Comments on: Feller

By: Hot News » Steve Dalkowski

Hot News » Steve Dalkowski — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:44:36 +0000

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By: Richard Aronson

Richard Aronson — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 22:07:43 +0000

Mike Magie, I cannot believe you favor Gibson that highly. Take away his one great season (and take away Blyleven’s best season) and Gibson is clearly not as good as a guy not (yet) in the HOF. His career ERA+ of 127 is well behind a couple of dozen starting pitchers who also had more innings and wins. Remember, Gibson had the benefit of pitching in perhaps the best decade of all time for pitchers, with a wide strike zone, expansion bringing up some weaker hitters, and big new pitcher’s parks in Los Angeles, Houston, and New York. It should not be surprising that his two lowest opponent ERAs are against the two expansion teams. Yes, Gibson, probably had the best single season of all time. And he deserves his place in the HOF. But if I’m making team rosters, pulling 15 hitters and 10 pitchers, from the HOF, Gibson isn’t on my first four teams.

Fezzik, Feller threw more than half his innings from 1947 onwards, and according to you *some* of his innings in Municipal before then. On balance, it seems that Municipal Stadium was his home field.

Justyo, one can never know for certain. But I look at Greg Maddux and Pedro Martinez, and I have a hard time convincing myself either took steroids. I look at Roger Clemens, and given all that I’ve read I have a hard time convincing myself he didn’t. I look at Clemens’ possible roid rage behavior on the field, and think to myself: self, Clemens doesn’t deserve all the credit he gets. I do the same thing for Barry Bonds. Would I vote for Clemens or Bonds for the HOF? First year no, second year yes. Pedro and Maddux, first year yes. Clemens got at least one MVP through chemistry, he got another one because he was a Yankee (Garcia pitched more innings with a better ERA+ for Seattle that year). And if you lop off Clemens’ last five years, when he was juiced, he doesn’t reach 300 wins, and given what Clemens did in 1999, 2000 and 2001 (and the MVP in 2001) also seem suspect. I mean, he was 38 years old, barely average, and suddenly he returns to near form without chemicals? Hard to believe, my friend, and thus less credit for Clemens. Heck, 1998 was the year of Sosa and McGwire; could Clemens’s Toronto MVPs also be tainted? Once you start down that road, it’s hard to stop, and IMO Clemens brought it on himself.

By: Oddibe Kerfeld

Oddibe Kerfeld — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:12:39 +0000

Here’s my Feller story. In 1992 I was 16 and running the ice cream stand for the Midland Angels (still probably the best job I ever had in many respects) and Feller came to a game to put on a pitching show before it started. We’d been warned by the front office that Feller was old and cranky and to be careful around him. He’s was the complete opposite. He was truly friendly to us and even picked my 14 year-old brother to help him with the autographs at the table. Feller didn’t charge for an autograph and would sign anything and everything. He was selling some 8×10 photos (which he gave my brother one for free.) I remember too he would talk to folks for a long time and seemed to genuinely love being at the ballpark chatting with folks. This was also during the summer of the ‘92 presidential election and he even shared his thoughts on then Gov. Bill Clinton, which I thought was pretty cool. Some of his stories about the Navy were fun to hear as well. Feller is a hero in my book in more ways than one. He might have been rude to others, but when my brother and I met him he was as classy as can be.

By: Fezzik

Fezzik — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:44:04 +0000

The comment about Feller being helped by a big park is mostly wrong. Until Veeck came along in 1947, the Indians played most of their games in the bandbox called League Park. Only Sundays and special occassions were played in Municipal.

By: Greg

Greg — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:47:50 +0000

Joe, great article, and an interesting read on “character”, and commentary on earlier generations. I have a somewhat personal story to share. About 15 years or so ago, I went to a “card show” where Feller and Steve Carlton were signing. I was there with my two daughters; my youngest, about 2, and my oldest, about 8 or so, and in a wheelchair. As we got to the table, I explained to my daughters that Bob had been their grandpa’s (my dad) favorite ballplayer. Bob got up, and came around the tables to where we were standing in line, and gave each of my daughters a big hug, and said something about “loving to meet grandkids of his fans”, and that he bets that they really loved their grand-dad, or something. Anyway, even though he was in his 70’s, and I had heard about his somewhat ‘cranky’ personality, he was very much “grandfatherly’ with my daughters, and something I will always remember.

By: MP

MP — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 05:36:50 +0000

I met Bob Feller a few weeks ago at a card show just outside of Boston. His autograph was only $15. For one of the best pitchers of all time that was a no-brainer. I remember last year Jacoby Ellsbury signed at a show for $125 per signature, talk about crazy.

By: Josh in Boston

Josh in Boston — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:18:47 +0000

Good article.

I think soldiers can complain about how the war screwed them over for one reason or another, they certainly earn that right.

One guy who probably lost a hall of fame career is Johnny Pesky, he was a shortstop who started with 200 hits and an OPS+ of 119. He then went into the service for three years, he came out and had 200 hits for the next two years and an average OPS+ of 109.5 over the next 6 seasons. If you add 600 hits to his career totals he ends up over 2000, he would’ve probably scored over 1000 runs, plus he may have played in more than one All Star game.

I don’t think you’d ever hear him complain about it though. He’s had a pretty good run and now his number’s retired in Boston.

By: Mike Magie

Mike Magie — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:56:05 +0000

My vote goes to Greg Maddux. Pedro and Gibson have slightly better adjusted stats, and Gibson’s World Series performance is other-worldly (complete games in EVERY appearance) but Maddux’s full body of work makes him the best in my mind. Here is an awesome article about him:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3336514

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:50:41 +0000

I went to the HOF the year Brett got inducted and went to a card show and paid to get autographs of Feller and Spahn. They were two grumpy chain smoking old men. I paid fifteen dollars for their autographs– it kills me that they are not worth anything. I think Warren Spahn passed so I am glad Feller and Sammy Baugh are still alive.

By: Harvey

Harvey — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:49:06 +0000

In 1952 or 53, the Giants and Indians trained in Arizona and played an exhibition game in KC on their way back east. Asked for an autograph before the game, Feller said, not now–wait til the game starts. I thought, yeah. But in the second inning Feller left the dugout, went down to the bull pen and signed autographs for several innings. That’s image I want to remember.