http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkV5-49JnNk

Lou Gehrig is commemorated as people who witnessed his farewell speech in Yankee stadium on July 4, 1939 remember his powerful words and emotions. They talk about the trophy his teammates presented to him, as well as the meaningful embrace between Gehrig and old teammate Babe Ruth. Gehrig was the first baseball player to ever have his jersey number retired. Find out more about Lou Gehrig on Witnify’s featured page on this baseball icon.

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Witnesses Speak on the Baseball Legend’s Yankee Stadium Farewell appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OoKpzHT3FE

On April 12, 1935, baseball legend Lou Gehrig and former heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey met at New York City’s famous gym run by Artie McGovern. The opening day of the gym was four days later. This rare footage from Witnify was featured by the New York Times on July 4, 2014 for the 75th anniversary of his iconic farewell speech from the Major Leagues. Please visit our featured page on Lou Gehrig to view the longer version of this video.

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Lou Gehrig & Jack Dempsey at McGovern’s Gym in 1935 (Shorter Version) appeared first on Witnify.

Author: Sarah Dejak

“I may have been given a bad break, but I have an awful lot to live for…”

Lou Gehrig in his Yankees uniform. (1937). Source: Creative Commons.

10. Nicknamed ‘The Iron Horse,’ Gehrig was known for his astounding strength (particularly his powerful legs), his endurance as well as his unparalleled commitment to the game.

9. Though he played every game, still maintained an impressive .340 average.

8. Hit four home runs in one game, on June 3, 1932. Only 16 other major league players have accomplished this feat, which the Sporting News called “baseball’s greatest single game accomplishment.”

Lou Gehrig slides into home plate to score a run in the fourth inning as the Yankees were playing the Washington Senators. The Yankees would go on to win that game 3-2. (1925). Source: Creative Commons.

7. Won the Triple Crown in 1934, leading the American League in average (.363), home runs (49) and RBIs (165).

6. Hit 463 career home runs, setting the record for most home runs by a first-basemen. Mark McGwire surpassed his record in 1999—hitting 500.

5. Holds the record for most grand slams in a career with 23.

4. Became the only player in history to drive in more than 500 runs in 3-years with 174 in ‘30, 184 in ‘31 and 151 in ’32 (for a total of 509).

Lou Gehrig with his idol Babe Ruth at an exhibition game in West Point, New York. (May 6, 1927). Source: Creative Commons.

3. His 184 RBI’s in ’31 is an American League record.  He ranks 2^nd (behind Hack Wilson of the Cubs) for most in Major League history.

2. Set record for playing most consecutive games with 2,130.  That record stood nearly 60 years until Cal Ripken famously surpassed him in 1995.

1. Was the first athlete to have his number retired into a Hall of Fame, a practice that is done in most sports these days. The normal tradition of waiting two years before retiring a jersey was waived for Gehrig, due to his progressive illness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkV5-49JnNk

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[Blog] 10 Lifetime Achievements in Lou Gehrig’s 37 Years appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkV5-49JnNk

In an ESPN SportsCentury documentary on Lou Gehrig’s life, David Blumenthal, one of Gehrig’s longtime friends, recounts the day Gehrig gave his famous farewell speech and–even if more than 60 years has passed since the speech–is moved to tears. Although Gehrig went on to live another two years after his farewell speech, Blumenthal refers to the day of his speech as “the last day of Lou Gehrig.”

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Childhood Friend Remembers Gehrig’s Farewell appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xutSMqYEzYA

Actor Sean Astin talks about one of his favorite movies, “The Pride of the Yankees.” Astin talks about how emotional the film is and how his mother cry whenever she sees it. “The Pride of the Yankees” is a tribute to the career of Lou Gehrig. The film came out in 1942, a year after the baseball legend had passed away–it was nominated for 11 Oscars at the 15th Academy Awards in 1943, winning one for Best Film Editor. Gehrig’s Yankees teammates, including Babe Ruth, played themselves in the film. The film ends with Gehrig’s famous farewell speech and particularly with the well-known line: “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.”

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Lou Gehrig’s Legacy in ‘The Pride of the Yankees’ appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sqCDktlFW8

After 17 seasons in the MLB, in which he was one of the best players in the league, Lou Gehrig ended his illustrious career on May 2, 1939 when he took himself out of the New York Yankees lineup in a game against the Detroit Tigers. Gehrig felt weakened through the first month of the 1939 season and fellow players remember him not playing like he always had. Although he did not know it at the time, Lou Gehrig had amyotrophic later sclerosis (ALS), which would later be referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Although he died two years later in 1941, his career will forever be remembered. Gehrig was the first MLB player to have his uniform number retired.

