Name: Group 3: Lou Gehrig, "Farewell to Baseball Address" - July 4, 1939; Yankee Stadium
Rhetorical Devices:
Q1 Quote that Demonstrates Theme (underline/label in color #1)
3 Figurative Language Examples (underline/label in color #2)
2 Syntax Examples (underline/label in color #3)
2 Audience Appeals (underline/label in color #4)
Background Information: It seemed as if the luminous career of Lou Gehrig would go on forever. The Yankees
first baseman and prodigious slugger was nicknamed the Iron Horse for his durability and commitment to the
game. Sadly, his record for suiting up for 2,130 consecutive games came to an end when at age 36, Gehrig was
stricken with the crippling disease that now bears his name. On July 4, 1939, the Yankees held a ceremony to
honor their teammate and friend. They retired Gehrig's number, spoke of his greatness, and presented him with
various gifts, plaques, and trophies. When Gehrig finally addressed the crowd, he did not use the opportunity to
wallow in pity. Instead, he spoke of the things he was grateful for and what a lucky guy he was.
Speech:
"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. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never
received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.
Look at these grand men (motioning to his teammates). Which of you wouldn't consider it the highlight
of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I'm lucky. Who wouldn't consider it an honor
to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball's greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six
years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that
outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy?
Sure, I'm lucky
When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a
gift - that's something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember
you with trophies - that's something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in
squabbles with her own daughter - that's something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their
lives so you can have an education and build your body - it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been
a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed - that's the finest I know.
So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for."