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AJ McKenzie
  • 2 days ago
The Iron Horse, underrated until he had a deadly disease
IG: aj_mckenzie416
Twitter: AJMckenzie94847
Transcript
00:05Be sure to keep the arms free from the body, back, and ready to hit.
00:10He was the iron horse.
00:12General opinion is that Gehrig was the greatest first baseman in the history of the major leagues.
00:16He was the toughest hitter for me to pitch to.
00:18When he hit a ball, it was just like a golf ball.
00:21Gehrig had a fierce, combative spirit.
00:25Lou Gehrig was my hero.
00:27He set a real example for me.
00:28He set the standard for not only first baseman, but for professional athletes.
00:33Gehrig was the image to me of New York Yankee power.
00:39He was an iron man, the iron horse.
00:42It took him 16 years to miss a game, and that's because he had a disease that killed him.
00:52He didn't come out of a game.
00:55He didn't miss a game because he stubbed his toe.
00:59He didn't miss a game like athletes do now.
01:08For the past two weeks, you've been reading about a bad brag.
01:16Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.
01:26Being lucky probably never entered the mind of Henry Lewis Gehrig when he was a child.
01:31He grew up alone, he grew up alone, somewhat isolated, in a predominantly poor section of Manhattan called Yorkville.
01:39Lou Gehrig was the only child.
01:41Lou Gehrig was the only child.
01:42His parents were German-speaking immigrants.
01:44They didn't know anything about baseball.
01:47His mother was working as a cook at a fraternity house at Columbia University, and his father had various jobs
01:54as a maintenance man, as a janitor.
01:58But there was time to play baseball, and Lou became quite good at it while playing for Commerce High School
02:05in Manhattan.
02:12There was a director of athletics at Columbia named Bobby Watt, who had been watching Lou, but as a football
02:19player.
02:20Indeed, Gehrig was a star fullback and linebacker for the Commerce squad.
02:25Still, it was baseball that first brought Lou notoriety.
02:31There was an inner-city championship game between the New York City entrant, which was Commerce, and a Chicago high
02:37school entrant.
02:38And Lou hit a home run with the bases loaded in the ninth inning.
02:42And Lou's name was carried in the New York newspapers, and of course in the Chicago newspapers, and in May.
02:51In many of the papers, his name was misspelled, but that was the first time his name probably had ever
02:56appeared in the national press.
02:58And at that point, the Columbia coaches just simply began drooling at the prospect of getting a player of Gehrig's
03:04caliber for both football and for baseball.
03:07So, like his mother, Lou set off for Columbia on a daily basis.
03:12It wasn't long before his exploits on the diamond became the stuff of legends.
03:16For his prodigious home runs were gaining a most prestigious reputation.
03:23The longest home run was hit through the window of the journalism school.
03:27And a journalism professor picked the ball up, threw it out the window, assuming the two people were playing catch
03:32down below.
03:33Because he couldn't imagine a ball hit that far from home plate.
03:37With bat in hand, Lou had no problems.
03:40But he wasn't quite as smooth when it came to life off the field.
03:45Lou was inordinately shy and very insecure because of his background.
03:50And he felt a kind of snobbery from some of the others at Columbia.
03:53And I think he resented it.
03:55So he did not feel altogether comfortable in his two years at Columbia.
03:59But any problems Gehrig might have had disappeared once he put on the uniform.
04:05He hit home runs, lots of them, and won against a New York rival caught the attention of some very
04:17important people.
04:19Two New York Yankee scouts, Paul Critchell and a fellow named Bob Connery, were in the stands.
04:24They were playing NYU.
04:25And Gehrig hit a home run farther than anybody had ever seen a ball hit in that ballpark.
04:31The Yankee scouts said to each other, what are we waiting for?
04:35So they signed him.
04:37Lou's mother was not happy about this.
04:40She wanted something more for him than being a baseball player, which didn't mean anything to them.
04:44But they needed the money.
04:47You know, she didn't know how much money could be made playing baseball.
04:51How much money guys like Ruth and Cobb and Walter Johnson were already making.
05:01Still, Lou had a call upon his humble beginnings to help him survive his first spring training with the Yankees.
05:09They didn't get paid in spring training in those days.
05:12So here he is six weeks in New Orleans.
05:14He has $14 in his pocket.
05:17Fortunately, Yankee skipper Miller Huggins noticed that the new kid in camp wasn't socializing with the rest of the Yankees.
05:24Once he discovered the problem, Huggins took steps to solve it.
05:30While the other players, the veterans, were out having a good time, he walked around pretty much alone.
05:36And when Miller Huggins was tipped off to this situation, he gave him a little pocket money to see him
05:45through.
05:53Two years in the minor leagues at Hartford were enough.
05:57Lou wanted to be a Yankee.
