Rapid Robert-the Heater from Van Meter!

Bob Feller has to be the most memorable of all the '48 Indians (it is easy to remember him because he is still making news). Feller is 90 years old and recently announced he would like to be the starting pitcher at the annual Hall of Fame old timers game which will include youngsters like hitting whiz Robin Yount. Feller indicated he has been practicing in his driveway with his grandson and feels he can still bring it. It reminded me of a comment Feller made in Cleveland Plain Dealer interview in 1985: "I can still throw in the seventies and I throw it in the eighties if I don't want to comb my hair for a week"!

It is daunting to try to summarize Bob Feller with words. He is ranked 36th on the list of the 100 best all time major leaguers, he is a decorated war veteran who volunteered for the Navy one day after Pearl Harbor (he was the first major league baseball player to do so), he is outspoken and direct and has created numerous media controversies, he is sentimental about his farm origins and operates several tractors on his Gates Mills farm collected from the '30s era, he is an active learner reading daily and once counseled Condolezza Rice on how to conduct the Iraq war.

Feller was born on a farm near Van Meter Iowa in November 1918. He says he learned to pitch throwing against the barn. His fastball was clocked in the technology of the time at 98 mph but many say it would have topped 102mph with today's methodology. He was signed at age 17 (by our man Cy Slapnika) between his junior and senior year in high school and reported directly to the Indians. In his first start he struck out 15 St Louis Browns. He later struck out 17 the same year and was the first pitcher to strike out his age (17 at 17) until Kerry Wood (an Indian reliever today) struck out 20 at age 20. He was so dominant in his early career he had notched 107 wins by age 23. On December 8, 1941 three weeks after turning 23 and one day after Pearl Harbor he volunteered for the Navy. He reported immediately and spent four years aboard the USS Alabama as an anti aircraft gunner.

Feller spent his entire 18 year major league career with the Indians. He finished with 266 victories and 2581 strikeouts. He is 12th in major league career pitching victories. Most baseball analysts estimate he would have won 350 games and struck out 3500 if he had spent those prime years as a major league pitcher. Feller comments on this simply "you can't saw sawdust"! His pitching achievements include 3 no hitters including the only Opening Day (1940) no hitter to this day. He had 12 career one hitters and pitched 279 complete games. It would take an entire roster of pitchers today to match his complete game record.

A statue of Feller stands at the entrance to Jacobs Field, the Indians ball park in Cleveland. Feller is pleased with it although he made a couple of revisions to it during the sculpting: he had his grip changed from a two seam fastball to a four seamer ("I always threw a four seamer") and he had a tin of snuff removed from his back pocket ("I never used that stuff").

I visited the Indians spring training center in Tucson in the late 80's and Feller was an annual participant. He played catch and roamed the fields engaging fans and regaling anyone within earshot with his commentary on his playing days. I thought at the time he was a bit of a bore but as I have researched more of his post career doings I respect his directness and feel he has earned the right to share his opinions. He does his homework and he lives true to a set of values that formed on the farm in Van Meter. They have not been bent by success or political correctness. He does not make claims that are not based on fact and he has not carried his on the field success over to general invincibility. He may be a bit self absorbed but who among us would not be with this track record!

His Hall of Fame citation is reprinted below:

The Hall of Famers (Cooperstown Hall of Fame)

Robert William Feller

Born: November 3, 1918, Van Meter, IA

Bats: R Throws: R

Played for: Cleveland Indians (1936-1941, 1945-1956)

Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers: 1962

150 votes of 160 ballots cast (93.75%)

View Pitching Stats

ERA	W	L	PCT	G	IP	SO	BB	SV
3.25	266	162	.621	570	3828.0	2581	1764

Biography

Bob Feller's blazing fastball set the standard against which all of his successors have been judged. Rapid Robert spent his entire 18-year career with Cleveland, amassing 266 victories and 2,581 strikeouts, while leading the league in strikeouts seven times. He missed nearly four full seasons in his prime serving his country during World War II, for which he was decorated with five campaign ribbons studded with eight battle stars. Fresh from high school, Feller struck out 17 Athletics in 1936. The fireballer authored three no-hitters and 12 one-hitters while winning 20 or more games six times.

Quotes

“It wasn't until you hit against him that you knew how fast he really was, until you saw with your own eyes that ball jumping at you.”
— Ted Lyons

Lou Boudreau-Boy Manager!

