By Samantha Burden
On July 4, 1939 Yankee Lou Gehrig gave one of the most famous and moving speeches in sports history. “Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth,” said Gehrig as he gave his farewell address in the sold-out Yankees Stadium after being diagnosed with the deadly ALS disease.
Gehrig played first base for the Yankees during the years 1923-1939 and played in a record 2,330 consecutive games. He won the Triple Crown award and had an overall batting average of .340. To this day, he is still one of the best baseball players to ever play the game. His illness came as a shock to many; one of the strongest athletes in the world was diagnosed with such a crippling disease. Gehrig made the decision to retire in 1939, after having the worst season of his MLB career; he realized that he could no longer play with this disease. The doctors had given him three more years to live.
Lou Gehrig, one of the most talented and humble players in all of baseball, proclaimed in front of his family, friends, teammates, opponents, former umpires, and thousands of fans that he would be retiring from baseball. Despite his unfortunate state, Gehrig’s speech was filled with positivity and inspires people to look at the bright side in times of darkness.
As all felt sorry for the poor hand he was dealt, Gehrig proclaimed how lucky he felt to be alive and to be able to have played as a Yankee:
“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.”
His optimism motivates and inspires everyone going through tough times to this day. His words "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” convey his appreciation for life; appreciation that we should all have and an attitude that we should all strive to imitate.
Lou Gehrig’s speech, although given 70 years ago, is still relevant to anybody going through a tough time. It can be read in full at baseball.about.com.
In his closing, Lou states, “So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.” Lou Gehrig is a true inspiration and role model, his farewell speech indicates how he and how everyone should appreciate each day. He died less than two years after giving this iconic speech, but his legacy lives on--to appreciate, love and value your life.
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