BLOG: Another Cleveland Loss-RIP Bob Feller

Cleveland knows losing, the city hasn't won anything since Maryland's Gary Collins starred in the Brown's 27-0 whipping of the Baltimore Colts in the 1964 NFL Championship Game. The Browns are in the midst of another losing season, the Indians are in the dumps and LeBron stuck it to the city on his way to South Beach.

And now Cleveland sports fans have lost their legend. The winningest pitcher in Cleveland history died Wednesday night. Bob Feller was 92. Rapid Robert grew up on a farm in Iowa and became a legend on the shores of Lake Erie. It didn't take long to realize "Rapid Robert" had a gift for throwing a baseball.  One day a Bob Feller pitch broke three of his Dad's ribs. Startling when you consider the pitcher was ONLY 8!

There weren't radar guns back in the day, so the U.S. army tried to clock the speed of Feller's fastball. The verdict was 107.5 miles an hour. How accurate was that contraption? I don't know, but here's what I do know.

Bob Feller never played in the minor leagues, at 17 he was pitching for the Indians. He won 107 games and had over 1,200 strikeouts before he turned 23. The Hall of Famer won 266 games, he led the league in strikeouts seven times and threw 279 complete games. He pitcher three no-hitters and how 'bout this 12-one-hitters. Quite a resume and even more amazing when you consider he missed nearly four years in the prime of his career serving his country.

Moved by Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, Feller enlisted in the Navy the following day -- the first major league player to sign up. He served as a gun captain on the USS Alabama, earning several battle commendations and medals. After pitching in for his country it didn't take long for this Patriot to get back in his pitching groove.

In 1946, his first full season back from the war, Feller won 26 games. He made 42 starts and completed 36 of them, he threw an incredible 371 innings that season and never believed in icing his powerful arm.

Bob Feller, who was still attending Indians games last summer was old-school rough, tough and sometimes gruff. When talking about Cal's streak he said "my father worked 40 years and never took a vacation." He felt many of todays players were spoiled and soft and never wavered in his stance that Pete Rose should remain banned for betting on baseball.

Indians owner Larry Dolan on what Bob Feller meant to Cleveland and the Indians. "Bob has been such an integral part of our fabric, so much more than an ex-ballplayer, so much more than any Cleveland Indians player. He is Cleveland, Ohio."

Former Orioles and Indians manager Mike Hargrove on Feller. "I will never forget before the first game of the '97 World Series, Bob came up to me and  patted me on the back and told me how proud he was of me and the team, then gave me a buckeye and said it was for luck. I don't think Bob ever believed in luck, just hard work and an honest effort. I will miss Bob very much. He was my friend"

I first met Bob Feller over 30 years ago at a Hilton Hotel in Socorro, New Mexico. Then in his late 50's he lit up the room with his booming voice telling stories of games and players in his past. Later that day I played in one of the world's most unusual golf tournaments. It's a one-hole, 3-hour event that starts on Socorro Peak over 7,200 feet above sea level. Hitting and chasing golf balls down a mountain, dodging rattlesnakes was almost as memorable as Bob Feller, Hall of Famer, war hero telling the stories of his life.

Jeff Idelson president of the Hall of Fame on Feller "The baseball Hall of Fame has lost an American original there will never be anyone quite like Bob Feller again. He was truly larger than life- baseball's John Wayne."

Cleveland has lost another one. But what a winner they had in the farm boy from Iowa. R.I.P. Rapid Robert.