"'Sure,' he said.
"We were both pretty mad at that point, so I got 'hold of the operator and asked her to get me Wilbert Robinson, manager of the Brooklyn club. You see, Robbie—that's what we called him—had been a coach with us for years before he became the Dodger manager in 1914. After a while, she got Robbie on the phone.
"'Hello?' he says.
"'How are you, Robbie?' I asked.
"Fine,' he said. 'Who is this?'
"Now, I had to handle this conversation very carefully. My whole world depended on it. 'How would you like to have a good left-handed pitcher?' I said in a jovial tone.
"I'd love it,' he said. 'Who is this? Who's the man? Who are you going to recommend?'
"I then dropped the clincher. 'I'm going to recommend myself,' I told him.
"'Who are you?' he repeated.
"'Rube Marquard,' I said, trying to sound impressive.