July 4, 1939 — Lou Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” Speech
July 3, 2010 by Mark Ahrens
Filed under Baseball History, Baseball Writing, Book Review
“I saw strong men weep this afternoon, expressionless umpires swallow hard, and emotion pump the hearts and glaze the eyes of 61,000 fans in Yankee Stadium. Yes, and hard-boiled news photographers clicked their shutter with fingers that trembled a bit.” So went Shirley Povich’s powerful and poignant lead to his Washington Post newspaper column. On July 4, 1939, […]
May 2, 1939 Babe Dahlgren Replaces Lou Gehrig in Yankee Lineup
May 2, 2010 by Mark Ahrens
Filed under Baseball History, Book Review
Seventy two years ago, Lou Gehrig’s consecutive game streak came to an end. Many baseball fans know that the immortal Lou Gehrig began his famous streak by replacing Wally Pipp in the Yankee lineup. However, not many fans know who replaced the Iron Horse on May 2, 1939. That player’s name was Babe Dahlgren and […]