arrived in Rensselaer at about noon by auto and were at the Makeever house for dinner. They were on their way from Minneapolis to Mr. Cantillon’s farm in Kentucky, where Rube will spend the winter away from the temptations of city life. It is believed he still has enough ability to make good if he will pass up the bar stock. He is a powerful fellow and has filled out considerably from his lanky appearance of ten years ago.