Lou Gehrig: A True Hero

If you were to stop a random stranger on the street passing by and ask them what significant moment comes to mind when July 4th is mentioned, most people will likely talk about how it is the day that the United States declared its independence from England, which is one of the most important and iconic moments in our nation's history. 

However, if you were to ask a random sports fan the same question, I am sure Independence Day would be on the top of their list, but don't be surprised if the “Luckiest Man Alive'' speech is also mentioned in that conversation. 

(Mark Rucker/Getty Images)

Lou Gehrig, known as the Iron Horse, was best known for his 2,130 consecutive games played streak and as the player that made one of the most memorable speeches in sports history. 

Genuine and emotional, the baseball icon with less than two years to live shared his deepest feelings to a captivated audience that left many tears shed and lots of tissues used. 

The speech occurred on July 4, 1939, which was “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day”, when the life-long New York Yankee first baseman spoke these famous words while standing at home plate at Yankee Stadium. 

"For the past two weeks, you have been reading about a bad break. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." Gehrig stated. The next day in the New York Times wrote, "the vast gathering, sitting in absolute silence for a longer period than perhaps any baseball crowd in history, heard Gehrig himself deliver as amazing a valedictory as ever came from a ballplayer."

Gehrig’s speech, which can be found in its entirety, on the National Baseball Hall of Fame site is known as the “Luckiest Man” speech.

Henry Louis Gehrig was born on June 19, 1903, and passed away on June 2, 1941, just under three weeks before his 38th birthday.

Gehrig played 17 Major League seasons, all with the New York Yankees. He was notorious for his proficiency as a hitter and for his toughness, which earned him the nickname "The Iron Horse." 

Gehrig appeared in seven consecutive All-Star Games, won the Triple Crown when he batted .363 with 49 home runs and 165 RBI’s in 1934, was voted the Most Valuable Player in the American League twice, once in 1927 and then again in 1936 and was a six-time World Series Champion. 

Gehrig finished his career with a .340 batting average. He hit 493 career home runs and had just under 2,000 career RBI’s. 

In 1939, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, which made him the youngest player ever to be elected, and was the first Major League player to have his uniform number (4) retired by a team. 

Gehrig was a native of New York City and was a student at Columbia University. 

He signed with the Yankees in 1923 where he set many major league records during his career, which include most career grand slams (23), a record that has since been broken by alleged steroid user Alex Rodriguez.

Gehrig's most famous record of consecutive games played (2,130) stood for 56 years until it was later broken by Cal Ripken Jr. in 1995, whose nickname ironically became “The Iron Man”. Gehrig's consecutive game streak ended on May 2, 1939, where he freely took himself out of the game, which stunned the New York Yankee players and their fans. 

The reason Gehrig made this decision was because he became hindered by an undiagnosed ailment subsequently confirmed to be amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, an incurable neuromuscular illness. It is now commonly known to North American's as “Lou Gehrig's Disease.” 

The disease forced Gehrig to retire at the young age of 36, and even though Gehrig fought to the end, he lost his battle two years later.

(Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

A monument in Gehrig's honor, which was originally dedicated to the New York Yankees in 1941, currently resides in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. At the end of every season, the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award is presented to the Major League Baseball player who best exhibits the honesty and spirit that Gehrig displayed during his career. 

Gehrig's fight and heart, along with his amazing Major League career, make him one of the best players to ever play the game. He is still the youngest player in Major League Baseball history to be elected to the Hall of Fame. 

We all deal with hardship and tough breaks in our everyday lives, but we have a choice on how we deal with those situations. 

We should all take a page out of Gehrig's book as he showed us no matter how hard things get, there is always something positive to look forward to and maybe a little "luck" isn't such a bad thing either.