July 4, 1939 - Lou Gehrig's Farewell.

This is a great article on the impact of Lou Gehrigh's 277 word address at Yankee Stadium:

And it had the advantage of being broadcast over the public address system in the very large house that Gehrig’s rotund teammate built. For the past 72 years, that haunting echo has been part of almost every recitation.


“Today -- today, today, today, I consider myself -- myself, myself, myself -- the luckiest man on the face of the earth, earth earth.”

It was obvious luck had abandoned him, though few in attendance knew how dire Gehrig’s situation was. As he ambled to home plate, they just knew he wasn’t the same guy who played through broken bones, concussions and illness for 14 straight seasons.

Gehrig’s consecutive game streak had ended two months earlier. The two-time MVP was batting .143. After going hitless the night before, he unassumingly walked over to manager Joe McCarthy before a game in Detroit.

“I’m benching myself, Joe,” he said, “for the good of the team.”

Gehrig was 35 years old. He never played again.

And:

A few weeks later the Yankees decided to make July 4 “Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day.” There were testimonials and gifts. Gehrig was already so weak he couldn’t hold the awards presented to him.


He almost had to be prodded to the microphone. For most of his career, his bat had done all the talking when it mattered. Now it was his turn.

There was no way to avoid mentioning the elephant in the stadium, so he started by acknowledging his “bad break.” He quickly pivoted, calling himself not just lucky, but the luckiest man on the face of the earth.

He talked about other people, and how lucky he was to have known them. From owners to managers to teammates to the groundskeepers. He even thanked his mother-in-law for her support.

“So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break,” Gehrig said, “but I’ve got an awful lot to live for. Thank you.”

Generations of people have thanked him for the inspiration, for showing them how to handle adversity. And he did it in 277 words.

I'm tempted to say that they don't make 'em like Lou Gehrig anymore, but I'm sure they do.  

It's just that these days the Lou Gehrig's get lost in the distracting buzz of shameless self-promoters.