Bob Feller Talks With Bob Costas

Bob Feller appeared on the Bob Costas MLB TV show the other evening. Feller is 90 years of age. He made his major league debut at 17 years of age against the St. Louis Browns and struck out 15 in his first game.

He is still the yougest pitcher in history to win a game and also the youngest to lose a game.  Feller said that Ruth may have been the best pitcher of all time and was definitely the best player of all time. Feller commentd that Satchell Paige would have been one of the top five or ten pitchers in baseball history had he been able to play in the majors.

It was interesting as he talked about how he pitched to Dimaggio. Mays, Williams, Greenburg and others.

He knew Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Matthewson, Grover Cleveland Alexander, and a host of others. Cobb had mellowed by the time he met him and told Feller that he would have "taken him to left field". His almost four years in the Navy kept him from winning 360+ games but he said he wouldn't trade the honor of defending his country for a hundred wins.