A profile of the '48 Indians has to start with Lou Boudreau. Lou's career with the Indians stretched from 1939 to 1950; most remarkably he served as player-manager from November 1941 until he was released by the Indians in 1950. He was known as "Boy Manager" since he was barely 25 when appointed to the position. Player-managers were rather common in the early 1900's but Lou was among a few to fill the role in modern baseball and by far the most successful on the field and as a manager. It is difficult to grasp in today's baseball world how one person could be an All Star shortstop 8 times while making all the roster decisions, pitching rotations and game day decisions on the line up, defensive positioning, pitching changes, offensive maneuvers and baiting he umpires! Lou did this for 9 years leading the Indians to the '48 World Series championship and earning major league MVP for the year!


Boudreau was a high achiever early in life. He graduated from the University of Illinois where he captained the baseball and basketball teams. The Big Ten suspended Boudreau from intercollegiate play in his last two years when it was learned Cy Slapnicka (what a name) the Indians GM of the time had made payments to Boudreau while a student to insure he would become an Indian after graduation. Nevertheless Boudreau finished his schooling while playing professional basketball on the side. Slapnicka's money was well invested though when Boudreau reported in 1938 to Cedar Rapids , an Indians farm team.

Boudreau was a great team leader and shortstop. He was finished in the top 10 or better in MVP voting eight times between 1940 and 1950. He had a lifetime .295 batting average but his greatest season was in 1948 when he batted .355, hit 18 homers and batted in 106 rbis . He led the Indians in batting average, on base %, slugging average, doubles, runs and base on balls! And he did all that while managing the team through a 154 game season, a one game playoff win and a six game World Series championship. As a manager he is credited with inventing the Ted Williams shift in which he positioned himself to the right of second base and challenged Williams to hit through the hole. He was also credited with changing Bob Lemon from a third baseman to an all star Hall of Fame pitcher.

Boudreau had limited range as a shortstop and only an average arm but he knew hitters and positioned himself well to make the plays. His chronic ankle problems resulted in a 4F deferment from service in WWII so some of his career statistics were likely aided by the watered down level of play in those years. This may have slowed his entry into the Hall of Fame. He slipped over the 75% ballot approval required only after his 10th year on the ballot in 1970.

Boudreau's performance declined rather quickly after 1948. By 1950 he was fired as manager and released as a player by Bill Veeck. He signed with the Red Sox for two seasons and became their manager in '52-'54. He managed the Kansas City Royals from '55 to '57. In 1958 he became the Chicago Cubs announcer and filled that role for 29 years retiring in 1989.

Lou's son Jim Boudreau pitched in the minor leagues for five years reaching the AA level. His daughter Sharyn married pitcher Denny McLain who won 31 games for the Detroit Tigers in 1968 but has since served two prison terms for financial missteps.

Lou Boudreau died in 2001 at age 83 of cardiac arrest. Perhaps Bob Feller who always calls it like he sees it summed up Lou Boudreau best: "He was the greatest shortstop I ever saw. He was afraid of nobody. He was a great manager, teammate and friend. Just a great man. There is not a more gracious man than Lou Boudreau."-Bob Feller

Sources: Wikipedia, baseball-reference.com, NY Times, Bob Feller Museum, et. al.





The Hall of Famers:

Louis Boudreau

Born: July 17, 1917, Harvey, IL

Died: August 10, 2001, Olympia Fields, IL

Bats: R Throws: R

Played for: Cleveland Indians (1938-1950), Boston Red Sox (1951-1952)

Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers: 1970

232 votes of 300 ballots cast (77.33%)

AVG	G	AB	R	H	HR	RBI	SB	SLG
.295	1646	6029	861	1779	68	789	51	.415

Cleveland Indians 1948 World Series

The Cleveland Indians finally reached the World Series in 1948, 28 years after their first appearance in the 1920. The Indians entered the World Series only after winning a one game playoff against the Boston Red Sox. Gene Bearden a knuckle ball throwing southpaw was the hero in the playoff pitching a complete game in Fenway winning 8-3 for his 20th victory in his rookie season! (Here is a gripping description of the one game playoff.)

With three games remaining in the season the Indians held a 1 game lead over the Yankees and a 2 game lead over the Red Sox. Unfortunately the Indians dropped 2 out of 3 to the Tigers while the Red Sox swept the Yankees in their three games resulting in a season ending tie between the Indians and Red Sox with the Yankees ending up two games out. The NYTimes referred to the race as "the most exciting flag struggle in the history of the junior circuit".