05:58When he first joined the ball club, he could hardly catch a ball.
06:02He spent hours and hours at first base and became a very adequate first baseman.
06:07The cleanup man, Lou Gehrig, a young slugger just coming into his own.
06:11When he came up, he was a strong man, and he could swing that bat really good.
06:17And once he got into professional baseball, he changed fast, and he became one of the great hitters in the
06:23league.
06:24When Lou finally made the Yankees in 1925, he made a strong, silent, and likable impression in the clubhouse.
06:33He was a New Yorker, but he was quiet, and he was shy.
06:38Gehrig wasn't a very talkative fellow.
06:41Lou was a very quiet person, and very soft-spoken, had kind of a high voice.
06:49Be sure to keep the arms free from the body, back, and ready to hit.
06:54Gehrig was a hard fellow to know.
06:56You didn't just walk in and meet Gehrig.
06:58Gehrig was a very quiet, self-contained guy.
07:03Very quiet.
07:06That chap.
07:08Very likable.
07:10Nice, red, dimpled cheeks.
07:14Anything good you say.
07:16Of course.
07:16The name Wally Pipp would soon be forever linked with Gehrig.
07:21Pipp had been bean, and that put Pipp out of the lineup.
07:27And Lou filled in for him, and had...
07:29Wally Gehrig said,
07:31I'm not feeling too well.
07:33Let the kid play a game.
07:36Let the kid play a game.
07:39He didn't say anything about 2130.
07:45In a row.
07:47Of course, started his extraordinary streak.
07:50Lou played in 126 games his first full year,
07:54and hit 295.
07:55Streak.
07:56Lou played in 126 games his first full year,
07:59and hit 295 with 20 home runs.
08:02For this humble son of German immigrants,
08:04it was just a glimpse of the greatness that was still to come.
08:13Next, on Yankeeography.
08:16The other teams used to come out and watch them
08:18because they were such big guys,
08:20and hit for such a distance.
08:22They were two great hitters.
08:24They were a one-two punch.
08:26Look at the aura of Babe Ruth.
08:30Remember,
08:32Gehrig didn't start trying to hit home runs
08:34until Ruth did it in 27.
08:37When Ruth hit 60,
08:40Gehrig was second with 47.
08:55In 1927,
08:57Lou Gehrig emerged as one of the game's great sluggers.
09:06Gehrig had a fierce, combative spirit.
09:10When he went up there to hit,
09:12he had one purpose,
09:14to knock the hell out the ball.
09:16He swung a 46-ounce piece of lumber.
09:21And he did so
09:22at the heart of perhaps the most menacing lineup of all time.
09:28Murderer's row.
09:29We can skip this
09:30because we heard about them last episode.
09:34Ruth hit third.
09:36Gehrig hit fourth.
09:37They were two great hitters.
09:40And it was a one-two punch.
09:42But though Lou was a star on the rise,
09:45he remained obscured
09:47by the Sultan of Swat.
09:49While Ruth drew all the attention,
09:52another Yankee was also playing wondrously
09:55for the fans at Yankee Stadium.
09:57His name was Lou Gehrig.
10:00He was in the shadow of Ruth,
10:01so he was always second fiddle to Ruth.
10:03And certainly his power paled in comparison.
10:05Although in 27,
10:06he was neck and neck with Ruth
10:07going into the first of September.
10:12Gehrig and Ruth
10:13waged a classic home run race that year.
10:17Lou had more than double his first-year output
10:19and finished with 47.
10:20But in the process,
10:22he pushed the babe to record-setting heights
10:24and helped the Yankees set a league record for wins.
10:29And the Yankees in 1927
10:32won more games than any team had ever won prior to that time.
10:37So mighty were their bats,
10:39so intimidating were the 27 Yankees,
10:42they didn't even have to play the game.
10:46The other teams used to come out
10:48and watch them
10:50because they were such big guys
10:51and hit for such distance.
10:53That was about half the advantage
10:56that they had in their favor.
10:58When they met Pittsburgh in the world's...
11:00Look at his aura right there.
11:03And if not for...
11:05George Herman.
11:07Babe.
11:08He...
11:09Gehrig would have led the league in home runs
11:12four consecutive times.
11:14Well,
11:16five consecutive times.
11:17He only did it one year in a row.
11:21In 31.
11:26It seemed as if the Pirates were awed into defeat.
11:29When the Pittsburgh Pirates were sitting in the stands
11:32and watching all the balls go out of the park,
11:36it was Gehrig and Ruth.
11:38I think it beat them right there.
11:42These Yankees brought championship honor and glory
11:46to Yankees and to all of New York.
11:54And the dynamic duo's power display didn't miss a beat.
11:58Gehrig would finish the league-high 142 RBIs in 28
12:03and help lead the Yankees to another World Series title.
