November 3 marks 96 years since Bob Feller's birth, and I can't help but wonder how many current fans don't have much appreciation for him.

With one of the best fastballs the game has ever seen, Feller was probably the most dominating pitcher of the late 1930s and 1940s. He died in 2010 while still serving as a dignified emissary of the game he loved. There are a handful of really good biographies out there I recommend, primarily since his is such a great story.

At the heart of it is this: just as he was about to enter the prime of his career, already with six big-league seasons under his belt by the age of 21, Feller stepped away to fight in World War II. He missed the next three full seasons and most of a fourth, then returned and more/less picked up where he left off.

He finished with 266 victories, currently tied for 37th all-time, but you gotta figure he would have picked up almost 100 more if not for the war, and that would put him in the top 10.

Just an amazing example of self-sacrifice, not just for an athlete, but for anyone. Fitting, I suppose, that his birthday comes just a week before Veterans Day.

Happy Birthday, Rapid Robert...wherever you are.