Bob Feller brought baseball alive

As a 91-year-old survivor of the Great Depression, I like to reflect on its positive aspect of my life. I was listening to the Cleveland Indians and their Hall of Fame Star, my favorite all time major leaguer pitcher Bob Feller. I was mesmerized by his strikeout record. Radio sports announcer Jack Graney and his re-creation of a game were incredible.

Recently at the Boardman Community Baseball’s Field of Dreams, they celebrated the 60th anniversary of Boardman’s Little League Baseball. It brought back memories of some of my happiest days of my almost 29 years of retirement, when my grandson Michael Krieger was a star pitcher for the team of 12-year-olds that won the State of Ohio Championship for Boardman.

The year was 1996 and it was also the year that I met Bob Feller at the Field of Dreams through the effort of my good friend Mary Kaye Carlson, who was actively involved in the Little League at the time. At the 2015 anniversary celebration I had the opportunity to renew my friendship and reminisce with the beautiful and vivacious Mary Kaye.

Speaking of Bob Feller, he was about 8 years older than me. The only thing we had in common was both being in the U.S. Navy during World War II and both in the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame and Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame.

Michael J. Lacivita is a Youngstown retiree and member of the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame and the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.