"You have to get knocked down to realize how people really feel about you. I've realized that more than ever lately. The other day, I was on my way to the car. It was hailing, the streets were slippery and I was having a tough time of it. I came to a corner and started to slip. But before I could fall, four people jumped out of nowhere to help me. When I thanked them, they all said they knew about my illness and had been keeping an eye on me." –Lou Gehrig
When the news of the death of baseball’s “Iron Man” Lou Gehrig, at age 37, was announced 75 years ago, June 2, 1941, New York Mayor Fiorella LaGuardia ordered flags to be displayed at half-staff. Gehrig died 16 years to the day after he became the Yankee’s first baseman, replacing Wally Pipp. His cause of death was a disease that still has no cure and whose cause is still debated; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, forever to be known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Henry Louis Gehrig was one of four children born to Heinrich and Christina Gehrig. He was the only one to survive infancy. His parents were German immigrants and his father was epileptic and had difficulty keeping jobs. His mother was a hardworking, emotionally strong woman who cleaned and cooked for other families to give her only surviving child a chance at a successful life.
Gehrig was able to enter Columbia University and played as a fullback on their football team. He also joined the baseball team where he excelled as a pitcher. “Columbia Lou” as he soon became known, was also known for the swing of a ferocious bat.
The Giants looked at and passed on this quiet and unassuming ballplayer. The Yankees liked what they saw; signing Gehrig in April 1923. He made his first appearance in June as a first baseman. Babe Ruth had been the power hitter of the Yankees; when Gehrig signed on the team had a daunting duo at the bat. The Yankees had ten seasons with this pair sending balls into the stands, homerun after homerun. They were complete opposite in character, Ruth was gregarious and hard living; Gehrig was modest and introverted. The two had respect for each other’s prowess, but they could not connect on a personal level. Ruth was the celebrity draw and his salary showed it.
In 1927 and 1936, Gehrig was named the American League Most Valuable Player, from 1933-1939 he played in the All Star game. He set the Major League Baseball record for playing 2,130 games, the MLB record for 23 grand slam homeruns, the American League record for most RBI’s in one season (184 in 1931), the MLB record of 493 career home runs by a first baseman, his .340 lifetime batting average. He hit four home runs in a single game on June 3, 1932. In 1934 Gehrig won the triple crown of baseball with a .363 batting average, 49 homeruns and 165 runs batted in.
“His greatest record doesn't show in the book. It was the absolute reliability of Henry Louis Gehrig. He could be counted upon. He was there every day at the ballpark bending his back and ready to break his neck to win for his side. He was there day after day and year after year. He never sulked or whined or went into a pot or a huff. He was the answer to a manager’s dream.” –Sportswriter John Kieran in The New York Times
In 1932, the shy 30 year old Lou Gehrig met Eleanor Grace Twitchell. Her personality was an outgoing party person in contrast to the retiring Lou Gehrig. Gehrig’s mother protested the wedding by not attending the private affair. The “Iron Man” played in a baseball game after the wedding with a reception following. His mother, but not his father, attended the reception.
Eleanor Gehrig was a strong woman who believed in and protected her husband. She took care of his business affairs and protected his career.
1938 became the watershed year in Gehrig’s career. The magic was leaving his performance on the field. His stats were dropping and all were wondering about the cause: was it burnout; or a hidden injury? Gehrig himself didn’t know.
“I tired midseason,” Gehrig said publically, “but I just couldn’t get going again.”
His wife Eleanor took command of his decline and contacted the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Charles Mayo, a baseball enthusiast and Gehrig’s fan, read of his decline and became personally involved. Gehrig’s 36th birthday was the day he heard his diagnosis of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). The prognosis was not good: It is painless. It leaves the mental function intact. It destroys nerve cells in the brain and in the spinal cord. The ability to control any muscle motion is lost. When the motor neurons fail and die, voluntary muscular movement, to pick something up, to walk, to talk, to chew, to swallow, are lost. Then involuntary muscles and actions are affected. Paralysis sets in and then the ability to blink and breathe is impaired. Unless the decline can be halted, death is imminent.
Gehrig, the consummate team member, realized he had lost the ability to play as someone of his status should. Yankee manager, Joe McCarthy couldn’t think of pulling Gehrig out of his high profile position. On May 2, 1939, The “Iron Man” did it for him and benched himself. He served as team captain until he realized that retirement was inevitable. On June 21, his retirement was announced. On July 4, 1939, the Yankees announced there would be “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day.”
July 4 was a double header against the Washington Senators. In the break between the games, team members lined up, a hush fell across the 61,000 fans gathered and a loving tribute to a true giant and gentleman of baseball began.
Yankees General Manager Ed Barrows was directing the ceremony, sports columnist Sid Mercer was the Master of Ceremonies. Gehrig was presented with many gifts of sentiment and appreciation. The 1927 World Championship banner from his first World Series was raised on the flagpole. Yankees Manager McCarthy walked to the microphone and with much emotion in his voice, gave tribute to the “Iron Man”.
The moment came for Lou Gehrig to speak. He had prepared remarks, but the emotion made him unable to deliver those words. He wiped his eyes with a handkerchief and turned away from the microphone. The crowd cheered him to speak. McCarthy whispered in his ear, he turned, faced the microphone and gave a moving expression of his feelings. These simple words, given from the heart, survive on to this day. Here is a short excerpt:
“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.”
The Yankees retired his uniform, the first time that had been done. The Baseball Hall of Fame waived their five year wait on candidates and elected Gehrig in to the esteemed assemblage.
In his retirement, he accepted a position from Mayor LaGuardia as a New York City Parole Commissioner. His health steadily declined and he died in his sleep on June 2, 1941.
It was always intended to be a small, private service. The public, however, needed to share their grief for his death. Eleanor Gehrig knew her husband belonged to the many that supported and cheered him. She acceded to their wishes and allowed a public, open casket viewing. An estimated five thousand people filed by to glance upon the “Iron Man”.
His funeral was held on a rainy day at Christ Episcopal Church in Riverdale, New York. June 4, 1941. The E. Willis Scott Funeral Parlor at 4 West Seventy-Sixth Street handled the arrangements. No eulogies, by request, were given. The service was eight minutes. He was then cremated and buried in a plot in Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York. His wife Eleanor, who never remarried, was cremated and buried by his side.
“So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for.” –Speech made on Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day at Yankee at Yankee Stadium (July 4, 1939)