12:06But he was resigned to the fact
12:08that he was always going to play second fiddle to Ruth.
12:11Here's how Gehrig saw it.
12:14I'm not a headline guy.
12:16I knew that as long as I was following Ruth
12:18to the plate.
12:19I could have stood on my head
12:21and no one would have known the difference.
12:26By 1931,
12:28Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth
12:30had established themselves
12:31as equals in the Yankees' superstar-laden lineup.
12:34But an off-season tour of Japan
12:36proved once again
12:37that even though they shared the power
12:39when the games were underway,
12:41the two men were still as different
12:43as night and day.
12:45In Japan,
12:45then it was all Babe Ruth.
12:49Thousands of Japanese fans
12:51thronged the streets,
12:53followed Ruth everywhere.
12:57Babe was the conductor.
12:58Lou was just along for the ride.
13:01That's how it seemed
13:02even to those who now look back on those days
13:04with an historic perspective.
13:08Lou Gehrig
13:09had to feel
13:10some kind of
13:12sitting with the kids
13:14and signing the autographs.
13:16I don't know
13:17how many autographs
13:18Lou Gehrig ever signed.
13:23But it was probably
13:25as many
13:26he signed
13:31as home runs he got
13:32after he came down
13:34with ALS.
13:36Not many.
13:40Insignificance
13:40because of all the attention
13:42Babe Ruth got.
13:43Even Gehrig's
13:44American League record
13:45of 184 RBI's
13:48in 1931
13:49couldn't compete
13:50with the presence
13:52of Ruth.
13:53Stop!
13:54Stop!
13:54Babe was very gregarious
13:56and a happy
13:57go-lucky guy
13:58and was always laughing
13:59and joking around
14:01with him.
14:02What do you mean
14:02keeping these boys in there
14:03when there's baseball
14:04that he plays?
14:05Why, uh,
14:06why, arithmetic.
14:07Arithmetic.
14:08Four times four is 16.
14:09Yes.
14:10Three strikes, you're out.
14:11Lou was very quiet
14:13and, uh,
14:14pretty serious
14:15all the time.
14:16A very common fall
14:17is keeping the arms
14:18too close to the body.
14:20Look at it go!
14:21My God!
14:22Look at it go!
14:23I will give every effort
14:24to better my record
14:25of last year
14:26and I sincerely hope
14:27we can win the pennant
14:28for the Yankees
14:29this year.
14:30But Lou did have his fans
14:32for though Ruth
14:34was revered
14:34for his jolly persona,
14:37Garrick, for many,
14:38represented the
14:39common blue-collar man.
14:41You knew
14:41you were never going
14:43to be able
14:44to emulate
14:45Babe Ruth.
14:47You believed
14:48that you could emulate
14:49Lou Garrick.
14:52Perhaps the best example
14:54of Ruth
14:54grabbing center stage
14:56took place
14:57in the 1932
14:58World Series.
14:59because Garrick
15:00was a much better athlete
15:01in much better shape,
15:03much tougher.
15:05Garrick was really
15:07the superhero.
15:09Ruth was
15:10the more average person.
15:15...against Chicago
15:17when Babe
15:18allegedly called his
15:19shot
15:20before hitting
15:20a home run.
15:21What's not so widely known
15:23is what happened next.
15:26Lou stepped up
15:27right after Babe
15:28hit the cold shot,
15:29if it was a cold shot,
15:30and hit a home run.
15:32And nobody remembers it.
15:34Garrick always
15:35played a subsidiary role.
15:37Ruth always had
15:38the flair for...
15:40Why would anybody
15:41remember that
15:42Garrick hit a home run?
15:45Ruth already
15:46called his shot
15:47in...
15:49What is it?
15:50The Cubs?
15:51They were beaten.
15:54Showmanship.
15:55Garrick was just
15:56a day-by-day
15:58performer.
15:59But not even Babe
16:00could outdo Lou
16:01when he had
16:02four home runs
16:04in one game
16:05a feat
16:05Ruth
16:06never accomplished.
16:08Lou Garrick
16:08batting.
16:08There's a long time
16:10on the right field
16:11and it's a home run
16:12against me.
16:15Garrick,
16:16a fixture
16:16in the lineup.
16:18A pillar of strength.
16:21Said Garrick,
16:22I'm just the guy
16:23on the Yankees
16:24who's in there
16:25every day.
16:26I'm the fellow
16:27who follows the Babe
16:28in the batting order.
16:31Every day
16:32meant
16:33every day.
16:34Beginning
16:35June 1st,
16:361925.
16:39Nothing could
16:40knock Garrick
16:41out of the lineup
16:42and on August 17th,
16:441933,
16:45he set a Major League
16:46record...
16:47...of Henry Louis
16:48Garrick.
16:49And this film
16:51isn't even in real time.
