[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 99 (Tuesday, July 25, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H5766-H5769]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




COMMEMORATING 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF HISTORIC 1946 SEASON OF BASEBALL HALL 
                       OF FAME MEMBER BOB FELLER

  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 449) commemorating the 60th 
anniversary of the historic 1946 season of Major League Baseball Hall 
of Fame member Bob Feller and his return from military service to the 
United States.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 449

       Whereas Robert William Andrew Feller was born on November 
     3, 1918, near Van Meter, Iowa, and resides in Gates Mills, 
     Ohio;
       Whereas Bob Feller enlisted in the Navy 2 days after the 
     attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941;
       Whereas, at the time of his enlistment, Bob Feller was at 
     the peak of his baseball career, as he had been signed to the 
     Cleveland Indians at the age of 16, had struck out 15 batters 
     in his first Major League Baseball start in August 1936, and 
     established a Major League record by striking out 18 Detroit 
     Tigers in a single, 9-inning game;
       Whereas Bob Feller is the first pitcher in modern Major 
     League Baseball history to win 20 or more games before the 
     age of 21;
       Whereas Bob Feller pitched the only opening day no-hitter 
     in Major League Baseball history;
       Whereas, on April 16, 1940, at Comiskey Park in Chicago, 
     Bob Feller threw his first no-hitter and began the season for 
     which he was awarded Major League Baseball Player of the 
     Year;
       Whereas Bob Feller served with valor in the Navy for nearly 
     4 years, missing almost 4 full baseball seasons;
       Whereas Bob Feller was stationed mostly aboard the U.S.S. 
     Alabama as a gunnery specialist, where he kept his pitching 
     arm in shape by tossing a ball on the deck of that ship;
       Whereas Bob Feller earned 8 battle stars and was discharged 
     in late 1945, and was able to pitch 9 games at the end of 
     that season, compiling a record of 5 wins and 3 losses;
       Whereas 60 years ago, amid great speculation that, after 
     nearly 4 seasons away from baseball, his best pitching days 
     were behind him, Bob Feller had 1 of the most amazing seasons 
     in baseball history;
       Whereas, in the 1946 season, Bob Feller pitched 36 complete 
     games in 42 starts;
       Whereas, on April 30, 1946, in a game against the New York 
     Yankees, Bob Feller pitched his second career no-hitter;
       Whereas, in 1946, Bob Feller pitched in relief 6 times, 
     saving 4 games;
       Whereas, in 1946, Bob Feller routinely threw between 125 
     and 140 pitches a game, a feat not often seen today;
       Whereas, in 1946, Bob Feller pitched 371\1/3\ innings and 
     had 348 strikeouts;
       Whereas, in 1946, Bob Feller had an earned run average of 
     2.18;
       Whereas, in 1946, a fastball thrown by Bob Feller was 
     clocked at 109 mph;
       Whereas Bob Feller was the winning pitcher in the 1946 All 
     Star Game, throwing 3 scoreless innings in a 12-0 victory by 
     the American League;
       Whereas, in 1946, Bob Feller led the American League in 
     wins, shutouts, strikeouts, games pitched, and innings;
       Whereas the baseball career of Bob Feller ended in 1956, 
     but not before pitching his third no-hitter against the 
     Detroit Tigers on July 1, 1951, pitching 12 1-hit games, 
     amassing 266 victories and 2,581 strikeouts, and leading the 
     league in strikeouts 7 times;
       Whereas Bob Feller was inducted into the Baseball Hall of 
     Fame in 1962; and
       Whereas Bob Feller, a beloved baseball figure known as 
     ``Bullet Bob'' and ``Rapid Robert,'' placed service to his 
     country ahead of playing the game he loved and is a decorated 
     war veteran: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring),  That the Congress commemorates the 60th 
     anniversary of the 1946 season of Bob Feller and his return 
     from military service to the United States.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include Dextraneous material on H.Con.Res 449.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. LaTOURETTE asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I want to, first of all, thank the 
chairman of the full committee, Mr. Davis of Virginia, for moving this 
legislation forward. This measure recognizes my constituent, Baseball 
Hall of Famer Bob Feller, for his military service to our country and 
also commemorates the 60th anniversary of his greatest baseball season.
  It is my honor to have introduced this measure, together with a 
number of our colleagues that you will hear from this afternoon, and it 
will be our honor to host Bob Feller tomorrow when he visits Capitol 
Hill on the eve of his trip to Cooperstown for the annual Hall of Fame 
weekend.
  Mr. Speaker, in 1941, Bob Feller was at the peak of his baseball 
career. The right-hander from Van Meter, Iowa, had signed with my 
beloved Cleveland Indians at the age of 16 and became an instant 
sensation. Feller made quick work of rewriting the record books and 
thrilling fans. In his first major league start, he struck out 15 St. 
Louis Browns.
  In 1938, Feller established a new major league strikeout record by 
striking out 18 Detroit Tigers in a single nine-inning game. He was the 
first pitcher in modern major league history to win 20 or more games 
before the age of 21.
  He pitched his first no-hitter on opening day at Comiskey Park 
against the Chicago White Sox on April 16,

