The World Needs More Lou Gehrigs

Last week I read “Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig” by Jonathan Eig. Before reading this book I really only knew three things about Lou Gehrig:

First, in 1995 Cal Ripken broke Gehrig’s record for the longest streak of games played, I remember this because I was in high school and it was a pretty big deal when this “unbreakable” record was broke. It took more than fifteen years of playing in every single baseball game possible for Ripken to break the record.

Second, Lou Gehrig gave one of the few speeches in American history that most Americans can at least partly quote: “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 the earth.” We have all seen and heard clips of this speech given at Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day on July 4, 1939.

Finally, I knew he died of “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.” Eventually I learned that “Lou Gehrig’s Disease” is actually Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS. And no, he was not the first one to be diagnosed with this horrific disease, not even close. But his name became synonymous with the ailment as he became a martyr for the exploration and study of ALS.

But after reading this book (which brought me to tears on a number of occasions) I realized how unfair it was that this stand-up guy was given such a raw deal. He was a decent, good, kind, talented, and humble man and I came to the conclusion that the world needs more men (and women) like Lou Gehrig. There are so many reasons to like this likable man but after reading the book a few things really stuck out:

• Born to poor immigrant parents he began working as a teen to help cover his family’s bills. Though he did not graduate he studied at Columbia for two years where he played baseball until the Yankees signed him. Considering the period of time and his poverty and immigrant background just making it into college was a huge commendable step.

• His first name was Henry and he was a total Mama’s Boy (Remind you of anybody?) He lived with his parents several years into his professional baseball career until he married his wife, Eleanor. He would take cookies and pickles his mom would make to the Yankee’s practice to share with the other players. While many players went to Spring Training to party Gehrig would take his mother.

• Lou Gehrig was only one of a few players from the era to make the unpopular move and criticize racial segregation in baseball. He once made a statement in an interview that baseball is America’s pastime, something everyone should be able to participate in and enjoy regardless of one’s race.

• He loved what he did. When the Yankee’s would send him his contract he quickly signed it and mailed it back without negotiation because he was terrified they would change their mind. He didn’t care how much they paid him because he played a child’s game for a living and that was fine by him.

• The record. Over fifteen years he played in 2,130 straight games. Do you know anyone that has not missed work in over 15 years for personal or health reasons? For crying out loud the only thing that stopped the man from playing baseball was contracting a deadly disease! It took 56 years for the record to be broken by Cal Ripken (a decent guy himself). It might never happen again in my lifetime seeing as how the third place is over 1500 games short of breaking the record.

• After being diagnosed with ALS he was optimistic but realistic. He knew he would not be able to play baseball again but he made the best of what life he had left. Do you know what he did after retiring from baseball? He accepted a position from the mayor of NYC on the city parole board. Public service! How many athletes quit sports only to take a job in public service? He kept the job for over a year, often accompanied by his wife, and when he became too sick to work he asked for a six-month leave of absence hoping he would rebound enough to return to work.

What can I say, Lou Gehrig is officially one of my heroes and the world needs more people like him. Perhaps the quality I most admire was his ability to get along with everyone. People just liked the guy. He was quiet and sensitive and didn’t really care what other people thought about him or his actions. Man, why can’t I be like this guy? Who is your hero? Why? Just curious. I’m always looking for good role models.