Lou Gehrig, The Luckiest Man On The Face Of The Earth

My friends, this post will be mostly attributed to my Papaw Northern, and some of the reason why I love baseball. Lou Gehrig, had one of the most impressive records in my opinion, in baseball history. An exceptionally strong man, with humble beginnings. I am reminded, to mention, Lou Gehrig, played for The Yankees, a team, I like. Very much. Which will give Josh Nason plenty of ammunition to speculate why I like The Red Sox.... I just do, okay, big boy?
The Red Sox, are underdogs...... I will always root for the underdog....
it's a compassionate sickness, I know.
Self-inflicted, due to my tender heart.

Gehrig, who's wife, and I continue to speculate, if your brother, Mr. Nason, is just as much as a Yankees feller as you are, their child, who, to my knowledge still hasn't arrived.... will be named after, (intentional or unintentional), after Gehrig's wife. Eleanor. Just sayin......

Gehrig, was famous for being very strong. An unbelievable hitter, and to be struck down with illness, at such an early age, a man's life taken over from an illness called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

My Papaw Northern had this illness. There is no rhyme or reason for it. It just takes people. Now, Papaw Northern, built the house I live in. He built the barn I look at every day. He built the outhouse that still stands outside. The smokehouse that is falling apart in the front yard, and farmed tobacco, cattle, and anything that literally moved or could be eaten, or used as medication. Very active. Strong. Determined man. A man, I never met, due to the fact he passed away before Rachel was born, before, I was a thought in my parent's heads. Papaw Northern was a very young man. My Daddy, was fearful, he would not live past his Daddy's age.....

Look at him now, turned into the Bionic Daddy. My Daddy, is so strong. Which my Mama had doubted all this time. Daddy is doing so well, his projected turn around time, will, I know, be astounding. Daddy, will continue to shock and amaze us. Daddy tells ME things he doesn't tell Mama and Rachel. You see, we have an understanding. We have a lot in common with the fact, we have been seen as "underdogs." Proud as a peacock, baby.

Back to Gehrig, something else, Papaw, Daddy, and I share. We appreciate the deck of cards being dealt to us. Graciously accepting reality.

He gave a speech, which he calls himself, "The luckiest man on the face of the earth."
Brave huh? Strong huh?

"Fans, 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 the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.

"Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn't consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I'm lucky. Who wouldn't consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of America's greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I'm lucky.

"When The New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift, - that's something. When everybody form the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies - that's something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter - that's something.
When you have a father and mother who work all their lives so that you can have and education and build your body - it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed - that's the finest I know.

"So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for. Thank you."

------- Lou Gehrig at Yankee Stadium, July 4, 1939

So you see, maybe it's you all who should be jealous of the mountains I have to climb, and face on my own, so I can continue my own claim to fame, to join my own "Murderer's Row." (famous baseball line-up) (shut-up, Josh, I know, you that......but not everybody else will....)

I do love you, and I do, mean it!!!!!!