Читать книгу Bad Boys, Bad Times. The Cleveland Indians and Baseball in the Prewar Years, 1937–1941 онлайн

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Feller arrived at the auditorium wearing a new dark gray suit with a red rose pinned to his lapel. He could not help but note the large contingent of reporters and radio announcers just below the stage. As class president, he addressed the audience in a low voice, speaking rapidly. He said, “When I was playing baseball in high school, little did I realize that I would be playing big league baseball today.” He reached for his diploma, nearly dropped it, then scrambled back to his seat. The other graduates, clearly nervous in front of all the reporters and microphones, stumbled through their orations and songs. With the motto “The higher we rise, the better the view,” Bob Feller’s high school days were officially over.

A few days later Feller left Van Meter to meet up with the Indians on their eastern road trip. Besides his much-publicized injury, there was a list of mounting issues facing the ball club. On May 1, Johnny Allen complained of severe pain in his abdomen. The Indians rushed him to a St. Louis hospital, where doctors diagnosed Allen with a flare-up of appendicitis, but were certain he could avoid any immediate surgery. Manager O’Neill had begun the season with Allen as his ace and Feller a likely candidate for number two. In just a few weeks the only healthy pitchers were veterans Mel Harder and Earl Whitehill. Denny Galehouse, still learning the ropes, would be pressed into immediate service.