16:52It probably looks
16:53faster,
16:54you know,
16:55in person
16:55or if it was on TV.
16:58Like,
16:59later years.
17:01when he passed
17:03Everett Scott
17:03by playing
17:04in his
17:051,308th
17:07consecutive game.
17:13He played
17:14with aches
17:15and pains,
17:16bumps
17:17and bruises.
17:18Fact is,
17:19he played
17:19with broken bones.
17:21Still,
17:22he kept going.
17:26Apparently,
17:26he had broken
17:27over the course
17:28of that streak,
17:28he had broken
17:29every finger
17:29on both hands
17:30at least once.
17:32I don't know
17:33why that's never
17:33been brought out.
17:35I think every finger
17:36in his right hand
17:37was broken
17:38at one time
17:38or another
17:39and other bones
17:40as well.
17:42Didn't slow him down.
17:43He played
17:44every day
17:44just the same.
17:45He played
17:46through it all.
17:47The streak
17:48did take on
17:49a meaning
17:49to him.
17:51For Gehrig,
17:52it was mind
17:53over matter.
17:55Sure,
17:56baseball is hard work
17:58and the strain
17:58is tremendous,
17:59but I have
18:00the will to play.
18:04An iron will
18:05deep inside
18:07an iron horse.
18:12Still to come
18:13on Yankeeography.
18:15The sooner or later
18:16you'll have to
18:17throw the ball
18:18over the plate.
18:18And when you do
18:20I don't cream you.
18:21That's
18:22scheduled.
18:24There are those
18:25who feel
18:25Lou's happiness
18:26at home
18:26made him an even
18:28better player
18:29the next few years.
18:30But there was
18:31another factor
18:32to consider.
18:33I think he had
18:34a good marriage
18:35and I think
18:35Eleanor
18:37was helpful.
18:38But it's quite
18:39clear that
18:39at that time
18:41Lou was reaching
18:41the peak of his career.
18:42He was a splendid
18:43athlete.
18:45Gehrig's physique
18:45was natural.
18:46It seemed like
18:47he was chiseled
18:48out of iron.
18:49Those who saw
18:50him up close
18:51his physique
18:52was natural.
18:54He had
18:55dog.
18:56He was playing
18:56in the 20s
18:57and 30s.
18:59Didn't have
18:59unnatural
19:00anything to
19:02build up
19:04a physique with.
19:07Everyone was
19:08natural.
19:12Find few today
19:13that come close
19:14to his power
19:15and strength.
19:17I'll tell you
19:17who reminds me
19:18of this boy
19:19that plays
19:19first base
19:19for Cleveland.
19:20He reminds me
19:22of Lou.
19:22The way he
19:23steps in the box.
19:24The way he hits.
19:26Oh, he was a
19:27powerhouse.
19:28No question about it.
19:30He was a
19:31tremendous hitter.
19:32He just stood
19:33perfectly flat-footed
19:35and just swung.
19:36He had so much
19:37power, you know.
19:37He never stepped
19:38into the ball.
19:39He just planted
19:40those feet in there.
19:41I had a tougher
19:42time with Lou Gehrig
19:43than anybody.
19:44In fact,
19:45he would have
19:45tough.
19:46Man,
19:47Jim Comet
19:47is also a
19:49left-handed
19:49first baseman.
19:52It was a hitter
19:53for me to pitch to.
19:54He couldn't pitch
19:55him over the plate
19:55because he'd pull it.
19:57And when he hit
19:58a ball,
19:59it was just
19:59like a golf ball.
20:01Pitches throughout
20:02the league were
20:03intimidated by
20:04Gehrig.
20:05He forced them
20:06to second-guess
20:06every pitch
20:07and to devise
20:09imaginative ways
20:10to outfox him.
20:12He was a
20:13low-ball hitter
20:14and I threw
20:16underhanded,
20:16you know,
20:17and I threw
20:17a sinker ball.
20:18So I was
20:19pitting my strength
20:20against his,
20:21which was pretty
20:21dangerous because
20:22he was a
20:22powerful,
20:23powerful hitter.
20:24And he had legs,
20:25you know,
20:25tremendous calves
20:27and legs.
20:27So I used to
20:28throw at his feet.
20:29Even when he
20:30got knocked down,
20:31he took it.
20:33Lou treated it
20:34like sooner or
20:35later you'll have
20:36to throw the ball
20:37over the plate.
20:38And when you do,
20:39I'll cream you.
20:40That's the type
20:42of guy he was.
20:43I loved him.
20:48Lou was the
20:49premier slugger
20:50of the 30s.
20:55In a decade
20:56known for
20:57prolific offense,
20:58even legends
20:59like Jimmy Fox
21:01and Hank Greenberg
21:02paid homage
21:03to Gehrig.
