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By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): Follow @chuckbooth3024

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Lou Gehrig is still making an imprint on today’s society.  75 years after the “Ironman” made his famous farewell speech at Yankee Stadium in 1939, the disease so ‘aptly’ known more as “Lou Gehrig’s disease – more so than ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis).

After all of the money raised in the three-quarters of a century since #4 stopped playing, there is still no cure for the disease.

ALS is a neurodegenerative ailment that is as debilitating as they come to the human body.

Before he was known for that, Henry Louis Gehrig, born June.19, 1903 was one of the best baseball players of ALL – Time.

To state how awesome he was would take forever.  But he was known best for his durability (setting the consecutive games mark for MLB’ers at 2131 games.  A mark that was stopped by ALS.

It took over 56 years for the record to be broken by Cal Ripken.

The Bronx Bombers 1st Baseman clubbed over 100+ RBI in 14 straight seasons from 1925 – 1938,  His 184 RBI in 1931 is still the ALL – Time Single year record in the American League.

Gehrig held an OPS over 1.000 for every season between 1927 – 1937

His 3 slash for his career is .340/.447/.632.  Only Babe Ruth and Ted Williams had higher marks.

Gehrig cranked out 1995 RBI in just 2164 Games Played, in what amounts to be an average season of 149 RBI.  The ‘Iron Horse’ actually topped the 150+ RBI clip 7 different times, His RBI/Game is the highest clip for a career.

There is no doubt in my mind, if he wasn’t cut short of playing, he would be the RBI king,

The man was part of 6 World Series Titles in 7 Appearances,  accounting for a 3 Slash of .361/.477/.731 – with 10 HRs and 35 RBI during his 34 lifetime games.  Incredibly in those 34 contests, Gehrig reached base 75 times.

During his illness days, baseball made a special exception to induct him directly into the Baseball Hall Of Fame in 1939. 

Showing that his appreciation by the MLB has only grown with time, he received the most votes for the 1999 ALL – Century Team – that listed all the best players from the 20th century.

A man who was such a legend will grow as the years continue on.  Read the rest of this entry →