As a young man, Lou Gehrig was sensitive, shy and quick to take offence. To some extent, his own childhood contributed to
Lou Gehrig’s sense of angst. He came from a poor, “European” family background. His father was engaged in a constant struggle for survival, his mother was a traditional housewife, and there was little outward display of affection between parents and children. Besides, Lou Gehrig was awkward for his age, and the other boys teased him. The United States entered World War I (against Germany) - being of German origin adversely affected his psyche / mental makeup also.
Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were the two outstanding baseball players of our times. The mastery of the game comes easily to some men; but this was not true of Lou Gehrig… who was more gifted as a footballer than as a baseball player! However he had certain outstanding personal qualities:
• He was a very persistent person
• He was willing to learn, and he wanted to improve himself (by correcting the initial flaws in his game)
• He inspired faith in others around him
Lou Gehrig played in more professional games than any other player of baseball. But this alone is not what makes him a hero: Lou Gehrig continued to struggle even as he endured the physical pain and suffering (of his disease); due to illness, his speed and skill deserted him but this did not seem to impair his abilities as a baseball player. And he never, never complained at the hand fate had dealt him.
Lou Gehrig stood before tens of thousands of fans at the Yankee stadium to bid a final goodbye to baseball. Though fate had cut short an outstanding career, he considered himself the luckiest man upon the earth, nonetheless. The reason why he felt that way was that the love and kindness bestowed upon him by everyone finally convinced him that his life had been worthwhile after all…
Lou Gehrig was not the only person in his family who displayed outstanding courage during his lifetime. Other family members also displayed heroic behavior when the occasion demanded it. When Lou Gehrig’s father was afflicted by paralysis, his mother worked as a cook & housekeeper to make both ends meet. On the other hand, when Lou Gehrig’s wife (Eleanor) learned that he had only a few, short years left to live, she did not weep but met him smiling and laughing as always. As for Lou Gehrig himself, though in his heart of hearts he must have known that his situation was hopeless, he struggled against the illness nonetheless with the same courage and determination he had earlier displayed in his baseball career.
When time came to pay tribute to Lou Gehrig, homage was first paid to the man – and only later to the baseball player! The Yankees paid tribute to their team-mate first, and to their captain only afterwards!