21:05Always look at
21:05that book
21:06and that'll
21:07tell you the story.
21:08What I did,
21:08no matter how
21:09I paid my runs
21:10battered in
21:10and my accomplishments
21:11as a long ball
21:12hitter,
21:13Gehrig has always
21:13done it better.
21:14So Gehrig's record
21:16is phenomenal.
21:18In 1934,
21:19Gehrig won
21:20the Triple Crown,
21:21the first Yankee
21:22ever to do so.
21:23Incredibly,
21:24the MVP award
21:25was won by a man
21:27with half as many
21:28RBIs as Lou
21:29and just two
21:30home runs.
21:33Nicky Cochran
21:34was the force
21:34to throw the Tigers
21:36to the pennant.
21:37He was the difference.
21:39Nicky Cochran
21:39had a rather
21:41interesting career.
21:42He was very peppery,
21:44aggressive,
21:44volatile player.
21:45I think that must
21:46have had an impact
21:47on the people
21:48who selected
21:49the most valuable
21:49player.
21:50That goes with Lou
21:51playing second banana
21:52all the time.
21:54Gehrig took the
21:55urban stride,
21:56always did.
21:57and in 1935,
21:59he no longer
21:59was second banana
22:00on the Yankees
22:01for Ruth had
22:02left the team.
22:03Though the press
22:04and fans lamented
22:06the loss of Babe
22:06throughout the season,
22:08Lou led the team
22:09in RBIs once again.
22:11He'd do so
22:12a Yankee record
22:13nine times.
22:15And as usual,
22:16he quietly led
22:17by example.
22:21Gehrig was recognized
22:22as the leader,
22:24the moral leader,
22:26the strength,
22:27the leader,
22:27the power
22:29at the plate,
22:29the leader.
22:31But even that
22:32was about to change.
22:38After the 34 season,
22:40Gehrig finally
22:41had the spotlight
22:42to himself,
22:43but not for long.
22:45Joe DiMaggio
22:46arrived at Yankee
22:47training camp
22:47in 1936.
22:48I was just about
22:49to say,
22:50here comes that kid
22:51from the San Francisco
22:53area,
22:55Joe D.
22:57He'd never been
22:58east of the
22:58Rocky Mountains.
22:59Gehrig had been
23:00a major leaguer
23:01already for more
23:02than 10 seasons.
23:03DiMaggio arrived
23:04as a very young,
23:06very green rookie
23:07when Gehrig was
23:08toward the end
23:09of his career
23:10already.
23:11That's not to say
23:12Gehrig was finished,
23:13for he and DiMaggio...
23:15No, he was not.
23:16He had a good
23:17few years left.
23:18He was only at
23:19the end of his
23:20career technically
23:21because he got
23:22an ailment
23:23in 38.
23:25He had a few
23:26more years left.
23:29DiMaggio became
23:30a devastating duo
23:31in the lineup,
23:32but because Lou
23:33couldn't compete
23:34with DiMaggio's
23:35charisma,
23:36the spotlight
23:37shifted back
23:38to Joe.
23:39As soon as
23:40Joe DiMaggio
23:41showed up,
23:41a highly
23:43publicized young
23:44ball player
23:44from San Francisco,
23:46that doomed
23:47Lou again
23:48to the second
23:48role on the Yankees
23:49despite the fact
23:50that Lou was
23:51captain of the Yankees.
23:53Still,
23:53they produced
23:54a combined
23:56277 runs
23:57batted in their
23:58first year together,
23:59marking the start
24:00of an amazing
24:01championship run.
24:03The dynasty
24:04that began
24:04with the arrival
24:05of DiMaggio
24:06but of which
24:06Gehrig was
24:07an absolutely
24:08essential part
24:08is clearly
24:10one of baseball's
24:11great teams.
24:15Crosstown rivaled
24:16New York Giants
24:17in the series.
24:18In game four,
24:19they faced
24:19Carl Hubble
24:20whose nasty
24:21screwball won
24:22him 17 straight
24:23games.
24:23And he didn't
24:24allow a home run
24:25with a runner
24:26on base all year.
24:27That was the
24:28peak of Hubble's
24:29career.
24:29He was one of
24:30the most difficult
24:31pitchers in
24:32Major League
24:32Baseball to hit.
24:33But Gehrig
24:34broke the string
24:35with a two-run
24:36home run
24:36that helped
24:37lift the Yankees
24:38to another title,
24:39Gehrig's fourth.
24:40I think he took
24:41great satisfaction
24:42out of hitting
24:43one out of the park
24:44against Hubble.
24:45Said Gehrig,
24:46He was all
24:47pitcher,
24:48that Hubble.
24:49I've had
24:49thrills galore,
24:51but I don't think
24:51any one of them
24:52topped that one.
