Stephen Strasburg had a fastball, but he was no Heater from Van Meter: Cleveland Indians memories

Here is Tuesday's essay by Ben Toot of Brunswick.

View full sizeScott Shaw, The Plain DealerStephen Strasburg's appearance at Progressive Field in 2010 didn't impress some Indians fans --- and one Indians legend.

This spring, we asked readers to tell us their best memory at an Indians game. More than 600 of you responded. All season, The Plain Dealer will publish fan memories -- one each day the Indians are scheduled to play. Here is Tuesday's essay by Ben Toot of Brunswick:

It was June 13, 2010, and Progressive Field was filled with excitement. It was Stephen Strasburg's second MLB start. The much-heralded right-handed prospect was the talk of all of baseball. Experts were comparing him to the legendary pitchers of all time. All of this with just one game under his belt. As I made my way to my seats I looked around to see a usually empty stadium filled with spectators wanting to catch a "piece of history."

I watched this pitching "legend" struggle with my beloved Indians. He stopped the game several times, complaining about the mound as if to shift blame from his bad performance. In the end, Strasburg pitched a very forgettable game (Editor's note: Strasburg allowed one run on two hits and five walks with eight strikeouts over 5.1 innings in the Nationals' 9-4 victory).

The game ended and I made my way down the stairway from the upper deck. I stepped behind an elderly man who was getting out of the south-side elevator. This old man walked alone, slow, as if he had not a care in the world and no rush to be anywhere. As I went to pass him, I noticed this man looked very familiar. As my mind raced, I realized that the old man in front of me was Bob Feller.

I gathered my thoughts and introduced myself. I asked him the first thing that came to me. "What did you think of Strasburg?"

For the next three minutes, "Rapid Robert" told his thoughts about the young pitcher. Like an encyclopedia of knowledge, he rehearsed all the fine points of pitching to me. He ended by telling me to "ask me that question after he wins 100 games. He's no Satchel Paige!"

As he turned to go, I muttered the words, "He's no Bob Feller, either!"

Bob stopped, turned his head, and with a big smile said, "Thank you, son."

I got a thank you from the Heater from Van Meter!

I followed him out the gate. Mr. Feller went totally unnoticed by the crowd. As the people rushed past, little did they know that this old man who walked among them struck out Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and some of the best to ever play the game. He had more accolades, no more limelight, but on this day had a three-minute story to tell me.

I bought a ticket that day to watch a "future" legend. Little did I know I would meet a true legend. Thank you, Mr. Feller.

Source: http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2011/08/stephen_strasburg_had_a_fastba.html

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