Bob Feller Passes

The greatest pitcher in Indians history and an American hero Bob Feller passed away last night in Ohio from Leukemia. He was 92.
I met Feller a couple of times when he was making appearances at minor league parks. I interviewed him for a pre-game show once and I'm really mad that I lost the tape of it.
He was a good interview. At the time he was in his late 70's and his memory was sharp, he was a good storyteller and he was opinionated. So many athletes, past and present are extremely guarded in their comments. Not Feller. He said what he wanted and if someone didn't like it, too bad. He didn't care. As Howard Cosell might say, Feller was just "telling like it is."
I wish I could have seen him pitch. Among his 266 wins were 3-no hitters and 12-one hitters. I also love the highlight of him throwing his fastball at a target as a speeding motorcycle went past him in order to judge how fast he threw the ball. Ah, the days before radar guns.
As a kid, his dad was talking to a scout and the scout told young Bob to warm up. A few moments later, the scout ran over to the hard-throwing Feller and said, "Hey, I told you to just warm up!" Feller responded, "I am warming up."
He was 17 when he made his big league debut and struck out 15. Not too bad.
In 2001, I was driving to Chicago one fall afternoon when, on Route 80 I passed a small sign that was for the Bob Feller Museum. I took the exit (#113) in Van Meter, Iowa and a couple of miles up the road there was the museum. I paid a small admission charge and went in. There was nobody else there except me and a very nice older lady who showed me around. I wish I remembered her name. What normally would be a 30-minute tour of the small museum turned into a two hour visit. The woman told me stories about Bob Feller and told me he was a very nice man. We've probably heard stories about Feller being somewhat cranky at times, but who isn't? My brief dealings with him were very pleasant and I believe the woman, who knew him, when she said he was a gentleman. But I suspect he didn't have too much patience for morons.
There was a display on Feller regarding his time served in the US Navy. He was the first Major League player to enlist in the armed service following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He enlisted the next day, December 8, 1941.
Who knows how many games he would have on had he not missed close to four full seasons. He never was bitter about it, saying that he had a duty to serve the United States and he did so proudly.
Also at the museum, you were able to "buy" on of Feller's wins, with the money going to the upkeep of the museum. I bought his 59th win, a 4-0 win over the Yankees at Yankee Stadium on May 9, 1940. It was a complete game 3-hitter with 7-strikeouts. Joe DiMaggio had one of the hits before a crowd of 14, 790 in the Bronx. Anyway, to buy a win, they gave me a plaque and put my name up on the wall of wins. I forget how much it cost but I have a Bob Feller win and plaque on my wall at home. The website to the museum is www.bobfellermuseum.org. Well worth a visit if you ever find yourself out that way sometime.
Bob Feller was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962 so for 48-years he was a living, breathing, baseball-loving American legend. The legend has now passed but he'll always be remembered. A remarkable man.