A Tribute To Lou “The Iron Horse” Gehrig
July 3, 2009 · Teddy Mitrosilis · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
“ I might’ve been given a bad break, but I have an awful lot to live for. Thank you.”
Those were the final words Lou Gehrig ever spoke to the hearts of America. His succinct and supple speech on Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939 remains one of the most beautiful bits of poetry our ears have ever heard.
Saturday, July 4, 2009 marks the 70th anniversary of Gehrig’s farewell speech, and it will be celebrated around Major League Baseball. MLB is launching the “4ALS Awareness” campaign to raise money for ALS research in an attempt to help fight the illness that has become commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Throughout MLB, players will wear “4ALS” patches, first bases will be auctioned in memory of Gehrig (he played 1B), and every major league ballpark will read Gehrig’s speech during the seventh inning stretch.
Gehrig stepped up to the microphone in front of more than 60,000 people, baggy uniform cascading down a feeble and slumping body, and barely spoke for 30 seconds. Politicians need hours, weeks, and months to get a message across to a nation. Gehrig needed 30 seconds.
In a time of economic recession, heartache, worry, and bleakness, the world could use a little bit of Lou Gehrig. The world could use a little reminder that we still have an awful lot to live for. Gehrig’s life was blessed with the underlying power that it also represents a message that can resonate with any family in any suburb.
One day not too long ago, I stood just outside the third base dugout on the diamond of a neighborhood park. The dugout sat adjacent to a McDonald’s that was perfect for an after practice cheeseburger.
The all-dirt diamond kicked up some of the nastiest hops a nine-year-old boy would ever want to see. You better have had a good dentist if you were going to roam shortstop there.
It was the first practice of the summer, and my Pony League coach asked me what number I would like to wear for the upcoming All Star season.
“I would like No. 4, please,” I told Coach.
“Okay, any specific reason?”
“Yeah, because that’s the number Lou Gehrig wore for the Yankees,” I told him, confidently.
My coach had this wry smile that he held for three long seconds, pondering how a nine-year-old boy could idolize a baseball legend that played some 60 years prior. “Okay, well No. 4 is yours then.”
And that was where it all began for me, the moment Gehrig’s life and legacy seeped into my soul. All the way up through high school ball I proudly donned ‘4’ on my back.
It wasn’t until my freshman season in college that I had to change. Number 4 went to a 5’9” middle infielder. So naturally, I have worn ‘44’ for the last two seasons. If you can’t have one Gehrig, you might as well have two then, right?
Gehrig was a great, great baseball player, but he wasn’t the best to ever live. That could easily be said about his teammate, Babe Ruth.
What makes Gehrig truly spectacular is that he accomplished some astonishing things in his career, and yet he is still remembered for how he played the game and the way he carried himself as a man.
Gehrig was born in New York City to German immigrants, and was the only child of four to survive. He grew up like most people with immigrant parents; both parents worked long, hard hours and he was raised on the principles of hard work and perseverance.
His road to becoming a legendary icon began at Columbia University in 1921 at the request of his mother, Christina. She was adamant that Lou received an education. After all, she and her husband didn’t struggle to get to the United States for nothing.
But after two seasons at Columbia, Gehrig decided to sign a professional contract with the New York Yankees when scout Paul Krichell approached him and offered a $1,500 signing bonus. Christina wasn’t happy, but she supported her son’s decision to chase his childhood dream.
It wasn’t long before Mrs. Gehrig could watch her baby boy play in The Bronx. Gehrig was called up to the big leagues that September, and hit so well that Yankees manager Miller Huggins petitioned for Gehrig to be added to the World Series roster in place of injured Wally Pipp.
But New York Giants manager John McGraw exercised his right to refuse Huggins’ petition, and therefore Gehrig was left off the roster. The Yankees won the World Series, anyway.
Gehrig spent 1924 playing in the minor leagues at Hartford, and then joined the Yankees for good in the spring of ’25. When Gehrig took over for Pipp at first base, he would never leave. Fourteen seasons later, and a legend had been cemented.
If you want history, Gehrig made it. If you want stats, Gehrig has it. With a .340 career batting average, 2,721 hits, 493 home runs, and 1,995 RBI, Gehrig was one of the most pure hitters of his time.
Over a modern 162 game season, Gehrig’s career numbers would project out to .340, .447 OBP, 37 homers, 149 RBI, 141 runs, and almost twice as many walks as strikeouts.
Among Gehrig’s many accomplishments, he holds the career record for grand slams with 23; he won the Triple Crown in 1934; his 184 RBIs in ’31 are the most ever in a single season in the American League, and are second most in baseball history behind Hack Wilson’s 191 RBIs in 1930 with the Chicago Cubs; he is the only player ever to drive in 500 or more runs over a three year span (1930-’32).
And remember, Gehrig spent those years hitting behind Babe Ruth, arguably the most prolific power hitter in baseball history.
Of course, the Iron Horse is most known for his 2,130 consecutive games played streak, which was a record until Cal Ripken Jr. eclipsed the mark in 1995. During the streak, Gehrig played through broken toes, fingers, and back spasms.
Once late in his career, Gehrig’s hands were X-rayed and doctors were able to spot 17 different fractures that had fused back together during his streak.
But the end came abruptly in the summer of ’39, with Gehrig retiring at 36 years old after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. The disease destroys the nerve cells controlling muscles and causes complete paralysis. Most patients die within 3-5 years of being diagnosed.
The Hall Of Fame waived its customary two-year waiting period and opened up its doors to Gehrig in 1939, the same year as his retirement. They wanted Gehrig to be able to accept the honor before his illness captured him.
Gehrig passed away on June 2, 1941, 17 days shy of his 38th birthday, but the sadness placidly surrendered to the joy and grace of his name.
Gehrig was ahead of his time in social activism, saying, “There is no room in baseball for discrimination. It is our national pastime and a game for all.” Jackie Robinson wouldn’t come along to officially break the color barrier in baseball until 1947.
Mostly, though, Gehrig is remembered for his humility and honesty while living in a city that craves showmanship, and working for a franchise that defined the American sports celebrity.
Gehrig spent most of his years living in the shadow of Ruth, an iconic figure equally know for his womanizing and party habits in addition to his tantalizing baseball talent.
And Gehrig spent his last years playing in the shadow of Joe DiMaggio, The Yankee Clipper who, when not on the field, stayed in the public spotlight by marrying Marilyn Monroe and later becoming a famous line of Simon & Garfunkel’s 1968 number one single, “Mrs. Robinson.”
But all the while, Gehrig remained a symbol for the working class of New York, and the middle class of America. He was a loving family man, and that image waltzes with everyday reality.
You don’t need to be Ruth to have it made. You don’t need the glamour of DiMaggio to have happiness. Even in the face of struggle, you don’t need to be rich or famous to make it through. You simply need to stay true to your core, and follow Gehrig’s path of dignity.
“Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.”
That Gehrig line will forever rest in baseball lore.
But it’s kind of funny, because that’s how I feel when I get to dive into and celebrate the illustrious life and legacy of Lou “The Iron Horse” Gehrig.
You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.
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