Sports History

Sports Memorabilia -> Fan Apparel & Souvenirs -> New York Yankees

Lou Gehrig, whose full name was actually Henry Louis Gehrig, is one of the most well-known names, not just in the history of baseball, but in the history of sports. He’s distinguished because of his remarkable career as a player, and his dignity in the face of the illness that forced him away from the sport he loved.

Lou Gehrig played in 2,130 consecutive baseball games, a record that wasn’t broken until Cal Ripken, Jr. bypassed that number in 1995. The game that ended Gehrig’s consecutive streak came after his health began to mysteriously fail was a Detroit game against the Tigers in which he benched himself for the good of the team. The news was so shocking that the announcer told the crowd that it was the first time Gehrig hadn’t played in 2,130 consecutive games. They gave him a standing ovation.

Gehrig’s fame first came because of his hitting ability. He was known as the Iron Horse and set many Major League Baseball records. In fact, Lou Gehrig set one record that still stands today—23 grand slams, the most grand slams in any baseball player’s career.

For those looking for Lou Gehrig memorabilia, authentic autographed items run from about $5000 to $20,000 and more, so beware of cheaper auctioned items claiming to be authentic. Look in well-respected sports memorabilia stores for the best items, and look for items that aren’t perhaps authentic signed items, but somehow related to the Yankees during Gehrig’s era.

Lou Gehrig played for the New York Yankees until illness put him on the bench, where he remained as the team captain for a few weeks before leaving entirely. He was only 36 years old when he was stricken with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which has become commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The disease is a neuromuscular disease that causes a slow paralysis to overtake the individual, which eventually prevents them from even breathing or swallowing without help, while the mind stays sharp.

Even when his health started to decline and his statistics dropped dramatically from the previous year’s statistics in 1938, his record was still good, just not outstanding as it had been previously. He accumulated an RBI of 1,995, a lifetime batting average of .340, and he was a seven-time All-Star, an impressive number since the first All-Star game wasn’t played until 1933, and his career ended just before the game in 1939. He was the 1927 American League Most Valuable Player twice and won the Triple Crown in 1934. All high distinctions, considering he played ball with Babe Ruth, another Major League legend, who often overshadowed all other baseball stars.

If Lou Gehrig’s career was distinguished, so was his exit from baseball. When the diagnosis of ALS was given, it was only two weeks before he stood up and gave his famous farewell speech to a packed crowd, which stood and applauded him for two solid minutes. In that speech, he said he was “the luckiest man on the face of this earth.”

Originally posted 2008-10-25 05:00:13. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• What is the Best Sports Memorabilia? Millions of people are shopping online looking for the best sports memorabilia. The best sports memorabilia can easily span a number of different sports while including a wide range of different items including high demand items, rare items and cool items, funny items and even some more bizarre items as......
• Football Helmets Sports Memorabilia -> Fan Apparel & Souvenirs -> Football-NFL Official NFL memorabilia comes in all shapes and sizes, but some very distinctive collectible items are NFL football helmets. Whether you want to collect one from each of the 30 teams, or just your favorite team or teams, it's a fun......
• Types of Sports Memorabilia Items to Buy There are a number of different forms that sports memorabilia items can take, including both modern memorabilia and vintage memorabilia. Some of the sports memorabilia items that you can purchase and add to your collection include: - Autographed sports memorabilia items, including balls, gloves, bats, cards and anything else that......
• World Series Sports Memorabilia -> Fan Apparel & Souvenirs -> World Series Even someone who knows very little about sports most likely knows what the World Series is all about, because it's heavily advertised and almost impossible to avoid during the fall. The World Series is Major League Baseball's championship series,......
• Baseball Jerseys Sports Memorabilia -> Fan Apparel & Souvenirs -> Baseball-MLB Baseball fan love everything about the game—the atmosphere, the rules, the players, the equipment, and especially the collectible memorabilia like baseball jerseys, the older, the better. Major League Baseball produces tons of memorabilia like bats, balls, caps, cards, logos, banners, and......

• The Legacy of Jaco Pastorius - Joe Sinaguglia For over twenty years now, the planet has been without the presence of Jaco Pastorius, the revolutionary electric bass player of the 70s. He was a member of the group Weather Report and later led his own bands. Sadly, the lifestyle caught up to him in 1987. Despite his death,......
• On This date in Baseball History-July 31 On July 31, 2005, Wade Boggs and Ryne Sandberg are inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in a ceremony at Cooperstown. On July 31, 1996, the New York Yankees acquire slugging DH/first baseman Cecil "Big Daddy" Fielder  from the Detroit Tigers for outfielder Ruben Sierra and minor......
• Five Things Indiana Jones Can Teach Us About Personal Finance I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull this past weekend. Was it as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark? How many movies are? Was it a lot of fun to watch? Absolutely! I got to thinking about 'ole Indy. What makes him successful in......
• Microsoft - Yet Another Negative Comment! Im not one to bitch, moan & complain much. At least I like to think so.. But every man/women has his or hers limit.. and today, The Microsft Corporation crossed that limit line.. My son got an xBox controller for his PC for christmas last year. We don't own a......
• Topsy-Turvy Tuesday I teased you a couple of days ago about my Tuesday. I've been trying to get it out of my mind for a couple of days. It was just a roller coaster day where things started off bad, got a little better, then got bad again. Looking back on it,......

• New York Yankees Baseball-MLB Fan Apparel Souvenirs Sports Collectibles
• Bats Baseball-MLB Game Used Memorabilia Sports Collectibles
• Pucks Hockey-NHL Game Used Memorabilia Sports Collectibles
• Jerseys Hockey-NHL Game Used Memorabilia Sports Collectibles
• Publications New York Yankees Baseball-MLB Fan Apparel Souvenirs Sports Collectibles