For the 4th: number 4

We've got plenty of reasons to remember Lou Gehrig on this date. The only Yankee ever to wear number-four, baseball's Iron Horse was honored at Yankee Stadium on July 4th, 1939. It was, in effect, baseball's first Old Timers Day, as many of Lou's former Yankee teammates returned to honor their captain, who'd been stricken with a terminal neurological disorder that would come to bear his name. Gehrig owns so many baseball famous firsts:

  • His number-four was the first uniform number to be retired in baseball.
  • Lou was the first athlete to appear on a box of Wheaties cereal.
  • The first American Leaguer to hit four home runs in a game.
  • In 1927, he became the first player to hit 40 doubles and 40 home runs in the same season (he then did it twice more -- 1930 and 1934).
  • The first Yankee to win the American League Triple Crown (leading in batting average, home runs and runs batted in).
  • The first to play in more than 2000 consecutive games.
  • His was the first Yankee Stadium monument for a player (dedicated on July 4th, 1941 -- the second anniversary of Lou Gehrig Day).
His dignified even-tempered demeanor made him a widely admired figure as a player -- while his farewell speech given on the 4th of July, 1939, remains the most quoted one ever delivered by an athlete.

My question for you: is Lou Gehrig the greatest number-4 in sports history? If not, who better represents that number? Leave a comment and share your thoughts. And enjoy the holiday!

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