Rapid Robert

ESPN - Indians legend Bob Feller dies at 92

I was saddened to hear today that Bob Feller has passed into eternity.  Nowadays we speak of Stephen Strasburg, Aroldis Chapman, and Joel Zumaya.  In previous years it was Randy Johnson; before that, Nolan Ryan.  But seventy years ago they all spoke of Bob Feller as baseball's fireballer.  These were the days before the fine-grained workout regimen; Rapid Robert did it the old fashioned way, with determination and grit.  He is quoted as saying,

My father kept me busy from dawn to dusk when I was a kid. When I wasn't pitching hay, hauling corn or running a tractor, I was heaving a baseball into his mitt behind the barn. I couldn't repay my debt to him, but I wanted to pass along the thought that if all the parents in the country followed his rule, juvenile delinquency would be cut in half in a year's time.

He was noted for being critical of contemporary ballplayers.  And how can we blame him?  The day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor he voluntarily enlisted in the Navy.  Like Ted Williams and many others, he gave up years of his prime playing days to help secure freedom for you and me.  I wonder how many would do that today?  To give up the glory and glitz for a more noble cause?

It was during the summer of 1993 that I was able to meet Mr. Feller.  At the time I worked concessions for the Rochester Aces; a short-lived minor league baseball team in the Northern League.  I was sixteen and heard the Hall of Famer was going to be visiting the ballpark that day.  A while back I had purchased an official American League baseball for such a time as this.  So I brought the ball with me to the park hoping I might get a chance to meet Mr. Feller.  I spotted him before the game, sheepishly approached, and asked for an autograph.  He obliged, though not necessarily cheerfully; from what I understand that was consistent with his gruff demeanor. :-)  But I got my signature and happily placed it in a display case that night.  The ball sat on my nightstand for the next few years, alongside the most precious of my baseball cards and a couple other signed balls.  His autograph was my most special; players come and go, but it is rare to have the chance to meet a true legend of the game.  The ball then found its way into a box of "Mike's Precious Things" and has sat under the stairway for the past ten or so years.

When I heard of Mr. Feller's passing I went looking for the ball.  It brings back the memory of meeting the Hall of Famer.  I'm sure there are many thousands of folks who have a similar story as mine, but to me it is a special personal memory which I will always treasure.