Rest in Peace, Bob Feller

As I mentioned only a little over one month ago when Sparky Anderson passed away, I didn't expect Hall of Famers to die quite so quickly in my quest. 

While we were away on vacation, the baseball community was saddened to hear about the death of Bob Feller.  Mr. Feller was the first Hall of Famer autograph I ever received, and he was my grandpa's favorite player, so it was with much sadness that I learned the news of his passing.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and those who knew him well.  The baseball world has lost another an icon.

Bob Feller signing at Spring Training

I thought it might be interesting to give you some background on one of my Hall of Fame autographs in the current dry spell of collecting.

The very first success post on this blog is for the first Hall of Fame autograph I obtained - that of Mr. Bob Feller.  I got his signature well before I had even the slightest inkling of starting this crazy project.  My aunt (a die-hard Cleveland Indians fan) and I went to spring training a few years ago and caught several Indians games in Arizona. 

Mr. Feller has been a mainstay at those games.  He sets up a folding table down the third base line and signs pre-selected photos during the game for $15, or something like that.  You can't bring your own item - such as a baseball, book, or customized photo - only the ones he has on the table. 

He was my grandfather's favorite player, and a Hall of Famer, so I decided to stand in line and get his autograph on this classy old photo of him throwing in the 1948 World Series (sadly, this was the last time Cleveland won a World Series).

Oh, and he has a funny look on his face in the above photo, because he was eating a hot dog while signing for me.

Bob Feller (1918-2010)

The first Hall of Famer in my autograph collection was Bob Feller.  I obtained this autograph at a Cleveland Indians spring training game.  Feller is a regular at spring games, sitting down the third base line, signing autographs (for a fee) all game long.

He signed this picture in black sharpie while he was eating a hot dog.  I was really happy to get this because Feller is my grandfather's favorite ballplayer.

Update: Mr. Feller passed away on December 15, 2010.