Whether they believed him about the shoulder, most sports writers were already quite familiar with Rube Waddell’s antics, both on and off the field. He had everything but a sense of responsibility.”The trick to handling Rube Waddell, he explained, was maximum forgiveness combined with maximum supervision. What’s more, the next game was scheduled for 13 October, which was both a Friday and Rube Waddell’s 29th birthday. Some athletes managed to make their fall a long and graceful one, but this was Rube Waddell. Rube Waddell's graveAs the snow began to thaw that spring, floods rose all along the Mississippi River, and Rube Waddell waded in to help.