Evening star., 1939-07-05
babeChokesUp,
Too, Bo|stering
Emotional Lou
Iron Horse Afterword
Is Apprehensive
Over Speech
BY SID FEDER,
Associated preSx Snor+. M,

NEW YORK, July 5.-The husky
figure climbed slowly up the old
wooden stairs back of the Yankees
dugout, shoulders bent, right leg
llmping and throat torn by sobs.
This was Lou Gehrig leaving the
most dramatic moment of his life.
Back of him, 81 ,808 fans, piled on
Yankee Stadiums TERED sides,
cheered till the rafters shook. and
out on the field a big, round-faced.
f1at-nosed fellow stood as tears rolled
down his cheeks.
He was Babe Ruth, the one-and-
only, who had just voiced for eyerv
one who knows three strikes are out
their feeling about Lou.
He had gone over, put one Of
those big arms around Gehrie's
shoulders and patted Lou once or
Twice, trying to get him to stife
the emotion which had broken him
up right out there on the ball
field.
"Cmon, kid" the Babe whispered
through his tears. "C'mon. kid.
buck up now. We're all with you."
Babe Again "Hits Ball.
That was what every one had been
trying to say to Gehrig for an hour
during all that ceremony which
marked Lou Gehrig Appreciation
Day at the Stadium yesterday. The
fans had been trying to: so had his
teammates-those of the current
Vonkc onI fpoca @f
champions-and so had the baseball
writer's. But there was no one who
could-or should-have said it like
the Bam.
All around them were players of
the current club and those of the
past generation of world beaters.
They had gathered, these old
timers. from four corners Of the
country to do honor to old Lou,
the Iron Horse, who has been put
back in the roundhouse by a little
germ. "Beanballs" couldn't do it,
nor broken bones, nor illness through
the IA years during which he chalked
up sports most amazing endurance
record of 2,l30 straight games. But
this little bug" a form of infantile
paralysis, may have put a period"
on the hoss' playing career for
keeps.
Scene Sentimental Epic.
So the club, thanks to President
Ed Barrow, put on the show for Lou
yesterday before the biggest crowd
OF the year. And old-timers unan-
imously agreed there has never been
such heartfelt scene on the
diamond.
For Lou, sentimental sort Of
fellow anyway, it was too much.
Even before the speechmaking and
presentations of gifts on the field,
he was overcome in the clubhouse.
Afterward, on the field, he stood
surrounded by gifts from the club,
his teammates. the baseball writer's,
the Old-TimerS Association of Den
ver the stadium employees and the
New York Giants, and said a few
words into the loud-speaker system.
Several times his voice broke and a
sob escaped as he announced.
To-day consider myself the luckiest
man on the face of the earth"
Apprehensive Over Speech.
He waved an arm at the old team
mates, fellows like Ruth and Tony
Lazzeri and Herb Pennock, Earl
Combs, Wally Schang, Benny Ben
cough, Bob Shawkey, Bob Meusel.
Mark Koenig. Joe Dugan, George
Pipgras and the rest.
,rt 10~t L.
you consider it a privilege to asso-
ciate yourself with such fine looking
men as are standing on this ball
field. Or with men like Col. Jacob
Rupert date president of the club
or Miller Higgins manager, who
died in the 20s)."
Then he stumbled, his eyes blinded
by tears, back to the clubhouse
asking, Did my speech sound silly?
Did it?"