Lou Gehrig Speech Yankee Stadium July 4th, 2009.

The 4 ALS Tribute to Henry Lou Gehrig. July 4th, 2009 on the 70th anniversary of his speech:


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."

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Yankees
• New York
• Gehrig
• Lou
• Speech
• Farewell
• ALS
• July 4th
• baseball
• yanks
• NYC
• bronx
• bombers
• iron
• horse

[gsxrbuckeye]

I hate the Yankees!  But God Bless Lou Gherig!

[MrNewyorkgiants]

@atupid91 no sir i have done the speech multiple times for projects. it is in fact "i have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragements from you fans"

[bvestationfan]

Whoever does not have respect for Lou Gehrig, may not call themselves a fan of the sport, nor can they call themselves a baseball player.

[degodly]

I almost cried.

[ricepaddy69]

@victorkipp  Unfortunately, no one seems to have the footage of the entire speech, which I would love to watch. They only have the beginning and the end. Frustrating, to say the least!

[victorkipp]

a disgrace to the man to have these players speak his words.. at a shame of a ballpark... fuck the new Yankee Stadium

[wallawaka123]

i always thought that they forgot this day. im glad they didnt :)

[maverick10241]

@countof3everybodyOD i don't care about the Yankees i did back when mantle and Maris played but your right these Yankees cant hold a bat without a glove or go on the dl because of a cold Lou did and that's why he is still respected today ,baseball is all about the $ but Lou played because he loved the game the players of today are all about the $ and the fame piss poor players in my book.

[MalaFiumanka]

My class used to read a book about Lou Gehrig in an i.l.a book.