Remembering Bob Feller

It was with great sadness that I learned tonight that Bob Feller has passed away at the age of 92. He was battling health issues for the last year, most recently being entered into Hospice care due to complications with Leukemia and Pneumonia.
Feller is considered maybe the greatest pitcher of all time. He had a career record of 266-162, ERA of 3.25 and 2,581 strikeouts. He threw 3 no hitters and 12 one hitters in his career and is responsible for the second fastest pitch ever recorded at 107.9 MPH at Griffith Stadium in 1946. Feller led the league in wins 6 times; strikeouts 7 times; ERA one time and shutouts 4 times.
He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962 with 93.8% of the vote (missing out on 10 ballots). He had been the longest tenured living Hall of Famer, having been in the hall for 48 years. The new longest tenured member is now Stan Musial, who was elected in 1969.Bob Feller missed the 1942-1944 and most of the 1945 seasons after enlisting in the Navy immediately following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Imagine what his career numbers might look like had he not had to enlist. He was awarded with 5 campaign ribbons and 8 battle stars. He is the only chief petty officer in the Baseball Hall of Fame. When Pete sent me the message tonight, I was upset. I discovered Feller while branching my collection out to vintage cards last year. I was able to get his auto from the Bob Feller Museum. I'm glad I went through them to get the ball, as my money went to a great place. If anyone is interested, check out www.bobfellermuseum.org , I hope I get a chance to visit there one day. I hope everyone has a chance to take a look at just how great Bob Feller was. He was one of the greatest baseball players of all time and was also one of the greatest Americans of all time. If you aren't familiar with Feller, I highly recommend you do some reading up on him; I'd definitely start by checking out the museum webpage. He definitely will be remembered. He will always be one of my favorite players, even though I never got to see him play. I still appreciate the impact he had on the game, and on my life. He is definitely a sports figure one could look up to. Rest in peace Mr. Feller. I feel like crying, but I know that he wouldn't want people to cry for him, he'd want them to appreciate the full life that he lived.