Lou Gehrig is my favorite baseball player of all time. Growing up, I admired Gehrig for the great man that he was. Sure, he was a legendary baseball player. But, Gehrig’s upstanding character is what made him a beloved player and American hero. Consequently, I decided to dedicate this post to him and his famed “Luckiest Man speech.
Background
During the 1938 season, New York Yankee superstar Lou Gehrig knew something was wrong. He could no longer perform at an elite level. His body was physically wearing out at a rapid pace. Just one year prior, Gehrig was one of the best players in the professional baseball. However, his physical conditions continued to worsen in 1939. In May 1939, Gehrig sat out his first game after playing in over 2100 consecutive games. The “Iron Horse” lost his remarkable hitting power and athletic ability at almost the flip of a switch.
When Gehrig took himself out of the starting lineup on a May 2, 1939 game, Gehrig’s never played a baseball game again.. About a month later, the Mayo clinic diagnosed Gehrig with ALS. Days later, Gehrig officially retired from baseball, and baseball fans wanted to honor Gehrig and his impressive career.
On July 4th, 1939 the Yankees gave Gehrig a proper send-off. They designated that day’s game as “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day” for this baseball legend. The team honored Gehrig in many ways that day. For instance, Gehrig became the first ever baseball player to have his jersey number (#4) retired. He was truly a beloved player and man for his sportsmanship and character.
Throughout his life, Gehrig never sought out attention or public administration (unlike his teammate Babe Ruth). He didn’t plan on giving a speech that day. But, a crowd of over sixty thousand fans chanted for him to give a speech. As he made his way to a microphone on the field, Gehrig then gave the most iconic speech in baseball history.
The Speech itself
“Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.
“Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn’t consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I’m lucky. Who wouldn’t consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball’s greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I’m lucky.
“When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift – that’s something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies – that’s something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter – that’s something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body – it’s a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed – that’s the finest I know.
“So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.”
Here is a link to an old video recording of his speech:
Lou Gehrig & His Speech lives on
Lou Gehrig was an American icon in the 1930s. Sadly, he passed away in 1941. Fortunately, the story of Lou Gehrig still lives on.
In 1942, film studio Samuel Goldwyn Productions released the film Pride of the Yankees. This black-and=white movie paid homage to the Lou Gehrig’s incredible life.
Growing up as the son of Swedish immigrants, Gehrig made his way through the minor leagues to play with his personal hero Babe Ruth on the New York Yankees. This Oscar-nominated movie also regales other heartwarming parts of Gehrig’s life and playing career. Notably, Academy-Award winning actor Gary Cooper played the role of Lou Gehrig. If you haven’t seen this movie, I highly recommend it. The Pride of the Yankees (1942) is one of my personal favorite movies. I hope that you learned a little bit more about the American hero Lou Gehrig.