The Indians had finished 1947 in 4th place, 17 games behind the Yankees although they had a respectable 80-74 won lost record. The 1948 Indians improved to 97 wins and 58 losses primarily due to stronger pitching and a big improvement in power hitting. Bob Lemon and Bearden the rookie each won 20 games and Bob Feller won 19. Lemon won 20 in his first season after being switched from a outfielder to a pitcher in '48. The biggest pitching story of the year though may have been when Bill Veeck the Indians owner signed Satchell Paige, an aging Negro League star to a contract on July 7. Paige at 42 years and 2 days was the oldest rookie ever to appear in the major leagues. Paige finished out the year pitching in front of crowds routinely exceeding 70,000 going 6-1 with a 2.48 ERA, 2 shutouts and 43 strikeouts in 71 innings pitched.

The Indians improved offense was led by shortstop Lou Boudreau's .355 batting average, 18 home runs and 106 rbis all while acting as player-manager! Joe Gordon the 33 year old second baseman hit 32 homers with 124 rbis and Kenny Keltner the third baseman had 31 homers and 119 rbis. Some production from 4, 5 and 6 on the scorecard!

Larry Doby the new centerfielder was also noteworthy because he was the first black player in the American League following Jackie Robinson in the National League. He proved to be a very fine ceterfielder and productive hitter with a .301 batting average, 14 home runs and 66 rbi in his first full season.

The Indians prevailed against the Braves winning the series in six games. The Braves featured pitching lead by Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain ("Spahn, Sain and pray for rain") Cleveland was a deeper with Lemon, Feller, Bearden and Steve Gromek. Feller the Cleveland ace lost both games despite throwing a 2 hitter in the first game, but Lemon won 2, Bearden 1 and Gromek 1 plus a save from the ever present Bearden. Satchell Paige entered as a reliever in game 5 and was thus the first black pitcher in World Series history. Game 5 also set an all time World Series attendance record in Cleveland with 86,288 in cavernous Municipal Stadium.

Notable reserves for the Indians who went on to productive Indian careers were Al Rosen, Ray Boone, Bob Kennedy and pitcher Mike Garcia. Johnny Berardino was a reserve infielder who played all four positions in 1948 but is most distinctive for being the only person ever to play in a World Series and earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! Berardino attended USC and had many movie credits but earned his chops as Dr. Steve Hardy appearing on the soap General Hospital for 33 years from 1963 to 1996!

Now on to profiles of individual Indians and how they moved on after the great 1948 World Series.

Abner & Baseball

Abner Jones shared a name and the love of the game with the man credited with owning both first: Abner Doubleday. Doubleday lived in the 1800's was a general in the Union Army and has been credited with inventing baseball although that is now disputed. Abner Jones was born in in the late 1800's, lived in Akron Ohio and no one disputes his love for the game. "Ab" was a postal supervisor who worked the night shift his whole career so he could listen to the Cleveland Indians radio broadcast in the afternoon via the voices of Jimmy Dudley and Jack Grainey. Ab was my step grandfather but the only one I knew because the genuine articles either absconded or otherwise moved on before I came on the scene.

My first recollection of Ab and the Cleveland Indians comes from my summer visits to Akron each summer starting at about age 7 (1945). We established a bond sitting in his kitchen listening to the Indians while he played Solitaire...he carried that on for the remaining 32 years he lived. Some things changed: he eventually retired and moved to my home town, and the Indians started playing night games but he was still playing Solitaire at the kitchen table and listening to the Indians.

My connection with the Indians deepened in 1948 when the Indians made the World Series which was big news even in my part of rural Ohio. I had also started playing third base on a rag tag team in our town. (Little League did not exist there so we did a bit of "barnstorming" around other small towns playing teams with a wide array of ages). I mention third base because Ab quickly labeled me "Kenny Keltner" who was the Indians third baseman at the time.

I can still name the Indians starting lineup and most of the pitching staff and reserves. They have a stronger presence in my recollections than some aunts, uncles and second cousins. Going beyond the Indian connection, Ab was what we hope a grandfather would be: a fan who attended all my sporting events, offered a good conversation over a coke, a solid friend who passed on to my parents only the good things I did. Considering these two childhood devotions I have decided to do an ethereal like tribute to "Ab"and the 1948 World Series team by reprising the roles key players filled in that season and how they moved on in their lives after baseball. You would have to be an Indians fan to care!

