"I had a wonderful season that year with Indianapolis. I pitched
forty-seven complete games, won twenty-eight of them, led the league in
most strikeouts, least hits, most innings pitched, and everything.
Occasionally what I'd do would be reported in the Cleveland papers, and
friends of mine would tell me that they'd pass by the house and see Dad
sitting on the porch.

"'Well, Fred,' they'd say--that was Dad's name, by the way, Fred--'Did
you see what your son Rube did yesterday?'

"'Who are you talking about?' he'd say. 'Rube who?'

"'Your son--Richard,' they would answer.

"'I told him that baseball was no good,' my dad would reply. 'Now
they've even gone and changed his name!'

"Anyway, I had a terrific year with Indianapolis, like I said. Late in
the season we went into Columbus, Ohio, and Charlie Carr came up to me
before the game.

"'Rube,' he said, 'there are going to be an awful lot of celebrities
here at the game today. The American and National Leagues both have an
off-day, and they're all coming to see you pitch. If you pitch a good
game I may be able to sell you before the night is out.'

"'For how much?' I wanted to know.

"'I don't know,' he said. 'But a lot. It depends on what kind of game
you pitch.'

"'Will you cut me in?' I asked.

"'No, I won't,' he said with certainty. 'You're getting a good salary
and you know it.'

"'Okay,' I said. I was only kidding anyway.

"'I don't want you to get nervous today,' he said.

"'Nervous?' I repeated. 'Have I ever been nervous all season?'

"'No,' he admitted, 'I've been in baseball a long time and I never saw
anything like it. I never saw a kid like you, who can beat anybody and
is so successful.'

"'Well,' I said, 'the reason I'm so successful is because I can beat
anybody.'"

"Now aren't you getting a little carried away with your bragging?" asked
Nibbles. "I mean, I'm very much enjoying your story, even though I know
little about baseball except that you play it on a bass drum. But
really, I think you're carrying your pride a little too far into the
negative."

"Yeah," admitted Rube, "I am sorry about that. Sometimes that happens to
me when I get too worked up. Anyway, I went out there that day and I
pitched one of those unusual games: no hits, no runs, no errors.
Twenty-seven men faced me and not one of them got to first base. And
that evening in Columbus they put me up for sale, with all the Big
League clubs bidding on me, like a horse be