For Years Americans Celebrated

FOR YEARS AMERICANS CELEBRATED the Fourth of July with baseball doubleheaders. In 1939, New Yorkers gathered to witness some great baseball, but more importantly, they came to Yankee Stadium to honor a hero and a friend.

The Yankees engaged the Washington Senators in the holiday twin bill. Following a 3–2 New York loss in the opener, more than 61,000 fans witnessed the legendary 1927 Bronx Bomber squad gather on the field facing home plate. After they were introduced, current players from both teams lined the base paths before Lou Gehrig, former Yankees first baseman, stepped from the dugout to receive gifts.

Following the presentation, Gehrig, who played in 2,130 consecutive games (a record that stood until 1995 when Cal Ripken Jr. broke it), choked up as he spoke. But former manager Joe McCarthy shouted words of encouragement, and the “Iron Horse” suppressed tears to deliver words of appreciation.

Forced into retirement with a deteriorating muscular disease, the ex-Yankee opened with, “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.”

Gehrig continued by thanking his fans, teammates, organization, opponents, parents, and wife for their support and strength. He counted among his blessings an education, the chance to play baseball, and the love of those around him. The “Pride of the Yankees” closed his farewell address by stating, “I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.”

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POINT Not only did Lou Gehrig fight back tears, fans at Yankee Stadium and those listening by radio swallowed weepy lumps in their throat too. They appreciated the brave ballplayer who was fighting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (later renamed Lou Gehrig’s Disease), which would ultimately take his life on June 2, 1941, when he was only 37.

But on that Independence Day, fans also remembered the brave patriots who had fought for a free nation. Fifty-six men risked their life to sign the Declaration of Independence. William Dawes, Paul Revere, and Samuel Prescott rode through dangerous territory to warn that the enemy approached. About 4,000 American soldiers died in the Revolution’s battles.

In the Bible, the apostle Peter knew his days on earth would be short. He reminded us to remember the people and teachings of those who have gone before us to spread God’s Good News.

GOAL! Read a biography of Lou Gehrig or check out his farewell on the Internet. Ask God to help you appreciate those who lived their life well and left a legacy for others to follow.