Lou's Final Day
For this piece, I spoke to Lou Gehrig about his retirement from baseball as well as Babe Ruth, whom I caught outside a diner weeks before the announcement of Gehrig's retirement was made known, plus coach Joe McCarthy, mentioned by name in Gehrig's "farewell address." It was Joe whom Gehrig called "outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today" in a tribute that rang with both triumph and tragedy (Gehrig). Joe told me later he felt blessed just being able to work alongside such a great man as Gehrig. He obviously meant it: there were tears in his eyes when he said it. But that's how much Gehrig has meant, not only to the game but to the guys who played it, play it still and love it. Just say the name "Gehrig" and grown men cry -- and not in a bad way.
Gehrig has been one of the greats: a great ballplayer, a great human being, great in adversity, and humble at all times. He hailed from Colombia University -- so he was no slouch as a young man; and he wasn't from the streets. He was born with brains and brilliance and had the athleticism to boot that would make him the "pride of the Yankees." What went through his mind as he sat out his first game in 14 years, when he went to manager Joe McCarthy and said, "I'm benching myself, Joe," after weeks of tired play? It was not that his skills or talents were off -- he could still meet bat with ball -- it was just that his power was gone. Gehrig himself told me: "I knew it was gone spring training, that day...
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