Appreciating all that makes America special

Lou Gehrig

Lou Gehrig, www.greatamericanthings.net

Lou Gehrig embodied professionalism on the field, and dignity off of it. Uploaded by adamport.com.

With the game of baseball embroiled in one of the biggest scandals in its history, it’s refreshing to reflect on a man who represented the game and himself with pride and dignity. Along with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig anchored the New York Yankees famous “murderers row”, often acknowledged as one of the greatest lineups in Major League history.

Lou Gehrig, www.greatamericanthings.net

Uploaded by newyorkyankees.brasil.blogspot.com.

Gehrig’s on-field accomplishments are legendary. He had an amazing career batting average of .340 – a figure most players would like to achieve once in a career. He was twice named league MVP, and won the triple crown in 1934.

Of course, we know the irony that the “Iron Horse” – the man who played in 2,130 consecutive games – was felled in the prime of his life by ALS. “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.” And yet we still marvel at one of the most courageous speeches ever given, when on July 4, 1939, he told a Yankee Stadium crowd that “Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” Less than two years later, we lost the great Lou Gehrig. And while it’s become a cliché to say this about others, it’s true with Gehrig: His influence and courage live on as an inspiration to us all.

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