The Iron Man

On July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig, New York Yankee’s first baseman gave his farewell speech to baseball. This speech probably was one of the most memorable and greatest speeches to ever have been given by any sports figure. Gehrig, known as ‘The Iron Horse,” was 37-years-old, in his prime and considered one of the greatest first baseman ever to play the game of baseball. Little did he know that within two years he would die from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). This disease would later carry his name, Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Henry Louis ‘Lou’ Gehrig was born in New York City on June 19, 1903. He was such a strong, durable player, that he earned the nickname ‘The Iron Horse.” Gehrig played for 17 seasons with the Yankees. He set a number of baseball records. The one that stood the longest was for the most consecutive games played, 2,130. This record stood for 56 years, until 1995 when Cal Ripken, Jr. broke it.

Gehrig was not just a steady and great player, he truly loved the game of baseball. He, like most of the true baseball players of his time, just played pure baseball without huge amounts of money or huge contracts.

When I see players now, who high five, do somersaults of some stupid dance after scoring or making a big play, I often think about how on July 4, 1939, one of the greatest baseball players, gave a simple speech about being the ‘luckiest man alive’ as he faced his own ultimate death, two years later.

To me, Lou Gehrig is a real hero to look up to and emulate, unlike some other sports heroes who define themselves with big contracts and with how many championships and rings they have. Lou Gehrig is the real deal – the real hero to look up to.