FROM THE PULPIT: LIKE RUBE WADDELL, WE CAN GET DISTRACTED

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Sunday, September 24, 2000

Rube Waddell was a great pitcher for the Philadelphia A's baseball club in the early 1900's. He held strikeout records that stood until Nolan Ryan in 1973. His career was short, however, and he died young of tuberculosis. Even in his prime, he was known as an eccentric. His craziness, as well as his talent, helped draw fans to the ballpark. He would sometimes tell his outfielders to sit down, then proceed to strike out the side. He did cartwheels off the mound after beating Cy Young in a 20-inning game. And he had a great fascination for fire engines. Whenever he heard one, he would run and follow it-even if it was in the midst of a game he was pitching!

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