(TV coverage of the 1948 World Series is an interesting sidebar. The 1947 World Series had been televised in the east but there was no coaxial cable among cities outside the eastern seaboard. Westinghouse Broadcasting joined with Martin Aviation (later Lockheed Martin) for the 1948 World Series to create a connection between the east and the midwest region since it matched Cleveland and the Boston Braves. They did so by retrofitting a B-29 with a receiver and re-transmitter flying 20,000 feet above somewhere near Pittsburgh. It was in essence a satellite creating a network of the two regions. It reportedly worked fairly well other than some electronic interference in the Cleveland area.)

Stay tuned!

Tragic consequence

During our visit to Fox Glacier and Franz Joseph Glacier in NZ we encountered these signs and warnings about the instability of the terminal end of the glaciers and flooding caused by melting and recent rains. One could only enter such areas with a licensed glacier guide. Although we observed numerous tourists passing through the barrier without guides our NZ guide would not enter because he was not licensed for glacier guiding.

Tragically a few days later two Australian brothers in their 20's visiting NZ with their parents bypassed the barriers and were killed in a glacier collapse at the terminal end of Fox Glacier. One was recovered 6 miles downstream from the glacier.

In an absurd bit of bureaucratic buffoonery their rental car company manager billed the men's parents $990 for the set of rental car keys lost with one of the brothers. Hopefully he did not recover any dignity when he later retracted the billing.

Keeping a sharp eye!

It has been 10 days since we returned from New Zealand and I am trying to think of a segue for posting a follow up blog. How about a short description of my cataract surgery this Tuesday! Last year I had a vitrectomy to address a macular hole in my right eye which leads to a cataract within a year, hence my surgery this week.


Technology in medical interventions is progressing so rapidly I am convinced one should postpone surgeries as long as possible since tomorrow's procedure will undoubtedly be less invasive, less painful and quicker in recovery than today's. Miniaturization, robotics, visualization techniques and the digital age have all contributed to interventions which are virtually pain free with recovery measured in hours rather than days or weeks.

My cataract surgery and lens implant took 15 minutes! OK, 90 minutes counting prep time and waiting for the surgeon to arrive. In that short time I was given an IV sedative, moved to the surgical theatre, had a micro incision in my eye, the natural lens emulsified and removed and the new folded acrylic lens inserted and unfolded. I walked out the door with a protective shield over the eye 90 minutes later. There was no more discomfort later than a mild poke in the eye. The shield was removed the next day and my vision was immediately restored to near 20/20 with improvements continuing for the next several days. How amazing.

Now that I have improved vision I will have to go back to see the New Zealand I missed the first time. How's that for a segue? I should have taken pictures.

New Zealand: The Whole Enchilada

Nineteen days, eight lodges,seven boat trips, six Air NZ flights, five guide/drivers, two trans NZ trains, two helicopter flights and two bus rides later we are in Auckland awaiting the departure of our flight back to LAX. That’s the analytical but it does not capture the amazing landscapes, seascapes, vistas, flora and fauna, hikes, and gracious hosting we were served up during the last many days. We have been fortunate to see a lot of the world but I cannot think of a “one destination” vacation that has matched the people and places of New Zealand. The land has a “wow” around every corner and the people are straightforward friendly without affectation and it seems to have a mellowing impact on its visitors. I am ready to move here but immigration requires an employable skill! Here is a potpourri of photos:

Winging our way to Bay of Islands

Winging our way to Bay of Islands

New Year’s Day we were off to Bay of Islands via Air NZ connecting through Auckland. When we arrived at the small Rotorua airport we learned the flight would be overweight so we were asked to identify one bag per person which would be “loaded last” or left behind. Carl won the lottery and his was left behind but it made it to our Bay of Islands remote lodge only a couple of hours after we arrived.

Bay of Islands is just as named near the northern most part of the North Islands so it is the most tropical. Our Cliff’s Edge Lodge is also just as named hanging on the edge of a cliff overlooking a
main passage among the islands.






It is a four accommodation lodge operated by Peter and Glennis Meier. They formerly operated Causarina Restaurant and Inn in Austrailia which was recognized as one of the best by American Express. Our daily highlight while there was a three course dinner prepared for guests each night by Peter.

Bay of Islands is also the site of the treaty signed in 1840 by the Maori’s and Captain Hobson
representing the United Kingdom. The Maoris discovered NZ in 950 arriving from the Polynesian Islands. They settled in and had reached a population estimated at 130,000 by 1750 or so when the Dutch explorer Tasman was the first European to discover NZ. They were tribal often warring among themselves, practiced cannibalism until the 1800’s and were skilled in seamanship and agriculture. When the whalers, miners, timber men and finally the missionaries arrived the Maori’s sought out British to establish law and order. The Maoris did not realize the treaty came with disease, loss of lands and a new lifestyle. The Maoris inter married with the Europeans easily though and today only 3% of the Maori’s are full blooded. The treaty was signed near Paihia about 5 miles from our Cliff’s Edge Inn.