24:57Although the Yankees
24:58were soaring,
24:59the public perception
25:00of Gehrig
25:01was something
25:01that continued
25:02to quietly nag
25:03at him.
25:04Lou became
25:06very frustrated
25:06over the years
25:07by his role
25:08as the second guy.
25:10He was the captain
25:11of the Yankees
25:11getting a good deal
25:12less attention
25:13than this new
25:14tremendously talented
25:15young kid,
25:16Joe DiMaggio.
25:18DiMaggio's shadow
25:19hung heavily
25:21over that team.
25:23He was the big guy.
25:25Still,
25:26it was Gehrig
25:27who wielded
25:28the big bat,
25:29hosting consistently
25:30amazing numbers.
25:31it was at the plate
25:33Lou did all
25:34is talking.
25:36He was not
25:36a natural leader.
25:38He was a great
25:38ball player,
25:39but he was a quiet
25:39person,
25:40an extremely earnest
25:42person,
25:43somebody who took
25:44himself probably
25:44a little bit
25:45too seriously,
25:46but not really
25:46a team leader.
25:48You don't think
25:50Gehrig was a leader.
25:51Go look in a record
25:52book.
25:53He's a leader there.
25:56RBI leader,
25:58home run leader,
26:01batting average leader.
26:02I think he's a pretty
26:04good leader.
26:07Team player.
26:08One of the great
26:09wonders for Lou Gehrig
26:11of his last three years
26:12with the Yankees
26:13was watching DiMaggio
26:15play.
26:15He said that DiMaggio
26:16was the greatest
26:17instinctive ball player
26:18he's ever seen,
26:19and this is from a man
26:21who played with
26:21Bayruth.
26:22And despite all
26:24the hoopla generated
26:25by the Ruth-Garrig
26:26tandem,
26:26it was Gehrig and
26:27DiMaggio who did
26:29something no other
26:30major league team
26:31had done,
26:32win three straight
26:32titles.
26:33I think during the
26:35three years when
26:36Gehrig was completely
26:36healthy and playing
26:37with DiMaggio,
26:38they were clearly
26:39an awesome one-two
26:39punch.
26:41Awesome on the
26:42field, yes,
26:43but it's probably
26:44no surprise
26:45they were distant
26:46off it.
26:48DiMaggio and
26:49Gehrig really were
26:50traveling in very
26:50separate orbits.
26:51There was not an
26:52enormous amount
26:53of interaction between
26:54them, and they were
26:55both very quiet men.
26:57Of course,
26:58Lou did take one
26:59shot at opening up
27:00in Hollywood.
27:01Looking back,
27:02it probably was not
27:04Lou's best decision.
27:06It was a movie
27:07called Rawhide,
27:08something he probably
27:09never should have
27:10done.
27:11He played a
27:12heroic cowboy.
27:18looking at those, I
27:20could see why they
27:20had Gary Cooper
27:21playing in a movie.
27:26I'm out here for
27:27peace and quiet.
27:29It was just a
27:30grade Z movie.
27:31I would say it did
27:32not qualify for an
27:33Academy Award that
27:34year.
27:35Strike one.
27:36Coming up next.
27:38I want to
27:38congratulate you on...
27:40Gehrig reached a
27:41remarkable milestone, a
27:43testament to his
27:44durability.
27:44At that point, it
27:46seemed like he'd go
27:47on forever.
27:48As far as Lou is
27:49concerned, he knew
27:50that Colonel Rupert, the
27:52owner of the Yankees,
27:53gloried in this streak,
27:54and that's one of the
27:55reasons he continued on.
27:57I want to congratulate
27:58you on your wonderful
27:59career and playing
28:002,000 games without
28:03missing a game.
28:04And I hope I'm
28:05around here when you
28:06play your next 2,000.
28:08Thank you very much.
28:09You've done a
28:09wonderful job, and you
28:11should be congratulated,
28:12and I'm sure that
28:14you're going to continue
28:15for a long time to
28:15come.
28:16Thank you, Jerry.
28:20Unfortunately for Lou,
28:22he would only have a
28:23short time ahead of
28:24him.
28:25His basic motor skills
28:27began to decline,
28:28something he noticed
28:29at spring training in
28:301939.
28:32Lou had trouble both
28:33during batting practice
28:34and when he tried to
28:36play the field.
28:37The beginning of the
28:391939 season was rather
28:41disastrous for Lou.
28:42Obviously, there was
28:43something radically
28:44wrong with him.
28:45He couldn't run.
28:46His fielding was inept.
28:48I had an experience
28:49with Lou that I'll
28:50never forget.
28:51In 1939, Lou was
28:53standing with one foot
28:55up on the dugout, and
28:57I walked up behind him
28:58and grabbed him by the
29:00neck.
