Bob Feller

Robert William Andrew Feller, nicknamed "Rapid Robert", is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and Hall of Famer.

Feller's Opinions and Controversy

In Feller's later years, he has been very vocal about his resentment of the idea of Pete Rose, who was banned in 1989 for betting on baseball games while serving as manager for the Cincinnati Reds, being reinstated into Major League Baseball (and subsequently, be admitted into the Hall of Fame). Feller went as far as to as that Rose's status as a felon alone, should make him not worthy of the Hall of Fame. Feller has also gone on record on saying that he'll never go back to Cooperstown if Pete Rose ever gets inducted.

Related Topics:
Pete Rose - 1989 - Cincinnati Reds - Major League Baseball - Hall of Fame - Cooperstown

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:"We don't want anybody who ever gambled on the game to be in this Hall of Fame. I don't want him and the Hall of Famers don't want him." - Feller on Pete Rose while being interviewed for ESPN in 2004.

Related Topics:
ESPN - 2004

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During spring training for the 2003 baseball season, Feller called Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Jim Thome, who began his career with the Cleveland Indians, a "journeyman first baseman. He's no gazelle over there."http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/sports/5198069.htm In 2004, Feller criticized Major League Baseball for inviting boxing legend Muhammad Ali (because Ali protested over himself being drafted to fight in the Vietnam War) to throw out the first pitch at the All-Star Game in Houston (ESPN.com, 2004). On August 10, 2005, while on a St. Louis radio station, a rambling Feller claimed that Caribbean players "don't know the rules of the game." When asked by host Mike Claiborne, who ultimately accused Feller of being a racist, to provide an example of this, a flustered Feller tried to change the subject and eventually hung up.

Related Topics:
Spring training - 2003 - Philadelphia Phillies - Jim Thome - 2004 - Muhammad Ali - Vietnam War - All-Star Game - Houston - August 10 - 2005 - St. Louis - Caribbean - Racist

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Many of Bob Feller's pundits (Jim Rome among them) have frequently chastised him for his perceived bitterness, cynicism, and general plain-spoken demeanor in his elderly age. Feller has also been criticized (including Feller's frequent target Pete Rose) by some for supposedly charging a substantial fee for his autograph. While being profiled on ESPN Classic's SportsCentury one of Feller's close friends disclosed Feller's initial cynicism towards hard-throwing pitching phenom Dwight Gooden. Feller also criticized Jim Bouton's controversial book Ball Four despite allegations that Feller never even read it.

Related Topics:
Jim Rome - ESPN Classic - Dwight Gooden - Jim Bouton

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Feller also allegedly accused Nolan Ryan of not being worthy of the Hall of Fame and came under fire by many Brooklyn baseball fans for questionable comments made about Jackie Robinson, who entered the Hall of Fame the same year as Feller. Apparently, Robinson first came up to Brooklyn, Feller said that if he were white he would not have made the major's.

Related Topics:
Nolan Ryan - Brooklyn - Jackie Robinson - Brooklyn

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:"He's tied up in the shoulders and can't hit an inside pitch to save his neck. If he were a white man, i doubt if they would even consider him big league material."

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This was taken by some as a racist remark and made Feller look bad for some time, especially in Brooklyn.

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