Pride of the Yankees

Anyone who has ever seen The Pride of the Yankees recalls vividly Gary Cooper's incredible performance playing Lou Gehrig, the Yankees' great first baseman from those amazing teams of the 20s and 30s. So potent was the 1927 Yankees lineup that included Gehrig, Ruth, Meusel, and Lazzeri that it became known as Murderer's Row. Gehrig was a mainstay with the Yankees, playing 2,130 consecutive games through aches and pains. He was voted the greatest first baseman ever by the Baseball Writers Association in 1969, and not many have come along since that could challenge what Gehrig accomplished. It seems the only thing that finally slowed down the Iron Horse was a cruel disease. Gehrig was stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a motor neuron disease that progressively weakens a person through muscle atrophy to the point that it is terminal for most people within five years.

Gehrig gave a famous speech in Yankees Stadium in which he said:

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 baseball’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 down to 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 a mother who work all their lives so that you can have an 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.

Gehrig's farewell speech encapsulated his view of life quite succinctly. He did not believe that he had been given a raw deal. He did not think of himself as royally screwed. No, he valued the blessing he'd been given and the experiences he'd had. He showed dignity and class in the face of adversity.

They say you never know the true character of a person until you see him in the worst of circumstances. I know a man who reminds me a bit of Gehrig. A colleague and friend is facing the same cruel adversary that Gehrig's name is forever attached to. He is fighting a difficult battle with ALS. And yet in the face of insurmountable odds he carries on. His fight is not one that can be won, but the way those battles are fought shows the true character of the warrior. This man is a warrior who is fighting the brave fight. He is a model for the rest of us and I am proud to call him my friend.



This man is the one who brought me to Doha, seeing in me the qualities of a teacher that would fit in well at the American School of Doha. There are people that we meet and we remember the circumstances quite vividly. I remember Skyping to interview for the job and seeing him in his office with palm trees outside his window. I remember his friendly smile and pleasant demeanor putting me at ease as I pondered making the leap to the Gulf. I even remember vividly enough the first meeting that I recall exactly what I was wearing. That is the profound impact that some people have on others. Not everyone has it, but those that do are truly unforgettable.

My friend is leaving today to spend time with his family back home. He has earned the opportunity to be with them and to take as complete advantage as possible of the time he has remaining. I will remember what I am wearing today, for I am wearing black in remembrance of a friend and a colleague I am likely not to see again in this life. My friend, thank you for being a fine example of compassion and discipline, listening and leading, struggling and persevering no matter what the odds. You are an inspiration.