Lou Gehrig the Man

As a boy, Jonathan Eig was intrigued by baseball legend Lou Gehrig, who died at age 37 from ALS. But when the Wall Street Journal writer learned that Gehrig had lived two years beyond his emotional Yankee Stadium speech on July 4, 1939, Eig wanted to know how the ballplayer had endured, as well as more about Gehrig’s early life. The result of Eig’s research is an acclaimed book, Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig.

Jonathan Eig offers insight into the baseball legend who made ALS famous.

Holding the audience with his powerful narrative, Eig spoke at this year’s Partners in Collaboration event. He told that Gehrig was a shy, serious man of German descent who lived at home with a controlling mother. Always insecure about his intelligence, Gehrig focused on making his body strong. The efforts paid off. In 12 consecutive seasons, he scored more than 100 runs, drove in more than 100 more and batted .300 or better. Gehrig’s charismatic wife, Eleanor, would help him emerge from Babe Ruth’s shadow and enjoy the limelight.

Eig’s most serendipitous find was a batch of 200 personal letters from Gehrig to a dermatologist friend. The letters chronicled his illness and shed light on how he coped to the very end. With each letter, the signature deteriorated, said Eig, “but his spirit never did. I look forward to the day when Gehrig is recognized for being America’s greatest first baseman and not for his ALS.”

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