The Iron Horse by Michael Aubrecht, Copyright 2002 Also online at Baseball-Almanac Although I would love to get paid to do this, I, like most of the amateur historians and contributors here, still have to pay the bills. My day job is as an Assistant Art Director for Selling Power Magazine and back in October of 2000, I was privileged enough to do the cover story on "Iron Man" Cal Ripken Jr. The story won several editorial awards for us and sometimes you can find the issue on eBay. It was a great project and I learned a great deal about mentoring, honor, work ethics and integrity. The article started out: "On May 29th 1982, Baltimore Orioles rookie shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. sat out the second game of a doubleheader. Some 16 ½ years later, on September 20,1998, he sat out another second game of a doubleheader. During the intervening time Ripken proved himself as the most durable, hard-working, determined man ever to don stirrup socks and cleats by playing in 2,632 straight games, surpassing the "unbreakable" record of Lou Gehrig…" and went onto to discuss Cal's success. The other day, I was reading over my last 2 articles while thinking of what to write about next and a copy of the Ripken issue happened to be sitting on my desk. Suddenly, it came to me… In my first article I had discussed the 1961 homerun race between Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle and the long overdue recognition Maris received during the '98 McGwuire-Sosa race. In my second, I debated the 1927 New York Yankees as the greatest team of all-time and Murderer's Row as being the deadliest line-up ever to take the plate. This got me thinking. Lou Gehrig, the #2 man in Murderer's Row and one of the greatest baseball players ever to play the game, has become a forgotten folk-hero of sorts and hasn't received the reset of recognition that Maris and others have in recent years as their records fall. Now, I've decided to change that. Lou Gehrig's performance on the field made him an American icon, but it was his tragic and untimely death that made him unforgettable. A real-life folk hero, Gehrig was everything a professional baseball player should and shouldn't be. A quiet man who "carried a big stick" Gehrig was a blue-collar champion. His records and statistics spoke louder than his actions and his career numbers still rank among the highest in the history of major league baseball. As a member of baseball's most storied franchise, his accomplishments with the first Yankees dynasty are without question. His dedication to the game was certainly second to none, yet beyond baseball, there was nothing newsworthy or spectacular about him. In the words of his widow Eleanor, "He was just a square, honest guy." Simply stated, Lou Gehrig was a baseball player… a great baseball player. All-Century Teammate, Hall of Famer, Triple Crown Winner, All-Star, World Series Champion, Most Valuable Player… these are just some of the terms used to describe the one they called "The Iron Horse". Unlike the players of today, Gehrig spent his entire professional career with the same team while wearing the blue pinstripes in his hometown of New York City. His life story represented the "American Dream" and read more like a Hollywood movie script. Surprisingly more fact than fiction, it was appropriately translated into THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES, which was nominated for eleven Academy Awards in 1943 and is still regarded by many today as the finest baseball movie ever made. His statistics spoke volumes as well and continue to prove that his impact on our national pastime remains second to none by a player from his era. For starters, his lifetime batting average was .340, fifteenth all-time highest, and he amassed more than 400 total bases on five occasions. A player with few peers, Gehrig is still one of only seven players with more than 100 extra-base hits in one season. During his career he averaged 147 RBIs a year and his 184 RBIs in 1931 still remains the highest single season total in American League history. Always at the top of his game, Gehrig won the Triple Crown in 1934, with a .363 average, 49 homers, and 165 RBIs, and was chosen Most Valuable player in both 1927 and 1936. Unbelievable for a man of his size, #4 stole home 15 times, and he batted .361 in 34 World Series games with 10 homers, eight doubles, and 35 RBIs. He also holds the record for career grand slams with 23. Gehrig hit 73, three-run homers, as well as 166 two-run shots, giving him the highest average of RBIs (per homer) of any player with more than 300 home runs. Not bad for a guy who originally entered Columbia University with the intention of becoming an engineer! For most ballplayers, this would have been more than enough fare for a ticket to Cooperstown, but for Gehrig, the aforementioned stats are only a glimpse into his brilliant career. He is still the only player in history to drive in 500 runs in three years and he also hit 493 home runs (while playing first), the most by any first baseman in history. On June 3, 1932, Gehrig became the first American Leaguer to hit four home runs in a game and he was the first athlete to have his number officially retired in 1939. A true thoroughbred christened the "Iron Horse" he held the "unbreakable" record of 2,130 consecutive games played until 1998 when it was finally topped by another "Iron Man" named Cal Ripken Jr. A tireless worker, Gehrig played every game for more than 13 years despite a broken thumb, a broken toe, and back spasms. Later in his career his hands were X-rayed, and doctors were able to spot 17 different fractures that had "healed" while he continued to play. This toughness could be attributed to the fact that he was the only surviving child (out of 4) of hard-working German immigrants. Somehow though, even his resilient exterior could not overcome the growing sickness he hid within. Things began to change in 1938 as Gehrig struggled and fell below .300 for the first time since 1925. He appeared clumsy and sluggish on (and off) the field and it was painfully clear that there was something wrong. He lacked his usual, dominant swing and many pitches that he would have normally hit out of the ballpark fizzled into meager fly outs. Initially, Doctors diagnosed him with having a gall bladder problem, and put him on a bland diet, which only made him weaker. Determined to work through his pain, he managed to play in the first eight games of the 1939 season, but fatigue weighed down his bat and he was barely able to field the ball. Gehrig knew when his fellow Yankees had to congratulate him for stumbling into an average catch it was time for him to leave. Eventually, he took himself out of the game and unfortunately, he would never return. After a battery of tests, Doctors at the Mayo Clinic diagnosed Gehrig as having a very rare form of degenerative disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The prognosis was terminal and there was no chance that he would ever play baseball again. Aware that his days were numbered, he continued to carry himself with unwavering dignity despite being unable to conceal his failing health. New York sports writer Paul Gallico suggested the team have a recognition day to honor Gehrig on July 4, 1939. With more than 62,000 fans in attendance, Gehrig spoke his immortal words of thanks and composed one of the most emotional and heartfelt speeches ever given. As a testament to his courage and selflessness, he opened his remarks with the infamous line, "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 this earth." As a fitting tribute, Gehrig was elected to the Hall of Fame that December. During the last months of his life, he worked on youth projects for New York until he was unable to walk. He died in 1941, at the age of 37. His sudden death brought national attention to this relatively unknown affliction known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and the illness has since been renamed "Lou Gehrig's Disease". His position in the public eye helped to inspire more intensive research and today the ALS medical community is hopefully getting closer to finding a cure. Lou Gehrig accomplished more in his short life than most athletes could ever dream of. He was a pure ballplayer at a time when the game was pure. As the years go by, so does the distance between young fans and the players of Gehrig's era. Their game was timeless and we may never experience baseball as it was experienced back then. Let's not forget these great men and the legacies they leave behind. Keep their memories alive for our children and theirs. Remember the Iron Horse and all the other "Lou Gehrigs."