[[Page H5767]]

1940. It remains today as the only no-hitter ever thrown on a major 
league opening day.
  Two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mr. Speaker, in 1941, Bob 
Feller did what seems almost unthinkable with some of today's 
professional athletes. A month after his 23rd birthday, he enlisted in 
the Navy and volunteered for combat, placing service to his country 
above the sport he loved. It didn't matter that his father was dying of 
cancer and that his mother and sister depended upon him for financial 
support. His country needed him, and Feller didn't think twice.
  Bob Feller was sworn in by heavyweight champion Gene Tunney and was 
off to fight in World War II.
  For the next 44 months, Feller's life was devoted to his country and 
his fellow sailors aboard the USS Alabama, where he served as an anti-
aircraft gunner. Feller participated in the famous 1944 Battle of the 
Marianas Turkey Shoot, where 219 of Japan's 326 planes were downed in a 
single day. He has called the Marianas shootout the greatest day of his 
life. He left the Navy a war hero, earning eight battle stars.
  Bob Feller missed nearly four full seasons to defend our great Nation 
and returned at the end of the 1945 season just in time to pitch a 
handful of games. He tried to keep his fastball in shape during the 
war, often tossing the ball on the deck of the Alabama. Still, there 
were a number of whispers that perhaps his best days were behind him.
  Sixty years ago, in 1946, Feller silenced the critics. He had his 
best season ever, one for the record books and the stuff of Hollywood 
movies. The season reminds us why baseball is so revered.
  In 1946, Feller pitched a remarkable 36 complete games in 42 starts. 
To gauge this feat, consider this: The five teams in the American 
League Central Division had just 35 complete games between them all of 
last year.
  Feller led the American League in wins, shutouts, strikeouts, games 
pitched and innings. He struck out 348 batters, then a major league 
record.
  In April of 1946, he pitched his second no-hitter, this time against 
the Yankees in New York. He went 26-15 with 10 shutouts, including the 
no-hitter, and had a career low 2.18 earned run average. He pitched in 
six relief games, saving four of them.
  He pitched a total of 371-1/3 innings and often threw 125 to 140 
pitches a game. He says today that he never iced his arm, if you can 
imagine that. He had a fastball clocked at 109 miles an hour that year, 
again, after a 4-year hiatus.
  The Baseball Hall of Fame has said Feller's ``blazing fastball set 
the standard against which all of his successors have been judged.''
  He was the winning pitcher in the 1946 All-Star Game and threw three 
scoreless innings in a 12-0 victory by the American League. He achieved 
all of this while my beloved Indians that year, 1946, only won 68 
games.
  Mr. Speaker, Bob Feller has been a member of the Baseball Hall of 
Fame since 1962. Purists can recite his stats: His three no-hitters, 
his 12 one-hitters, his 266 wins, his 2,581 strikeouts and his 18 years 
with the Indians.
  What many sports fans don't know, however, is that none of these 
records or accolades are as important to Bob Feller as was his service 
to our country. Bob has said, ``It was more important for me to be in 
the military trying to protect the sovereignty of this country than 
playing professional baseball or any other sport.'' He also said that 
the only win he ever wanted was World War II.
  Bob Feller today says that he is no war hero, but rather a survivor, 
because he is one of the lucky ones to have made it home.
  Mr. Speaker, I would argue that ``Rapid Robert'' Feller is a hero in 
every sense of the word, both on and off the field. Now 87 years old 
and part of the Greatest Generation, he remains completely devoted to 
his sport, to the Indians, and to our men and women in uniform. He is a 
wonderful and selfless American.
  I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I must confess that I grew up as a Brooklyn Dodger fan, 
but I also confess that Bob Feller was one of the brightest stars in 
major league baseball.
  Though only 5 years into his career in 1941 with the Cleveland 
Indians, he had already set the major league record for the most 
strikeouts in a game and for the most wins by a pitcher under the age 
of 21. He already had accomplished baseball's elusive and exhilarating 
no-hitter, and he had done so in an opening day game, no less. When the 
same season came to a close, Feller was named major league baseball's 
Player of the Year.
  On the heels of that season, at a point of great promise and mounting 
reward, Feller took off the rich colors of his Cleveland Indians and 
put on the uniform of his country. Two days after the attack on Pearl 
Harbor, he left baseball to enlist in the Navy.
  Feller fought as an anti-aircraft gunner aboard the USS Alabama. He 
served with valor for 4 years and earned eight battle stars for 
heroism. His service and sacrifice offer the kind of inspiration that 
warms people's hearts, energizes their spirits and awakens their faith 
in what man and woman can do for his or her country and for their 
fellow persons.
  Feller missed nearly four full seasons of the game he loved, but the 
story of what Feller did upon his return to baseball adds nearly 
unbelievable athletic feats to the heroism he displayed at sea.
  ``Bullet Bob,'' as he was called, pitched a second no-hitter in 1946, 
his first full year back as a major league player. He also led the 
American League in wins, shutouts, strikeouts, games pitched and 
innings pitched that season. Feller went on to pitch for almost 10 more 
years and led the league in strikeouts in seven of those years.
  The 60th anniversary of Feller's triumphant 1946 season and his 
return from military service to the United States is certainly cause 
for commemoration. They also give us cause for thanks and reflection 
upon a professional athlete who is a model in his play and in his 
principles for all generations.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1600

