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
Related Posts -
Michael Jordan Posters sports-memorabilia -> Basketball-NBA -> Lithographs-Posters-and-Prints During the 1990s, it wasn't uncommon to see Michael Jordan posters lining the walls of kids rooms. Born in 1963, Jordan played college ball at the University of North Carolina and began his professional career (and played his best years) with National Basketball Association...... -
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...... -
Baseball Cards Sports Memorabilia -> Autographs, Original -> Baseball-MLB-> Trading Cards Baseball cards have been around for just about as long as the sport has and many of them have turned into very valuable collector items. Whether you are interested in collecting baseball cards from a fan perspective, or you are more...... -
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,......
Related Websites -
Verdasco Beats Roddick at SAP Open Fernando Verdasco beat Andy Roddick to take the win in San Jose, California, at the SAP Open on Sunday. This makes Verdasco's 4th career title and his first win against any of the top 10 players after 15 straight losses to tennis' best. Verdasco lost to Nikolay Davydenko in...... -
The ATP World Tour Finals The ATP World Tour Finals in London set 2 tennis records, with 17,467 in the audience, making it the largest crowd to ever watch a match in Britain--2,500 more than can watch a match at Wimbledon's Centre Court. This also ranks as the biggest indoor tennis tournament in tennis history,...... -
Cooper in Florida Returning for His Senior Season Riley Cooper, a receiver from Florida, who has made plans to play baseball for the Rangers in Texas has decided to return to the football field for a senior playing season. Urban Meyer, coach for the Florida Gators, made the announcement regarding Cooper's decision on this past Tuesday. This was...... -
Review: Follow the Roar: Tailing Tiger for All 604 Holes of His Most Spectacular Season by Bob Smiley Title - Follow the Roar: Tailing Tiger for All 604 Holes of His Most Spectacular Season Author - Bob Smiley ISBN - 0061690252 and 978-0061690259 Publisher - Harper Release Date - November 11, 2008 Format - Hardcover, 304 pages In January of 2008, Bob Smiley decided to follow the game...... -
McIlroy Takes the U.S. Open Easily to Recover from the Masters Everyone was watching with tension as Rory McIlroy stood poised to take the U.S Open in a record winning slew. Actually, the tension was not that great. In fact, there were many who were downright loose the entire time. Mcilroy was even chuckling along with his caddie and others at......
- Hendrix, Jimi H Rock, Pop Music Memorabilia Entertainment Memorabilia
- Rookies (1960-1969) Baseball-MLB Cards Sports Collectibles
- Jackets Florida Marlins Baseball-MLB Fan Apparel & Souvenirs Sports Collectibles
- 1960-69 Ads, Flyers Movie Memorabilia Entertainment Memorabilia
- Jackets Texas Rangers Baseball-MLB Fan Apparel & Souvenirs Sports Collectibles
