my heroes are dying

I am loosing my heroes.

My first summer on a lookout tower, in 1955, a radio station in Spokane, Washington broadcast a baseball game a day.

I quickly became a Cleveland Indians fan. (Probably not something I would bring up with a shrink).

They had a fabulous group of pitchers, who at that time were in the twilight of their careers. Bob Lemon, Early Winn and Bob Feller were the ones I remember.

Feller died yesterday at the age of 92. He could throw a ball close to a hundred miles an hour and owned a good many records in spite of spending 3 years in the Navy in World War II, right during his best years. He became a Major League pitcher at the age of 17, then went back to high school that winter to graduate.

Lefty Gomez is said to remark as Feller blew pitches past him: "That one sounded a little low."

Feller was always outspoken. But it was his ability to throw a ball very fast that made him famous.

There aren't many left of his generation, the generation of my parents.

I miss them.