Book Review: "Luckiest Man"

No, this isn't second grade, but the title of "book review" may make it seem that way. With the last few days being relatively slow in the world of sports (I already wrote about Penn State, and I don't really feel like writing about the U.S. basketball team blowing out another opponent), I decided it was a good time to share my thoughts on a book that I just recently finished reading.
This will not be a grammatical and technical review of Jonathan Eig's biography of Lou Gehrig, but more of a look back at Gehrig's life and my feelings on it, as well as what I learned about one of the greatest first basemen to ever play the game of baseball. First, the title, "Luckiest Man," comes from one of the most famous speeches in the history of sports, when Gehrig claimed that he was the "luckiest man on the face of the earth" as he spoke to Yankee fans at the end of his career. The average baseball fan probably knows Gehrig for that speech, his consecutive games played record, and the disease named after him that eventually took his life. While these were all obviously noteworthy parts of Gehrig's story, Eig was able to tell a complete story of Gehrig's entire life, from his childhood in New York City, to his wonderful baseball career, and all the way to his death due to a still mysterious disease called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or "Lou Gehrig's Disease."
Gehrig grew up in New York City in the same conditions as many Irish immigrants of the time. Life was hard, every member of the family worked, and living conditions were not good. Gehrig's mother and father both worked hard to support their children; many times too hard, and their marriage suffered. Due to extremely poor living conditions, many children were unable to survive and reach adulthood, and Gehrig's family was not immune to these tragic circumstances, as Gehrig's sister died at a young age. Through these hardships, Gehrig gained a great appreciation for the work ethic of his mother, and it would have a lasting impact on him throughout his entire life.
Baseball in New York was popular at the time, with the Giants and Yankees being two of the most notable teams in not just New York, but the entire baseball world. Though it seemed unrealistic, Gehrig dreamed of being able to play baseball for a living one day. As he continued to play, he only got better and better, and eventually ended up attending Columbia University to play college ball. Despite the pleas of his mother, Gehrig was determined to do his best to make a living out of baseball.
However, as he had been his entire life, Gehrig was shy and timid when it came to contact with his classmates and teammates. He was considered a "momma's boy" because his mother was still his closest companion, and he had trouble establishing relationships with his peers.
One thing that could not be denied, however, was his baseball talent. As he played more and more, he only got better and better, and was even referred to as "Babe" Gehrig, in honor of one of the greatest baseball players of all time, Babe Ruth. It seemed unfathomable at the time, but Gehrig would eventually not only become comparable to Ruth, but he would star alongside Ruth with the New York Yankees.
When Gehrig was eventually signed by the Yankees, he was still an unpolished first baseman, but his hitting ability was too good to overlook. In one of the most famous substitutions of all time, Gehrig replaced Wally Pipp (who is still known as the man replaced by a youngster that eventually became one of the greatest players ever). Gehrig saw limited playing time in 1923 and 1924, but in 1925, he officially became the full-time starting first baseman of the Yankees, and he would never look back. In his first two seasons, Gehrig drove in 180 runs, and he and Ruth formed the most potent one-two punch in baseball history in the middle of the Yankees lineup. In 1927 and 1928, Gehrig led the league in both doubles and RBI, and also hit a combined 71 home runs. The 1927 team is considered by many to be the greatest baseball team of all time, and with Gehrig and Ruth in the middle of the lineup, it is hard to argue with that assumption.
Although Gehrig and Ruth both starred on the field for the Yankees, their personalities were polar opposites. Ruth is known almost as much for his excellence on the field as he is for his outlandish behavior off of the field. Ruth spent nearly all of his time off the field living the celebrity lifestyle. Parties, women, alcohol; you name it, and Ruth was connected in some way with it. Gehrig, however, rarely went out at night, and if he did it was in an uneventful setting. Continuing to live up to his reputation as a "momma's boy," Gehrig preferred to spend his time off at home with his family. Despite their diametrically opposed personalities, Ruth and Gehrig continued to flourish together on the field, and they led the Yankees to multiple World Series championships.
