Hall Of Famer Bob Feller isn’t just about peddling $10 autographs 365 days a year. He’s also got a strange way of characterizing non-white players. From the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Roger Brown (link taken from Baseball Think Factory).

The Indians’ season, already a downer, reached a disgraceful low Friday night when team legend Bob Feller, doing a guest stint on the team’s radio broadcast, said Indians catcher Victor Martinez reminded him of Stepin Fetchit ” the shuffling black entertainer of the 1920s and ’30s (a figure viewed by most blacks as an insulting, degrading symbol). Even worse, Kevin Keane, who hosts an Indians postgame show on WTAM AM/1100 ” the team’s main radio station ” later replayed Feller’s ignorant statement in a lame attempt to milk laughs from listeners.

Maybe we need to break some news to Clevelanders (many of whom still find Chief Wahoo ” the Indians’ racially insensitive team logo ” cute): It’s 2006, people! 2006! It’s not 1906 anymore!

Well put. The 1906 Indians with Nap Lajoie at 2B would’ve probably managed more than 5 hits off Kenny Rogers (14-6) and the Tigers, 7-1 winners over Cleveland earlier today. Curtis Granderson, Marcus Thames, Carlos Guillen and I-Rod all homered for Detroit, who’ve likely stretched their AL Central lead over the Twins to 5 games. Minnesota are currently trailing Chicago, 6-1 in the top of the 8th, and Mark Buerhle has just departed after striking out 6 over 7 innings. A.J. Pierzynski, Joe Crede and Jose Uribe have all gone deep for the White Sox off Twins starter Carlos Silva.

Astros CF Willy Tavares extended his hitting streak to 30 games after beating out an infield single in the 3rd inning against Pittsburgh today.  Houston pounded Shawn Chacon and are up, 7-1 in the last of the 5th at McClatchy Memorial Field.  Former Round Rock Express starlet Jason Hirsh is in line to pick up his 2nd big league win, while Lance Berkman has homered (no. 36) and driven in 4 runs.

(Houston’s taxi squad belatedly celebrates the grand opening of the HEB Plus down the street)

Speaking of the Express, congrats are in order to Jackie Moore, Joe McEwing and whoever runs the Nolan Ryan’s Aged Beef stand down at the Dell Diamond.  Thursday night’s 4-3 win over Albuquerque clinched the PCL’s American Southern Division championship for Round Rock and puts the Express in line for a probable first-round playoff with Nashville starting September 6.  Taylor Bucholz takes the Hill for Round Rock later today, while former Mets prospect Yusmiero Petit will start for the Isotopes.