Let's take a moment to appreciate Bob Feller

who doesn't love a bob feller? debuted in 1936 at age SEVENTEEN, and didn't just get by, but actually had a historic season. he was crazy wild, but crazy fast. he faced 279 batters, striking out 76, or 27%, when the league average was under 9%. he also walked or hit 51 batters. all told, nearly half of the batters he faced that year didn't make contact (at least, excluding foul balls). at seventeen! that's amazing. ted williams called him "the fastest and best pitcher I ever saw during my career." he learned to throw a curveball when he was eight years old.

check out this paragraph from wikipedia: "Due to Feller's pitching speed, Lew Fonseca was commissioned by the Office of the Commissioner to pit Feller's fastball against a Harley-Davidson motorcycle in a speed trial. The test was conducted in Chicago's Lincoln Park and required Feller to hit a target 12 inches in diameter, 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) away. The motorcycle passed Feller going 86 miles (138 km) per hour (mph/kph) and with a 10-foot (three-meter) head start but the ball beat the bike to the target by three feet (0.91 m). Feller's throw was calculated at the time to have reached 98.6 mph (158.7 kph), and later 104 mph (167 kph) using updated measuring methods."

this was in 1940. what it doesn't mention is that his speed was measured across the strike zone. today, we measure the speed of pitches from 50 feet away from the plate, when they're moving faster. so if feller's 98.6 mph pitch would have been clocked at a much faster speed if it was measured using today's standards. this fangraphs post claims that "if the 98.6mph mark was accurate, that implies a pitch that would measure in the range of 106-110mph today." holy shit, i have no idea if that's true or not but let's just say that it is.

what a guy. he loses the 1942,43, 44, and most of 1945 season to WWII, in the midst of his prime. somehow, upon his return, he is immediately godly yet again, with 10.7 WAR in 1946. but in 1947, as he's somehow getting even BETTER (check his K% vs. BB% here)

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Feller.png

he busts his arm in the midst of a game. he keeps pitching, but he's never the same afterward, by his own admission.

he was from iowa. me too! what a guy.

http://i48.tinypic.com/2dtsk0n.jpg

ok, so that wikipedia paragraph clearly mentions the part about updated measuring methods and 104 mph. whatever. bob feller!

he struck out 15 batters in his debut, and tied the major league record of 17 two weeks later.

!!??!?!

I'm a ho when it comes high leg-kicks. Bob Feller!

I got his autograph and shook his hand in 2008. "You're welcome, young man!"

PS I remember reading about the motorcycle thing in Beckett.

xp lol awesome Morbs.