29:01The headlock, you know,
29:03and usually he'd lift me
29:04off the ground, and this
29:06time he just dropped, and
29:08he said, oh, my God,
29:09don't do that.
29:09And I had to help him
29:11up, and I said, what's
29:11the matter with you?
29:13He said, I don't know.
29:14He said, I've just lost
29:15all my strength.
29:16I'll never forget that.
29:18That's the last time I
29:19saw him.
29:20You can't imagine that
29:23something like that would
29:24happen to a big, strong
29:25man-led king.
29:30Strong man-led king.
29:33Even gripping his bat had
29:35become a chore.
29:36Lou was getting weaker by
29:37the day, and it mystified
29:39him.
29:41Something was the matter
29:41with him.
29:42He didn't know what.
29:42He also realized something
29:44more, which was more
29:45important to him, that he
29:46wasn't helping the team.
29:47And in Detroit, they had
29:49a day off, and he got
29:51together with manager Joe
29:53McCarthy, a man that he
29:54respected very much.
29:55And they met in the hotel
29:57room, and Lou simply said
29:58to McCarthy, he said, I
29:59think I'm going to sit
30:00down, and Joe, I'm not
30:01doing the team any good
30:02anymore.
30:04On May 2nd, Lou ended his
30:07amazing streak at 2,130
30:10consecutive games.
30:11He was replaced, coincidentally,
30:13by a man named Babe, Babe
30:15Dahlgren, who still
30:17implored Gehrig to take
30:18the field.
30:19He stood up, and he was
30:21wiping the tears off his
30:22eyes.
30:22He cried.
30:23He broke down.
30:24I said, Lou, you've got to
30:25get in the ball game.
30:26Keep that streak going,
30:27because I didn't know he
30:27was sick.
30:29And the night then, and I
30:30said, Lou, this is your
30:31last chance to get out
30:32there and keep the streak
30:33going.
30:33And he said, go on, get
30:35out there.
30:36And that was it, and the
30:37streak was broken.
30:39Lou could no longer play,
30:41but he wasn't ready to
30:42let go.
30:43In his final days in 39, he
30:45could barely run.
30:47walk out to the home plate,
30:48but he was still
30:48chatting to the team.
30:50And that's how, you know,
30:52another guy would have
30:53taken a bow or done this,
30:55done that.
30:58And an egomaniac like Joe
31:01DiMaggio would have
31:05grandstanding.
31:07Gehrig just disappeared.
31:17Finally, Gehrig paid a visit
31:19to the famed Mayo Clinic in
31:20Rochester, Minnesota.
31:22The doctors there performed a
31:24battery of tests, and one
31:26doctor in particular gained
31:28Gehrig's trust.
31:30Lou would pay a number of
31:31visits to Dr. Bayard Horton's
31:33house.
31:33And while there, he befriended
31:36the doctor's nine-year-old son,
31:37Tommy, now an author.
31:40And I remember he walked up to
31:42our house from the Kaler Hotel.
31:43He just was a huge gentleman.
31:47And this chair in my living room
31:50is the one thing that I asked my
31:52mother and father to give me when
31:54they passed away.
31:55And Gehrig used to sit in that
31:56chair.
31:56He paid attention to children
32:00and listened to what you had to
32:02say.
32:03And I told him off-color stories.
32:06And Gehrig would laugh like crazy.
32:07And my mother sent me to my room
32:09without any suffering.
32:12Finally, they determined that Lou
32:14had a rare terminal disease.
32:16There would now be closure to a
32:18magnificent career and soon a
32:21life.
32:28Lou was called upon without notes
32:31to make what has since become
32:34regarded as baseball's
32:36Gettysburg Address.
32:38Their hero with awards and
32:41testimonials.
32:425th, 4th, 1938.
32:44And there goes Babe Ruth.
32:4788 years ago today.
32:50The poignant ceremony was a
32:52celebration of Lou's career
32:53cloaked in sadness for its
32:56abrupt end.
32:58For many years you covered
33:00first base.
33:01I think it was 1939.
33:03Okay, 87 years ago.
33:05For the Yankees, you were in
33:07there every day.
33:08No matter how many runs there
33:10were ahead or behind, giving
33:12all you had.
33:14You will live long in
33:16baseball.
33:16And for generations to come,
33:19while boys in America play
33:21baseball, they will point to
33:23your record with pride and
33:25satisfaction.
33:28Teammates past and present
33:29turned out en masse,
33:31including the most famous of
33:33them all, Babe Ruth.
33:371927, Lou was with us, and I
33:40say that that was the best
33:42man for the Yankees ever.
33:44My idea was to let Blue go up
33:47into the mountains.
33:48I saw a fishing rat here a
33:50minute ago.
33:50Let him go up there and see if
33:52he can catch every fish there
33:53is.
34:02I know all the players on the field
34:04were crying, and I guess they had
34:07a packed stadium and everybody
34:09there.
