The Amazing Life of Lou Gehrig

1. The Amazing Life of Lou Gehrig By Andrew Ball

2. Introduction • Born on June 19, 1903 • Died at age 39 on June 2, 1941 in Riverdale, New York • Most famous for never missing a game as a Yankee • I chose him because he is a great baseball player

3. Childhood During Lou’s childhood, Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company. The Wright Brothers attempted to fly their airplane and the Flatiron building was considered to be the nation’s first true skyscraper. Lou Gehrig was a son of poor, struggling immigrants from Germany. Later, his parents found lodging in Manhattan. Lou’s father was frequently ill and Lou’s mother weighed 200 pounds and was a robust worker but, she was an excellent baker. Lou delivered laundry and picked up supplies. Gehrig was rewarded with trolley fare and every once in a while, he got money from his dad to go on a visit to Coney Island Lou was riding roller coasters and eating all the food he wanted. His mother, Christina, saw that Lou had plenty to eat even though they were a poor family. When Lou was getting older, he grew bigger and stronger. Lou’s dad took him to the gym and both of them worked out often. Lou occasionally grew closer to his mother. She said, “ He’s the only big egg I have in my basket.” In 1908, the Gehrigs moved up to Washington Heights on the northern tip of Manhattan. Lou then attended Public School 132 and he was shy, so he got taunted by his classmates. Lou thought this school would be ok for him to go to.

4. Adolescence During Gehrig’s teen years, he got a scholarship to play football at Columbia University. Later, Gehrig started playing baseball for the Hartford Senators and football for Columbia University. Lou got banned from playing football and baseball because he was playing both sports with separate teams. Then, the Yankees saw Lou Gehrig previously in a Hartford Senators game. The Yankees saw Lou Gehrig as the second Babe Ruth and he signed a contract with the Yankees at age 19. From this point on, this was the only team Lou would play for in baseball, and his parents never worked another day in their lives. When Lou joined the team he made the starting lineup for the Yankees and would later be known as the Iron Horse for never missing a game for the Yankees. He would later meet Miller Huggins, the manager of the New York Yankees. Lou Gehrig had struck out in a game against the Detroit Tigers. Huggins moved Lou Gehrig back down to the Hartford Senators where Gehrig used to be playing a couple years ago. Gehrig would be moved up to the majors after doing an excellent job in the minors with a .345 batting average and some home runs.

5. Adulthood Lou Gehrig arrived at Yankee stadium on June 11, 1923 to play for the Yankees for the first time. Gehrig went 0 for 4 in a game against the Detroit Tigers. The manager of the Yankees, Miller Huggins, moved Gehrig down to the minor leagues. Gehrig was hitting .545 in the minors and was excellent, hitting many home runs and knocking in RBI’s. A couple days later, Miller Huggins moved Gehrig back up to the Majors and Lou Gehrig hit .345 and started his consecutive game streak. Babe Ruth had let Lou Gehrig use his bat during batting practice and Lou didn’t want to break Babe Ruth’s bat. Lou cracked home runs into the right field bleachers and his home runs were bullets. Babe Ruth’s home runs were moon shots. Babe also told Gehrig about the finer points of hitting and was like a mentor to Lou Gehrig. After Gehrig’s first season with Babe Ruth and the Yankees, he was going to be an excellent baseball player. Lou Gehrig was there for the Yankees 2,130 games in a row. Then, in 1938, ALS manifested itself in Lou’s body. Then, in 1941, he died from ALS in Riverdale, New York at age 37. Babe Ruth went to Gehrig’s funeral and the movie “Pride of the Yankees” was released a year after Gehrig died. This was not a documentary because it had dates and places mixed up and took liberties with the facts.

6. Timeline 1939-Consecutive game streak ends at 2,130 games 1903- Lou Gehrig is born 1923-Signs with Yankees 1933- Marries Eleanor Twitchell 1936- Wins AL MVP 1938- ALS manifests itself 1935-Becomes Yankees team captain 1941-Gehrig dies from ALS 1921-Graduates from High School of Commerce 1925-Consecutive game streak begins

7. Positive Contributions Lou Gehrig made a positive contribution when he started his consecutive game streak. The Yankees had their captain for 2,130 consecutive games. Lou was in the starting lineup because he earned his spot. Lou was also a very good sport to his team and the opposing team. Lou Gehrig had hit 47 home runs that season and helped the Yankees win a lot of games and played well for all the seasons that he played with them.

8. Most Interesting Thing I Learned About Lou Gehrig The most interesting thing I learned about Lou Gehrig is his consecutive game streak. He was there for 2,130 games in a row for the Yankees. He was doing very well in those 2,130 games hitting 47 home runs in one season. His consecutive game streak ended when ALS manifested itself in Lou Gehrig’s body in 1939 and two years later, he died in Riverdale, New York in 1941.

9. My Questions for Lou Gehrig • How much longer would you play baseball? • What was the most important event in your life? • How do you think you will live when you get older?

10. Bibliography Book: Baseball Superstars: Lou Gehrig Author: Ronald A. Reis Copy Right date: 2007 Where: Chelsea House, 132 West 31st Street New York, NY