Russell, a village near Paihia,was the center of commerce in 1840 in the Bay of Islands and was known as the “hell hole of the Pacific” due to the mix of criminals jumping ship, the absence of the rule of law and the “hospitality” industry set up to serve the visiting mariners. Today it is a genteel setting akin to Key West or Mackinaw Island.

On to the North Island

It is time to move on to the North Island after spending 12 great days touring the South Island from Queenstown in the south to Blenheim in the north. We will do so via Air New Zealand connecting through Wellington the capital to Rotorua our next two day stop. Rotorua is famed for its thermal baths and nearby White Island which is an active volcanic island about 30 miles off shore. Rotorua is also an area with strong Maori ties although it is inland.

We are again staying in a boutique hotel with only 8 rooms but very comfortable lounge and dining areas and large private grounds. Our hosts Kathy and Jenny are very gracious and we were invited to join them and another German couple for New Years eve.

Our “adventure” for Rotorua is an early morning helicopter flight out to White Island. It is about 30 miles to the coast and another 30 miles out at sea to the island. White Island last erupted in 2000 but at the moment is just venting and bubbling! On the way out we circled to observe a school of fish and on the way back we circled to watch a pod of dolphins. The island was clouded over on arrival but we found a keyhole in on the seaward side. It was quite a show as these photos show.




We spent over an hour walking among the vents and cauldrons.












Our afternoon was spent at the Rotorua Museum which was built originally as the thermal bath house and clinic. People came here from around the world in the 1920’s-30’s for the “cure” which included a witches brew of “thermals” and electrical wizardry of the day. Dr Jekyl was the resident MD. An equally interesting section in the museum honored the Maori battalion which fought heroically in WWII. When Hitler asked Rommel what he needed to win in North Africa he replied “a division as brave and tough as the Maori battalion” which he had encountered there. Two thirds of the Maori’s died or were wounded in battle.






We spent New Years’ eve in downtown Rotorua enjoying a fine dinner then touring the town park which had live rock bands and a carnival. It was a family affair since the township declares the area alcohol free for the entire New Years weekend. Try that one at home!

The Trans Coastal Train

Time for another train ride, this time from Christchurch at 7AM up to Blenheim, a 4 plus hour ride. These two train rides are the only passenger trains in NZ. They are not the Japanese bullet trains but are reasonably comfortable with reserved seats and a table between each four seats. The cool thing is they have a live announcer on each train who points out the sights and gives a little history of NZ sprinkled with some satire. The "voice" is also the same person who works the bar car, comes through to pick up garbage and helps load the luggage car at each stop so cross training is big in NZ.

We were met at the depot in Blenheim which is a small town in the heart of wine and mussel country. It looks like a farm trade center but it is also clear the wine boom in the area has brought new construction. Our lodging is known as Mason Grange and has only two guest rooms and an apartment. It is located in a 10 acre pinot noir vineyard and is straight out of Architectural Digest: just incredibly well designed and decorated.
John and Robin are the owner/hosts and are among the most gracious hosts we have encountered anywhere. It is a most unique setting with vineyard serving as a backyard and mountains as a backdrop.

We transferred from the depot directly to a cruise of Marlborough sound for the green "shell" mussel tour. You can see in the photos the floats which hold the "ropes" dangling in the water on which the greenshell mussels attach and grow until the harvester comes along and takes them to their destiny. A "farm" consists of 3.5 acres of these floats and there are 600 farms in the area so it is quite an industry. You see the final product presented on board which had just come from the harvester we were watching. Combine with a glass of local wine and you have a transformational experience.

The next morning we met Sue the proprietor of Marlborough Travel and she escorted us to several vineyards for the day for wine tasting and finished with a stop at a most original air museum which is dedicated to the WWI origins of aerial warfare. My favorite was an old film of a German standing in the aft cockpit of a biplane and reaching down to grasp a 10 pound bomb which he then dropped overboard much like one would drop a water balloon out of a hotel window!

A couple of pictures from the day:



Tomorrow it is a two hop flight from Blenheim to Rotorua with a 2 hour layover in Wellington, capital of NZ. See you there.