Lou Gehrig, a name commonly placed with the disease ALS, however, Lou Gehrig was more than just a face for a disease. He was a phenomenal baseball player, a true American hero, a son, a husband and an idol to many. Many say that if one looks up the word “ballplayer” in the dictionary there is an image of Lou Gehrig sitting there as the definition.
Lou Gehrig was born June 19, 1903 in New York City, the son of German immigrants, Christina Flack and Heinrich Gehrig. His parents had four children and Lou was the only one that survived past infancy. His father had a hard time holding a job and was frequently sick. Many articles speak of his father as a man who was taken to alcoholism, certainly to spending too much time in the bars, or saloons.