Indians legend Bob Feller dies at 92

ESPN.com news services ^

[FreeReign]

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians say Hall of Fame Bob Feller has died. He was 92.

Feller, the winningest pitcher in club history and one of baseball's greatest right-handers, died at 9:15 p.m. Wednesday night of acute leukemia at a hospice where he had been moved in recent weeks, said Bob DiBiasio, the Indians vice president of public relations.

[FreeReign]

Feller made his major league debut 74 years ago.

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

Probably one of the greatest all time pitchers.

[Keith in Iowa]

See Also:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2643339/posts

[Art in Idaho]

I had a Bob Feller glove when I was a kid. Man, he was great. God Bless his soul and may he Rest in Peace.

[Tuxedo]

RIP Rapid Robert.

[GRRRRR]

Wife and I went to a Cleveland spring training game a couple years ago. Feller was there on the left field concourse and signed autographed pictures for the entire game. I got a smile and a handshake from him. He was from when baseball was real and true.

[Tupelo]

I agree. Feller had a 98+MPH fastball and didn't mind using it. Plus at my age most of my personal heroes are dead or dying off faster than I can keep up with.
I can think of damn few today that I would want my grandkids to emulate.

[Nowhere Man]

I remember hearing a couple of years ago that he was still driving sports cars at 89. I admire that. I was also interviewed by Wheaties cereal on one of the programs they sponsored on radio back in 1950/51, “Dimension X,” one of my favorite science fiction radio programs. IIRC, he never liked Obama either. RIP, Mr. Feller.

[PGalt]

Condolences to family and friends of Bob Feller and baseball lovers everywhere.

[The Antiyuppie]

I think that he signed autographs for charities as recently as several years ago. My dad saw him pitch he told me that catcher’s mitts of that time could not really handle his pitching. The catchers had to take their hands out of the mitt and shake quite a bit.

He remembered that you could hear the ball hit the mitt across the stadium, which was very unusual back then.

[Round 9]

Probably one of the greatest All-Time Americans.

[OldNavyVet]

Bob Feller continued playing some baseball during WW-II, as a US Sailor. I remember seeing him pitch at The US Navy Armed Guard School near Little Creek, Virginia.

[richmwill]

Eerie. I read an article about him just last night.

[Vigilanteman]

Not only a great pitcher, but one of the finest human beings around. Even the greatest players of their era made peanuts compared to what today's pampered players haul in. Most of them worked part-time jobs in the off-season to make ends meet.

Still, if the team called them in for a charity event, they were there with bells on. They considered it an honor to represent their team and their community.

Even after retirement, if the team called them in for an event, they were there, often only for the price of their travel expenses. Former Pirates great Vernon Law did such an event earlier in the year here. He was the guy who traveled cross country just to meet Pirate fans, and he thanked each of us for coming.

[dfwgator]

It’s always amazing how much those old ballplayers are revered by people who weren’t even born when they played.

[dfwgator]

He was the guy who traveled cross country just to meet Pirate fans

He met both of them. ;)

[hinckley buzzard]

I recall watching Feller pitch to Mickey Mantle during a game in the 1954 season. I was a kid at the time but you could feel the excitement in the stadium. (three K's btw).

[hsalaw]

Bob Feller was my baseball hero - I’ve had his autographed picture on my wall for over 30 years. In the early ‘50s, my dad would take us kids to Indians games - Cleveland Municipal Stadium was the coolest (weather-wise)place in Northern Ohio in the summer, with the breeze off Lake Erie. RIP.

[Keith in Iowa]

Article on Feller’s childhood in Iowa:

http://www.offenburger.com/lspaper.asp?link=20101216