34:09It was very, very sad and then
34:14nice, you know what I mean.
34:18Most of those in attendance
34:21is just how serious
34:23Lou's disease really was.
34:28It wasn't clear to me that he was
34:30quitting for all time.
34:31I think it wasn't clear to a lot of
34:33people that he was quitting for all
34:34time at that moment.
34:36But as soon as we heard other
34:37things about the progress of the
34:40disease, we knew later that Lou would
34:42never play again.
34:43We did not know that Lou Geary was
34:45dying of an incurable disease.
34:48It was unheard of.
34:50We knew he was suffering, but we
34:52didn't know he wasn't going to be
34:53cured.
34:54So I didn't think of it as looking
34:56at a dying man.
35:01And in retrospect, it made what
35:03happened next one of the game's
35:06most memorable and touching
35:07moments.
35:08Encouraged by the fans, Lou took
35:11one last walk to the plate.
35:16For the past two weeks, you've been
35:19reading about a bad brag.
35:22I was touched by what he had to say
35:25and I knew the emotion that went
35:28into the speech because I knew the
35:31fellow.
35:32And nobody could hear it, but be
35:36convinced that he wasn't speaking
35:38from the heart.
35:39When you look around, wouldn't you
35:43consider it a privilege to associate
35:47yourself with such a fine looking
35:50man as a standing in uniform in this
35:54ballpark today?
35:59He never did say very much about
36:01himself.
36:02He didn't feel sorry about himself.
36:04And it certainly was a very, very sad
36:06day for all of us to see him there
36:08right there at that microphone because
36:10we remembered of all the wonderful
36:13things that he did for the team.
36:15Lou was called upon without notes to
36:18make what has since become regarded, I
36:21guess, without any sarcasm as baseball's
36:23Gettysburg address.
36:28Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on
36:33the face of the earth.
36:39Here's columnist Shirley Povich, who is in
36:42attendance that emotional day.
36:45I saw strong men weep this afternoon.
36:48Expressionless umpires swallow hard.
36:51An emotion pumped the hearts and glazed the
36:55eyes of 61,000 baseball fans in Yankee
36:59Stadium.
37:00Yes, and hard-boiled news photographers
37:02clicked their shutters with fingers that
37:05trembled a bit.
37:10That I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an
37:16awful lot to live for.
37:25Just two years later, Lou was gone.
37:35As if the legend of Lou Gehrig wasn't already big
37:38enough, it only grew larger in the years following his
37:42untimely death.
37:44His number four was the first player ever to have a
37:47number retired.
37:48And then, of course, when they named him to the
37:50Hall of Fame, they named him almost immediately.
37:54In fact, Lou was the first player ever inducted directly
37:58into the Hall of Fame sans the five-year grace period.
38:02Meanwhile, in New York, he received a multitude of
38:05tributes.
38:06One was written on behalf of his teammates by journalist
38:10John Kieran.
38:17Lou Gehrig, it's proven to be quite durable.
38:22It's interesting, there's a guy who I think whose star may
38:24have gotten brighter rather than dimmed.
38:27The Ripken story really helped reemerge Lou Gehrig.
38:31A story that culminated the night that Cal Ripken Jr.
38:35topped Lou Gehrig's incredible consecutive games played streak.
38:41The moment that will stay with me the most is Ripken talked
38:45about being paired in history with the courageous Lou Gehrig.
38:50Tonight I stand here overwhelmed as my name is linked with
38:56the great and courageous Lou Gehrig.
38:59And the crowd yelled, Lou, Lou.
39:07I guarantee you that's the only time a crowd in Baltimore
39:12ever cheered for a Yankee.
39:16I know that if Lou Gehrig is looking down on tonight's activities,
39:22he isn't concerned about someone playing one more consecutive game
39:27than he did.
39:30Instead, he's viewing tonight as just another example of what is good
39:36and right about the great American game.
39:41Thanks to this other amazing player, Cal Ripken,
39:44Gehrig finally had gotten his due.
39:47Lou certainly got his due in 1999,
39:50when Major League Baseball unveiled its all-century team.
39:54Amazingly, baseball's biggest names,
39:57names that spanned a hundred years,
40:00took a backseat to Lou.
40:02For no one received more votes from the fans.
40:09...horse.
40:10...he had to catch a disease.
40:12Could have used that.
40:14Could have used that back in 1923.
40:18...and was one of the great sluggers of all time.
40:21He still holds the record for 23 career grand slams.
40:28Lou Gehrig!
40:29It's ironic that Lou's name,
40:31for so many years a symbol of strength and endurance,
40:35lives on today as the common name of the disease that took his life
40:39and as inspiration to those who search for a cure.
40:43Lou Gehrig's legacy.
40:45...
40:45...
40:46...
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