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The End of ‘The Iron Horse’s’ Career appeared first on Witnify.

“Gehrig looked every bit the hero, big shoulders, big biceps, a smile that went with his twinkling eyes, and dimples and curly hair that would inspire oohs and aahs that were to come a few years later when Frankie Sinatra’s bobby soxers invented the swoon.”

Lou Gehrig in his Columbia University Jersey.

Reporter Glen Bayless remembers his 1939 interview with Lou Gehrig that “has never faded in memory over the years.” He describes the captivating presence of the baseball icon, even as he began to succumb to the illness that would take his life two years later. With his enduring composure and vitality, Gehrig made a lasting impression on the young reporter and the nation.

“It was 45 years ago this Wednesday that the “Iron Horse” Lou Gehrig was not in the lineup of the New York Yankees for the first time in 2,130 games.

Crippled by a backache, Gehrig left Yankee Stadium to go to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., to find out what was wrong with him a dwindling batting average far out of character with the Yanks’ cleanup hitter since June 1, 1925.

This date brings memories of a rainy afternoon in Oklahoma City in March 1939, when a 23-year-old sports reporter had an interview that has never faded in memory over the years.

The reporter took advantage of the rainout at the old Oklahoma City Indians ball park on Pennsylvania Avenue to go ask Henry Louis Gehrig about his hitting slump and his pains.

Gehrig’s lackluster performance had become a headline in the newspapers during the early spring, and the opening game of the 1939 season was only days away.

The Yankees were in town for an exhibition game on their way home to open the American League season.

Gehrig played his last game on April 30, 1939.

Because of the rainout, Gehrig was not otherwise occupied, and would graciously stand still for an interview.

Those were the days when American and National League teams scheduled exhibitions on their way north from spring training in Florida. The Grapefruit League made life worth living to baseball fanatics who from October to March had only the gossipy Hot Stove League for life support.

There were no major league teams west of St. Louis in those days, and it was no easy task to see a major leaguer in the flesh.

An exhibition game between the Yankees and the Oklahoma City Class A Texas League team was good, even though second best.

Newsreels 10 days old and tinny broadcast radio reconstruction of games were as close as you got to the real thing.

Unless, of course, you had a generous uncle who sprang for tickets at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis to see the Gas House Gang Cardinals, with Dizzy Dean and Oklahomans Pepper Martin and Ducky Medwick.

The expectation mounted as the young reporter walked through the Skirvin Hotel lobby for the interview. There in the lobby, lounging in leather chairs were Joe DiMaggio, only three years in the majors but already a demigod, and Earl Coombs, the white-haired coach who years before had roamed centerfield, a ball hawk and a .300 hitter….”

Read the full account of Lou Gehrig’s interview HERE.

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[TEXT] Reporter Recalls Interview With Dying Sports Hero appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p2WZufrzQk

In the only commercial recording of Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, the baseball legends prove that they should stick to their day jobs. They may be reading from a comedy script but their athletic talent does not seem to extend to the comedic domain. Despite its awkward jokes and stories, the recording offers a rare chance to hear the voices of two of the most famous players in baseball when they were young.

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A Baseball Legend, Not a Standup Act appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl8R_9pCaDE

Lou Gehrig, baseball legend and former New York Yankee, is remembered for his record-setting consecutive game streak, his skills as a first baseman and his powerful swing at the plate. Gehrig–once diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease today–announced his retirement from the game in this well-known farewell speech given on July 4, 1939.

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‘The Iron Horse’ at His Best appeared first on Witnify.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkviK4to-Xw

Keith Olbermann interviews Babe Dahlgren about the day he replaced Lou Gehrig–ending Gehrig’s streak of 2,130 consecutive games played, the record for most consecutive games played at the time. Dahlgren describes the feeling of the dugout on the day he replaced Gehrig and talks about how he failed to convince Gehrig to return to the game and keep his streak alive. Gehrig started his historic streak on June 1, 1925 when he entered a game as a pinch hitter and played every game from that date to the first month of the 1939 MLB season. Throughout the 1938 season and into the 1939 season, Gehrig started to become weakened by an undiagnosed disease, which would later be named Lou Gehrig’s disease. After a poor performance in the first month of the 1939 season, Gehrig told his manager, Joe McCarthy, that he was going to bench himself. On May 2, 1939, Ellsworth “Babe” Dahlgren replaced Gehrig in the lineup at first base.

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Babe Dahlgren Talks About Replacing Lou Gehrig appeared first on Witnify.