  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, in my opening remarks I mentioned Van 
Meter, Iowa. It is now my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman 
from Iowa (Mr. Latham), who represents Van Meter, Iowa.
  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. As an 
original cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 449, I rise today in strong support 
of this resolution and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of it. Bob 
Feller may best be known for his heroics on the pitching mound, but Bob 
Feller is also a war hero who unselfishly put his baseball career on 
hold while he fought to save America, a true patriot, a native Iowan 
who deserves special recognition and great thanks from our Nation.
  As a teenager in Van Meter, Iowa, Bob Feller's unique baseball talent 
was making headlines. At age 16, he was drafted by the Cleveland 
Indians. He immediately had an astounding impact on America's greatest 
pastime.
  With a dominating fastball and commanding slider, Bob Feller was the 
first pitcher to strike out his age in a single major league baseball 
game, 17 strikeouts at 17 years of age.
  Subsequently, Bob Feller would continue to etch his name in 
baseball's record books by being the only pitcher in history to throw 
an opening day no-hitter and the first to reach 20 wins in a single 
season, all by the age of 21.
  But what is most impressive to me and most important to our country 
is the sacrifice Bob Feller made to defend America in what would prove 
to be the deadliest war in the history of mankind, World War II.
  On December 8, 1941, just one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, 
Bob Feller left the pitcher's mound to enlist in the Navy. Choosing 
America over baseball, this Major League Baseball Player of the Year 
forfeited an opportunity to be recorded as the greatest pitcher to ever 
live so he could join his fellow Americans in defense of America's 
freedom.
  As an anti-aircraft gunman aboard the USS Alabama, Bob Feller battled 
Nazi Germany and its fascist allies. In the process he earned five 
campaign

