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Shoutout to Lou Gehrig

CatsTopPac

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I just wanted to acknowledge Gehrig's speech, 75 years ago, today. Perhaps the greatest speech showing gratitude for life, it had nothing to do with politics, religion, or even his country (on July 4th, no less). It was a simple nod to his family, friends, the kindness of complete strangers, and the game he loved. RIP Lou

"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 this earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.

Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn't consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I'm lucky. Who wouldn't consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball's greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I'm lucky.

When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift - that's something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies - that's something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter - that's something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body - it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed - that's the finest I know.

So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for."
 

HammerDown

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Lou-Gehrig-Color-Speech-Yankees-080114.jpg


Someone has colorized a photo of Gehrig during the speech and it's pretty amazing.

I don't want to get too rhapsodic, but you can all but make out the conflicts of that moment in Gehrig's face, and probably at least a flicker of awareness that something was deeply wrong with him.

That's a resonant image of a resonant human being.

More here...
 

HammerDown

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tducey

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Such a great player, 1 of the best of all time.
 

greencrow

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Happy 76th anniversary of Lou's speech.
 
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