Nice Guys Don't Always Finish Last

Lou Gehrig

Lou Gehrig is a baseball legend. He was the Yankee first baseman from 1923 until 1939. He was forced to retire at a relatively young age due to ALS, a neurodegenerative disease, which would slowly eat away at his motor skills, along with other things. Once he was diagnosed there was no chance that he would ever be able to play baseball again. He was beyond incredible at the plate with a bat in his hands. He set records. Some of which, to this day, have not been broken.

He was the first athlete to have his number retired; Yankee jersey number 4 was retired in 1939 in conjunction with Gehrig's retirement from baseball. This precedent has continued in most sports since that time. He was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame, by a unanimous vote, in 1939 when he retired. There is a usual two-year waiting period after a player retires before they are put in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but because of Gehrig's disease it was waived and he was inducted immediately.

On July 4th, 1939, which had been declared "Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day" in his honor, Lou gave his farewell speech to upwards of 62,000 fans in Yankee Stadium. Fighting back tears and strong emotion he gave a heart-felt speak in which he claimed he felt like "the luckiest man on the face of this earth." He finishes his speech by saying, "So I close in saying that I may have had a bad break, but I have an awful lot to live for." He was a humble man that was filled with talent and a passion for the game. He did not let his "bad break" sour his incredible career or positive outlook on life. He was thankful for all of his experiences, his fans, and all the other people around him, especially his wife, and he will always be remembered as an amazing baseball player and even more of an amazing man.




Jackie Robinson

 Jackie Robinson is a baseball legend. He is undoubtedly one of the most important and influential names, not just in sports, but in America. He was the first to break the color barrier that had been segregating baseball since 1889. At this time (1947) baseball was the dominating sport in America, so for the norm of segregation to be challenged it was a huge opportunity to start integrating all sports as well as other facets of life.

He was an incredible player. He stole bases like a mad-man, he was an amazing infielder, he had an outstanding bat. He, like Gehrig, set records and did really awesome things on a baseball field. But more than that, Jackie did incredible things off the field. He fought to make life better for people, not just African-Americans, but everyone. He was a businessman that was involved with many aspects of society even after his retirement from baseball. He was on the board of directors for the NAACP for ten years and served in many campaigns while working with that organization.

He was extremely talented when it came to baseball and he was able to use his talents to impact history. He was a man that continued to make an impact even after the days of wearing a jersey were finished. He will always be remembered as the man that changed American sports for the better, and he deserves this recognition for both his passion and skill as a player and also for his passion and drive as a man.



Armando Galarraga

I am going to argue that Armando Galarraga is (or hopefully will be) a baseball legend. A perfect game in baseball is no easy thing to come by. There have not been many throughout history to pull off what is able to be labeled as perfection in this sport. On June 2nd, 2010, Armando Galarraga, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, was one out away from perfection. The Galarraga and his defense behind him had sent Cleveland Indians back to the pine 26 times; perfection comes after the 27th. Galarraga was at this pivotal moment in the game...in his career. 2 outs bottom of the ninth...and then the ball is hit to the right side but the second baseman is able to cut it off and Galarraga himself runs over to first base to cover the throw...he catches the ball before the guys foot hits the bag, but the runner is called safe and there goes the perfect game...gone.

Instant replays proved that Jim Joyce, the umpire, had made the wrong call, but nothing changed. Galarraga and his teammates fought so hard for perfection and it was all shattered by a blown call. But, we all know this story, and we know that the real story does not lie within the missed call. It lies within the reaction of Galarraga, the player who was stripped of receiving the label "Perfect."

So often the sports world is covered in the grime of the scandals that athletes always seem to entangle themselves in. It gets tiring reading about sex scandal, after sex scandal, after sex scandal, with the occasional animal cruelty case thrown into the mix. To say the least, it can leave a bad taste in the mouths of fans that look up to these athletes. And that is why I love the story of Armando Galarraga. He had every right to be pissed and completely lash out at an umpire that ruined his game, but instead he takes pity on the man and recognizes that everyone makes mistakes. His response to this unfortunate situation is one of the most beautiful things I have seen in sports in awhile. He will be remembered, at least by me, as the man that deserved a perfect game, but when he did not get it acted with more class and sportsmanship than anyone would have ever expected, or even remembered to be possible.


Baseball is America's sport. It is beautiful and I love it. These three men are just a few players who truly exhibit what it means to be a man and a role model. They have class and did things that were against the norm and unexpected. They love the game and they play, or played, to the best of their abilities and remained men of strong character even when life threw them some serious curveballs.