[[Page H5768]]

ribbons and eight battle stars in a successful effort to save the world 
from tyranny.
  Upon his return, Bob Feller would continue to make his mark on major 
league baseball, setting a Cleveland Indians franchise record of 266 
wins, and was a unanimous choice for the Baseball Hall of Fame in his 
first year of eligibility in 1962.
  Bob Feller, Iowa is proud of its native son, and this Nation is 
thankful for your service. Bob Feller's dedication and leadership 
deserve to be honored. Again, I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. 
Res. 449.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to another boy wonder of Cleveland, the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Kucinich).
  Although he was not so much known as a young athlete, he was indeed 
the mayor of Cleveland before he was 30 years old. He is a 
distinguished Member of this body.
  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding me time. 
I also want to thank Mr. LaTourette for the work that he has done to 
bring this resolution to the floor of the House.
  As someone who grew up in the city of Cleveland and had the 
opportunity as a young boy to watch the Cleveland Indians, or to listen 
to them on the radio, and to have had the opportunity to go to a 
baseball game with my father to see Bob Feller pitch, to dream that 
from that point to this moment that so many years later we would have 
the opportunity to personally recognize his achievements through this 
congressional resolution, for any of us who were Cleveland Indians fans 
back then to be here now in this Chamber, it is an honor for us.
  Bob Feller epitomized everything that any of us ever hoped our 
professional athletes would be. In the fifties, there was a different 
type of iconography of professional athletes. They were people who we 
would aspire to emulate, people who carried with them not only 
exceptional prowess on the field, but also had stories of personal 
achievement that were so extraordinary.
  The story then wasn't about how much money an athlete made. The story 
was about their quality of heart, and in Bob Feller's case, the quality 
of commitment to our Nation.
  Is there any question that with the tremendous number of records he 
held in major league baseball that he could have set marks that would 
never, ever be reached had he pitched those 4 years in which he decided 
instead to serve his country at a much higher level.
  But he enlisted in the Navy at the peak of his career, missing those 
four seasons, serving in World War II, served as an anti-aircraft 
gunner on the USS Alabama.
  He earned five campaign ribbons and eight battle stars. Oh, yes, he 
played on eight All-Star teams as well. As a major leaguer, he took the 
Cleveland Indians to two World Series, in 1948 and 1954. I remember in 
the Kucinich household the World Series pennants from 1948, and I 
remember how proud we were of the fact that Bob Feller and then what 
was known as the Big Four of our pitchers helped to guide the Indians' 
fortunes for quite a few years.
  We have such pride in our community and in baseball's link to the 
tradition of Cleveland, and Bob Feller has been an important part of 
that. He was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame in January of 1962 and 
inducted in July of the same year. As we know, he spent his entire 
career with the Cleveland Indians, from 1936 to 1956.
  He pitched three no-hitters. And the first, as has been recounted, 
pitched on an opening day. Pitched his second no-hitter in 1946, and 
his third in 1951. He also pitched 12 one-hitters. Think about it: 12 
one-hit games. And he won more than 20 or more games in a season six 
times.
  Cleveland's Bob Feller, also known as Rapid Robert, amassed 226 wins 
and 2,581 strikeouts; led the league in strikeouts seven times during 
his career; voted the Cleveland Indians' Man of the Year twice.
  Well, he is always going to be our baseball man of the year because 
he is someone who if you go outside of the Cleveland stadium, you will 
see a monument to Bob Feller. It shows him basically rearing back, 
ready to throw that fastball that always went over 90 miles an hour.
  And it shows him in that perfect form of his youth, immortalized as 
the great pitcher. It also shows him as someone who carried with him 
the hopes and dreams of a community during times that were often very 
difficult. We love you, Bob Feller, and we love the fact that our 
Congress is recognizing not only what you have done for Cleveland, 
Ohio, but what you did for major league baseball and what you did for 
the morale of our country. Thanks, Rapid Robert.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, when we introduced this resolution with 
all of the folks that are speaking here today, we got a call from 
Representative Gingrey's office. I said to myself, well, he is not from 
Iowa, he is not from Cleveland, why would a guy from Georgia want to 
talk about Bob Feller? He is about to tell us.
  It is my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia 
(Mr. Gingrey).
  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative LaTourette and my 
colleagues from Ohio and Iowa, as obviously this is their native son, 
and to hear them talk about Bullet Bob. I, like so many of the male 
Members of this body in particular growing up in the early fifties had 
one of these invaluable collections of baseball cards and almost a 
complete collection for each team.
  Right at the top of the stack for the Cleveland Indians was, of 
course, Bob Feller. I, later on, many years later in fact, met my wife. 
We married 36 years ago. And to tell you the thrill it was when I found 
out that her dad, Bill Ayers, who died in 1980 of a heart attack, was 
also a professional baseball player, in fact, a major league baseball 
player.
  During those years I had an opportunity to pepper Bill with baseball 
questions. He was originally an Atlanta Cracker and had signed with the 
Atlanta Crackers when he was 19 years old. But listen to some of these 
similarities between Bullet Bob Feller and my father-in-law Bill Ayers.
  Of course, Bob Feller was a Hall of Fame baseball player, and my 
father-in-law spent, I think, a year and a half in the majors, playing 
for the New York Giants under Leo Durocher. They were the exact same 
age, almost. Bob Feller born in November of 1918; my father-in-law, 
August of 1918. They both served in the military; interrupted a 
professional career. Bob Feller serving from 1941 to 1945 in the Navy; 
my father-in-law, Bill Ayers, serving under General Patton's Third Army 
1943 to 1946 in the United States Army in Europe.
  Of course, Bob Feller signed a contract, as we know, at age 16. My 
father-in-law signed a contract at age 19. They were both pitchers. I 
asked my father-in-law, Bill Ayers, one time about who was the greatest 
hitter he ever pitched against. And his answer was Joe DiMaggio.
  I said, well, who was the toughest, the greatest pitcher that you 
ever batted against? And, Mr. Speaker, you know in those days there was 
no such thing as a designated hitter. And the Cleveland Indians and the 
New York Giants actually did their spring training in Tucson, Arizona. 
And my father-in-law, Bill Ayers, was pitching in an exhibition game 
against Bob Feller.
  He told me, he said, Phil, without question, Bob Feller was the 
greatest pitcher that I have ever faced. He said, in fact, he batted 
against him one time, and he struck out on three straight pitches, 
never getting the bat off his shoulder.
  I said, Bill, why didn't you swing at the ball? He said, because I 
never saw it. And as I read the resolution by Representative LaTourette 
and realize that Bullet Bob was throwing a 109 mile-an-hour fastball, 
it is understandable.
  So for me to have an opportunity to take just a few minutes to relate 
that anecdote to my colleagues and say, God bless Bob Feller. 
Representative LaTourette assures me I will have an opportunity to meet 
him tomorrow.
  I really look forward to that. I don't know if he will remember Bill 
Ayers, but certainly that is a great memory for me and my family.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me just say that I know that Dr. Gingrey had a great 
time in terms of all of those memories