As Ruth and many other Yankee teammates of Gehrig's spent their nights carousing and partying, Gehrig continued to stay in first-class condition, and was able to put together a streak of consecutive games played that would be unmatched for decades to come. Not only did Gehrig continue to play each and every day, he continued to hit and drive in runs. After years of playing without missing any games, Gehrig began to realize just how remarkable his streak was, that he took pride in playing each and every day. He did not allow injuries or sicknesses to get in the way of playing, and he played every game of every year for more than a decade. What seemed like a streak that might never end continued on and on until something nobody could have predicted happened. Gehrig's body began to weaken, and despite his best efforts, one of the most well-conditioned athletes in the game was unable to stop this degenerative onset.
Gehrig sought the advice of multiple doctors throughout the country, but none of them were able to even characterize the disease from which he was suffering, let alone provide some kind of cure. Through this all, Gehrig continued to play, but it was obvious to everyone who watched him that he was not the player he used to be. Performing simple activities like dressing himself and eating became problematic, and it was obvious that whatever Gehrig was suffering from was serious. Through it all, Gehrig tried to keep a positive attitude, but eventually his incredible streak came to and end. From June 2, 1925 until April 30, 1939, Gehrig never missed one game. He had played in a record 2,130 consecutive games, and that record stood for almost 60 years until Cal Ripken, Jr. broke it in 1995.
Not only did Gehrig no longer have his streak, his body was also slowly decaying due to this mysterious disease. On June 21, 1939, Gehrig was forced to retire from the game of baseball. Soon after that, on an Independence Day celebration at Yankee Stadium, Gehrig made his famous "luckiest man on the face of the earth" speech, something for which he will always be remembered. During that year, Gehrig's #4 was retired, making him the first player in Major League Baseball history to have his jersey number retired.
Exactly 16 years after Gehrig's consecutive games played streak began, Gehrig died on June 2, 1941. It is a shame that Gehrig's career had to come to such an abrupt and mysterious conclusion, because he could have possibly gone on to accumulate some of the best numbers in baseball history. Gehrig fell short of both the 3,000 hit club and the 500 home run club, but he did win six World Series championships, two American League MVP awards, and also appeared in seven All-Star games. Gehrig also won the prestigious Triple Crown award in 1934, with a batting average of .363, 49 home runs, and 165 RBI. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939, was named as the first baseman on Major League Baseball's "All Century Team" in 1999, and even was the first athlete to appear on a box of Wheaties cereal.
A cure has still not been found for "Lou Gehrig's Disease," although doctors have found ways to slow its effects and prolong the lifetime of the patients who have contracted it. It is still a rare and mysterious disease. It is a shame that Gehrig succumbed to ALS, because he had a chance to possibly become one of the most accomplished baseball players ever. His career numbers might not say so, but if Jonathan Eig taught me anything throughout the course of his biography, it is that Gehrig was absolutely one of the best, if not the best, player of his time, and his name deserves to be mentioned with some of the greatest to ever play the game, even if the statistics next to his name might not say so.

Daily Diamondbacks Update: Four wins in a row has us back at .500. Ian Kennedy displayed his 2011 form last night, and the bats have awakened. Granted, the four wins have come against two teams near the bottom of the National League standings, but at this point it doesn't matter who we play, as long as the game ends in a win. Joe Saunders takes the mound tonight against the Rockies and Edwar Cabrera (who?). If things go like they have been for much of the year, some guy I have never heard of will pitch a shutout. If things go as they have lately, we will continue to hit, and make it five wins in a row. Ryan Roberts was also designated for assignment today, meaning his career with the Diamondbacks is probably over. He was a fan favorite and provided all kinds of thrills and excitment over the past season and a half. The truth is though, last year was probably an anomaly, because his prior career numbers and his numbers this year have not matched what he did last season. This is a business though, and we can't let feelings linger. Move forward, and keep the runs coming tonight. Let's Go DBacks!
Daily Rangers Update: The acquisition of Rick Nash from Columbus made headlines, as his name had been rumored to be available, and he is now officially a New York Ranger. There is still plenty of time before the season starts, but Nash is a legitimate star and I am excited to see him come to the Rangers.
Daily Giants Update: It is officially training camp time, which means Week 1 is getting closer and closer! It's time to get down to business and get ready to defend our title.