Commemorating 60th Anniversary of Historic 1946 Season of Baseball Hall of Fame Member Bob Feller
COMMEMORATING 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF HISTORIC 1946 SEASON OF BASEBALL HALL OF FAME MEMBER BOB FELLER
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Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I have to start with a confession. And here is the confession: Bob Feller is one of my heroes.
I say that unabashedly. It is not because to me as the ultimate baseball junkie I appreciate the great game and the great players; it is not just because baseball's mecca, the Baseball Hall of Fame, is the epicenter of my district. No, I appreciate and applaud Bob Feller for all the things he has done on the diamond, but he is one of my heroes because of the person that he is, the guy inside.
I have been privileged to get to know Bob Feller quite well over the last several years. As a matter of fact, Memorial Day 2002, when the Baseball Hall of Fame announced the policy that forevermore all veterans would be admitted free into that shrine, the mecca of baseball, they had a special ceremony to recognize the greats of the game who served in the military when the Nation needed them most. And it was my high honor to present Bob Feller's submission.
There is there in the Hall of Fame this plaque, a great big plaque with some of the greats of the game, Ralph Kiner, Warren Spahn, Phil Rizzuto, all people who served in time of the Nation's need. But the one that got the most attention was Bob Feller. And I will tell you this, think about the dynamics. In 1941, 23-year-old ace of the Cleveland Indian staff, he won 23 games that year. His record was 23-15. What would that command in today's market? He would have 14 agents and he would have a gillion dollars' worth of offers from every club in the major leagues because pitching is such a premium. So this ace, this admittedly acknowledged one of the best in the business anywhere, 2 days after Pearl Harbor, became the first member of Major League Baseball to pack his belongings and sign up for his Nation. And he served with great distinction all during the war, World War II, in the U.S. Navy. And when he came back, he resumed his career. You know the rest of the story, so many of my colleagues have said it so well. He was just absolutely a breathtaking talent on the mound.
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