[[Page H5769]]

and being as close to all of that action as he was. And so I would 
simply say that Bob Feller was indeed one of the greatest athletes that 
we have ever known; and this resolution is indeed a tribute to not only 
his athletic abilities, but his great spirit as an American.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, when we called up Bob Feller and said we 
were going to be doing this and invited him to Washington tomorrow, he 
said there are two people I need to see, my good friend Senator Jim 
Bunning, who he knows, of course, from the Baseball Hall of Fame, and I 
have to see my great friend, Sherry Boehlert, who represents 
Cooperstown, New York.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Boehlert).
  (Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I have to start with a confession. And 
here is the confession: Bob Feller is one of my heroes.
  I say that unabashedly. It is not because to me as the ultimate 
baseball junkie I appreciate the great game and the great players; it 
is not just because baseball's mecca, the Baseball Hall of Fame, is the 
epicenter of my district. No, I appreciate and applaud Bob Feller for 
all the things he has done on the diamond, but he is one of my heroes 
because of the person that he is, the guy inside.
  I have been privileged to get to know Bob Feller quite well over the 
last several years. As a matter of fact, Memorial Day 2002, when the 
Baseball Hall of Fame announced the policy that forevermore all 
veterans would be admitted free into that shrine, the mecca of 
baseball, they had a special ceremony to recognize the greats of the 
game who served in the military when the Nation needed them most. And 
it was my high honor to present Bob Feller's submission.

