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Iron Horse: Lou Gehrig in His Time
"All these many years down the road, Lou Gehrig's reputation still holds up as does Ray Robinson's elegant biography." –Bob Costas Lou Gehrig will go down in history as one of the best ballplayers of all time; he was elected to the Hall of Fame and played in a record-setting 2,130 consecutive games. ALS known today as "Lou Gehrig's Disease" robbed him of his physical skills at a relatively young age, and he died in 1941. Ray Robinson re-creates the life of this legendary ballplayer and also provides an insightful look at baseball, including all the great players of that era: Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and more.
300 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
July 4, 2022
This was a nice read into the life and career of arguably one of the most beloved players in baseball history.
January 23, 2013
This was one of the best biographies I have ever read. Sadly, I wept at the end of the book, even though I knew that Lou died.
What made this book good was that the author did not try to denigrate Gehrig, but told it how he really was. He wrote of the quiet resentment of living in the shadow of Babe Ruth, He writes how the writers of his era ignored his feats, even when they occasionally surpassed those of the Babe.
Along the way, the author introduces us to all sorts of wonderful people from baseball's history. For example, we find out how Dizzy Dean's career was ruined by a ball hitting him on the foot and he threw out his arm because of a broken toe.
We also, see the quiet pain of Lou, as he begins to suffer through his disease. He falls, he shakes, he becomes feeble. After retirement, he becomes a member of the New York parole board-- responsible for sending Rocky Graziano to juvenile hall... Interesting.
A great true story, told without a bunch of exaggerated hoopla.
What made this book good was that the author did not try to denigrate Gehrig, but told it how he really was. He wrote of the quiet resentment of living in the shadow of Babe Ruth, He writes how the writers of his era ignored his feats, even when they occasionally surpassed those of the Babe.
Along the way, the author introduces us to all sorts of wonderful people from baseball's history. For example, we find out how Dizzy Dean's career was ruined by a ball hitting him on the foot and he threw out his arm because of a broken toe.
We also, see the quiet pain of Lou, as he begins to suffer through his disease. He falls, he shakes, he becomes feeble. After retirement, he becomes a member of the New York parole board-- responsible for sending Rocky Graziano to juvenile hall... Interesting.
A great true story, told without a bunch of exaggerated hoopla.
July 31, 2014
It was the seventy-fifth anniversary of "The Speech". And I wanted to revisit a boyhood hero. It was a fast read and Ray Robinson did not let me down with his story of this American icon. Great story with a tearful ending.
February 15, 2017
Sometimes, life comes to an end too soon and in Lou Gehrig's case, it did. This book talked about Lou Gehrig's life down to the very last detail. It described Lou Gehrig's life and career like I never thought possible. It was a very descriptive book using some complicated terms that brought the point across in detail. I read this book to help me relate to Lou Gehrig's life as I was doing my research paper and it helped me understand the kind of life Lou Gehrig had and why it was significant to refer to ALS as Lou Gehrig's Disease. I would recommend this book to all high school students and above because I feel like it would be hard for younger students to understand some of the terms used throughout this book. Also, if you like sports and sports history I highly recommend this book because it takes you back to Lou Gehrig's good ole days on the baseball field with the Yankees and Babe Ruth. So if you like sports, specifically baseball, this very well might be the book for you.
March 10, 2014
For the third nine weeks I read Iron Horse: Lou Gehrig in his Time. I thought this was a great book that really showcased Lou's life and made he a relatable person. It really inspired me to become the best I can be because of how Lou was able to become one of the most feared hitters ever to play baseball even though he came from a very poor immigrant family. He was a family man who, before being persuaded otherwise, was going to stay by his sickly mother in the hospital instead of play in the World Series. He became such a great player because of how much he practiced. He would take ground balls even after a double header. He was determined to be the best man he could be and he did that and became one of the greatest baseball players of all time. One thing I liked about this book is that the author really honed in on how great of a player he was and how he didn't mind taking a backseat to Babe Ruth. I also liked how the author talked to some of the players who played with him and put their quotes in the book. The only thing I didn't like was when the author would get off topic and write about something different in some paragraphs throughout the book. The way it was set up was in stages and those stages were each season of baseball that he played. It flowed very well and way easy to follow. Overall I thought this was a great book that should be read by any baseball fan and I am sure you will learn something that you didn't know about him before.
