Gehrig watches from the Yankees dugout on May 2 1939 as he sits out for the first time in 14 years But Gehrig knew something was wrong in 1939 He felt weak and uncoordinated during spring training When the season began he had just four hits all singles in 28 at-bats through the first eight games Gehrig took himself out of the lineup on May 2 1939 He wouldn’t play another game Six weeks later doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota diagnosed his illness ALS affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord and leads to the inability to control muscle movement
MISSING MUNSON The Yankees have seen their share of tragedy Af ter Lou Gehrig died the team waited 37 years to name another captain But like Gehrig before him catcher Thurman Munson’s career ended in tragedy He was the 1970 AL Rookie of the Year and 1976 AL Most Valuable Player MVP But Munson was killed in a plane crash on August 2 1979 He was just 32 years old Gehrig immediately announced his retirement Gehrig immediately announced his retirement He was 37 years old Just a year earlier he had He was 37 years old Just a year earlier he had still been one of the best players in baseball still been one of the best players in baseball His rapid decline shocked fans and fellow His rapid decline shocked fans and fellow players The Yankees held players The Yankees held Lou Gehrig Day on Lou Gehrig Day on July 4 to honor him July 4 to honor him and allow him to and allow him to thank his fans He thank his fans He died less than two died less than two years later Gehrig gets choked up while saying goodbye to his fans and teammates on July 4 1939
CHAPTER 2 BO KNOWS Few athletes captured America’s attention like Bo Jackson Born Vincent Edward Jackson the multisport star became one of the most marketed athletes of his time Nike’s Bo Knows advertising campaign made Jackson a household name in the late 1980s Jackson lived up to the hype on the field At Auburn University he was a sprinter on the track-and-field team and a dominating baseball player But he really stood out as a running back on the Tigers football team Jackson won the Heisman Trophy given to the best player in college football He was the first pick in the 1986 National Football League NFL draft selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers But Jackson never signed with the Buccaneers He chose to play baseball instead The New York Yankees had drafted Jackson out of high school but he decided to go to Auburn instead In a later draft the Kansas City Royals picked Jackson and this time he joined them Bo Jackson tore through NFL defenses with the Los Angeles Raiders
