I managed to write a bit about Bob Feller without mentioning that he is the source for one of my favorite baseball put-downs of all time. He lived into his 90s, never leaving the Cleveland area. Like Kaline in Detroit, he was a local institution, going to games, mixing with fans, following the Indians, and baseball generally, very closely. Unguarded and opinionated, he was good copy for journalists. He might have been one of these guys who thinks everything was better when he was young and is now in precipitous decline. I find I have more and more patience with this tendency. Anyway, in Florida once some baseball people were enthusing about Michael Jordan, who had quit the Bulls and was in spring training with the White Sox. Feller was present and for a few moments listened to encomiums regarding Jordan's athleticism, etc. He then interjected his own verdict, which was that anyone who thought Jordan could play in the big leagues had to be an idiot.
"He couldn't hit a curveball with an ironing board," Feller said.
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