America's Team (satire) by Michael Aubrecht, Copyright 2002 Also online at Baseball-Almanac First, let me begin by warning you that this is not one of my usual articles. It's not the in-depth study of an under-appreciated team or a long-winded tribute to a forgotten player. It's simply another one-sided editorial that is always guaranteed to spark some heated debates and meaningless controversy. (Actually, it's not even meant to be taken seriously, but some of you may not be familiar with the term "satire" and will still respond accordingly.) In fact, as I sit here at my keyboard, I am already deleting gigs of Pamela Anderson screen shots while making space on my hard drive for the countless emails that I will probably receive as a result. As a writer, I am always willing to take chances and I even believe in the old cliché that the pen is mightier than the sword. In my opinion, if Maximus would have had a #2 pencil and a good thesaurus, he might have lived through the end of Gladiator. So with that in mind, my latest rambling has to do with the term "America's Team". I've been wondering what makes a sports franchise worthy of the title "America's Team"? In the 1970's, many football fans considered the Dallas Cowboys to be "America's Team". Over the years, some have felt that the champions at the end of a season, who go the distance and win the title (in any given sport), should be christened as "America's Team". Others consider our Olympic Athletes, who compete against the world, to be the only ones worthy of this patriotic title. To me, "America's Team" should be more than just a representative of the United States competing on a playing field. It should share in our country's storied history and be woven into the fabric of our American culture. In my opinion, only a baseball team should be eligible for this title, as baseball was the first professional sport recognized in America and is still considered our national pastime. No other sport shares the richness of American history, traditions and folklore that baseball does. It remains an intricate part of our country's foundation and has always been an important part of our healing process during times of war, economic depression and most recently, terrorism. I believe that "America's Team" should come from a special place, a city where people come from all over the world to experience the American way of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They should be a competitive franchise with legendary players, championship titles and a logo that is recognized around the world as an American icon for winning. Finally, it should be a team that stays true to its roots, its city, and its fans. That's "America's Team". It sounds like a rhetorical question, right? Who is this great American team, from a great American city, that symbolizes our great American way? If they insist on labeling a sports franchise as "America's Team", then they need to get it right. It's such an easy answer... There is a team that represents all of the above, has a patriotic name, a red, white and blue logo and even shares its home with the Statue of Liberty. I agree that "America's Team" is a ridiculous title but it's almost too perfect of a fit for the only franchise that I believe is worthy of this honor: The New York Yankees. - pauses for reactions from the crowd. Yankees fans on their feet applauding, everyone else throwing empty beer bottles (except Boston fans who are still trying to get the screw tops off.) - Before you object, let's examine some "common sense" qualifications met by "America's Team": (I know these are obvious, but humor me as I have to get this across to the Red Sox fans...) 1. Baseball is America's national pastime and nobody has been historically better at baseball than the Yankees. (Nobody has been historically better with the American dollar either.) 2. Babe Ruth, recognized as the most famous American athlete ever, wore the blue pinstripes. (He wore another uniform before that, what was that team... the uh? Sorry can't remember.) 3. The slang term for "Patriot" is "Yankee". Both had a lot to do with America. (Only one was a mediocre movie made by Mel Gibson.) 4. You go anywhere in the world wearing a dark blue cap with "NY" on it and people immediately know you're an American. (Travel hint: Leave your ball caps at home if you're ever traveling in the Middle East.) 5. The Yankees have won 26 championships. The only professional sports team to come close is the Montreal Canadians with 24. (and like I said, they're Canadians.) 6. Our Nation's capital, Washington DC has many monuments and parks, Yankee Stadium has one, Monument Park, (and it's a lot cleaner.) 7. Yankee great Yogi Berra is responsible for more memorable quotes than any president in the history of the United States. ("90% of the game is half mental".) 8. "America's Team" has 12 letters in it, so does "New York Yanks". (OK, I know it's a stretch but I'm not even going near the Yankees, JFK and Abraham Lincoln numerical coincidences.) Now that I have proven, beyond a reasonable doubt, the term "America's Team", however inappropriate, must be given to only one franchise - The New York Yankees, we can move on to more important issues like rooting for the Montreal Expos and getting Lite beer out of the ballparks.