                              {time}  1615

  There is there in the Hall of Fame this plaque, a great big plaque 
with some of the greats of the game, Ralph Kiner, Warren Spahn, Phil 
Rizzuto, all people who served in time of the Nation's need. But the 
one that got the most attention was Bob Feller. And I will tell you 
this, think about the dynamics. In 1941, 23-year-old ace of the 
Cleveland Indian staff, he won 23 games that year. His record was 23-
15. What would that command in today's market? He would have 14 agents 
and he would have a gillion dollars' worth of offers from every club in 
the major leagues because pitching is such a premium. So this ace, this 
admittedly acknowledged one of the best in the business anywhere, 2 
days after Pearl Harbor, became the first member of Major League 
Baseball to pack his belongings and sign up for his Nation. And he 
served with great distinction all during the war, World War II, in the 
U.S. Navy. And when he came back, he resumed his career. You know the 
rest of the story, so many of my colleagues have said it so well. He 
was just absolutely a breathtaking talent on the mound.
  Mr. Gingrey reported on his father-in-law mesmerized by what he saw. 
He was just wonderful. But that typifies the inner man. He is wonderful 
every single day of his life, in his personal life, and I am privileged 
to salute Bob Feller and his very fine partner, his wife Ann. They are 
truly great Americans.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, when we introduced this resolution, I 
was riding over for a vote yesterday and saw Mr. Leach of Iowa, and his 
eyes lit up when I said we were going to do this, because he too has 
some remembrances that he wants to share about Bob Feller. It is now my 
pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach).
  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I 
thank the gentleman particularly for bringing a resolution about this 
son of Iowa.
  I might just mention, Bob Feller comes from a small county west of 
Des Moines called Dallas County. My family was originally from this 
county. This county produced a series of very fine athletes in a given 
era. One was our State's great hero, a Heisman trophy winner by the 
name of Nile Kinnick who lost his life in World War II. Another was a 
first cousin of Bob Feller's named Hal Manders. Hal also pitched major 
league baseball.
  A number of years ago, Bob and Hal visited me here in Washington, and 
Hal gave me a small gift that I will treasure for the rest of my life. 
It was a picture of Bob Feller and Hal as ballplayers at about the age 
of 12, and they were oversized kids on a small team, and across the 
uniform was marked, I believe, the Braves. And I asked Bob Feller, what 
was the background of this little league team? And Bob said, you know, 
we lived kind of in the country, we didn't have a team, so our two 
fathers who were brothers-in-law started this team. And I said to Bob, 
well, what would have happened if your father and your uncle didn't 
start this team? And he said, well, I never would have pitched ball 
again.
  And it is kind of a beautiful story for all of us, because what he 
was saying was that Bob Feller would not be Bob Feller if he didn't 
have a father who dedicated some time to starting a little league 
baseball team. And that is really the American system, the American 
dream, the American family. I think we give honor to Bob because we 
give honor not just to a great athlete, but to the idea of sport and to 
the idea and the ideals of American competition, which he has always 
reflected the best of. I thank you, Steve, for this moment.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, simply to close, I would just 
simply reiterate that America has never known a greater athlete nor a 
greater spirit in terms of one who would interrupt his career as a 
professional athlete, join the military, and go and fight for a cause 
greater than the World Series. Bob Feller was a hero to thousands and 
thousands and thousands and will continue to be.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I just want to thank 
everyone who spoke, Mr. Boehlert, Mr. Latham, Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Davis, 
again, and thank Mr. Davis of Virginia and Mr. Leach for talking about 
Bob Feller. I again would tell folks that at 87 years old, he will be 
here tomorrow, and, if schedules permit, I hope you take time to say 
hello to him. I urge passage of the resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 449.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, on that, I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will 
be postponed.

                          ____________________