Bob Feller was born and raised in the small town of Van Meter, Iowa. His father was a baseball fan who ran the family farm, and his mother was a teacher & nurse. As an Iowa farm boy in the 1920's, much of Feller's childhood consisted of chores. He credited milking cows, picking corn, and bailing hay with strengthening his arms and giving him the capacity to throw as hard as he did as a pitcher. He refers to his farm days in Iowa very fondly, saying of them, "What kid wouldn't enjoy the life I led in Iowa? Baseball and farming, and I had the best of both worlds."www.ESPN.go.com web site has a wonderful tribute to this outstanding Hall of Famer and gentleman.
