Rube Waddell was perhaps baseball’s most interesting man. Considered by many to be the greatest pitcher who ever lived, he is better known for his eccentric exploits both on and off the field. He was literally one of the weirdest players in history, but baseball fans loved him.
Born George Edward Waddell on Friday the 13th in October of 1876 in Bradford, Pennsylvania, he grew to be a refrigerator of a man. At 6’1” and almost 200 lbs., compared to his teammates he was considered jumbo-sized (the average male height in the late 19th century was under 5’7”). He was ambidextrous but chose to play left-handed. He claimed to have developed his pitching arm by throwing rocks at crows on the farm.
He earned the nickname Rube because he looked like a big old country boy. Given his bent toward creative lunacy, some speculate that Rube was autistic. Whatever the case, Rube found baseball, and the game was never the same.