December 17, 2009
I kind of like this book. The real reason why i read this book is becasue, i was doing a report on him for my launguage class. Sure i thought the book was interesting but it really wasnt my real choice if i got to pick a regular book i would read.
March 27, 2013
I love baseball history, especially when it has something to do with my favorite team the Yankees. But this book is not about a team, but a man who was cut down in his prime of life. Even non Yankee fans respect Lou Gehrig! This is a book any baseball fan, or anyone who loves history, should read.
January 6, 2014
I don't know if the book holds much value for non-baseball fans, but as a long-time admirer of Lou Gehrig, Robinson's biography captivated me for the week. The only issue I took is that at times Robinson's tone is a bit too reverent. But, then again, this is Lou Gehrig we're talking about.
April 30, 2009
This is a good, heartbreaking account of the life of Lou Gehrig. And still, his final speech at Yankee Stadium gives me chills.
October 21, 2010
I don't like the Yankees, but I respect them. I also love a good underdog story. This was a great account of a modest, hard-working athlete.
February 13, 2012
One of my all time favorite books, also one of my heroes
A great read
A great read
February 8, 2016
read SOMETIME in 2008
September 5, 2016
Easy read. Highly recommend if you are looking for a high level overview on Lou Gehrig.
May 13, 2018
Ray Robinson, not to be confused with Sugar Ray Robinson, was a magazine editor of publications that did not deal with sports, but nevertheless he wrote well-received biographies of sports figures from his youth. He died last year, and to pay tribute I read his biography of Lou Gehrig, titled Iron Horse: Lou Gehrig and His Time.
Robinson writes, in his introduction, "But through all the years of Yankee hegemony I preferred Gehrig, even as he played and lived constantly in the bulging shadow of Ruth." Mostly this is because Gehrig was sort of the white knight of baseball, compared to the raucous behavior of most ballplayers, especially Ruth. His opening chapter is about Ruth's "called home run" in the 1932 World Series, which is still argued about today. No one remembers that Gehrig, up next, hit a home run of his own.
Gehrig was born to German immigrants in 1903, and was something of a mama's boy. He went to Columbia and hit some memorably long home runs, and ended signing with the Yankees (John McGraw of the Giants took a look at him and didn't like what he saw, thus changing baseball history). He earned the first base job after the Yankees' Wally Pipp was hit in the head with a pitch in 1925. Gehrig did not relinquish the position for thirteen more years, or 2,130 games.
He was a prodigious hitter and worked to make himself a good first basemen. What one gets from the book that he was a perfectionist, sometimes breaking down in tears when he made a mistake. He played through many injuries, including a number of broken fingers. The streak was tweaked a little--sometimes he was lifted early, or just pinch hit. One game was cancelled by the Yankees president Ed Barrow because of rain, even though there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
After Ruth retired in 1934, Gehrig enjoyed some time as the greatest of Yankees, although in 1936 Joe DiMaggio came along and once again he was thrust in the shadows, and unfavorable press. "Lou’s difficulty with the press stemmed from his inability to master the art of small talk. Not adept at ornamental language or rhetorical flourishes, Lou had a tendency to speak in flat, un-dramatic sentences, much to the chagrin of reporters who wrote about the Yankees."
Robinson laments: "Ironically, Gehrig is now best remembered not for the committed way he played the game, but for the way he departed it on that lugubrious summer day in 1939 when he waved farewell to the fans at Yankee Stadium because he was stricken in the prime of life with an incurable disease." The last few chapters, when the perfectionist was mystified why his skill were deteriorating, are indeed sad. But his speech, which is now the centerpiece of the movie about him, The Pride of the Yankees, is a rousing finish to a great career.
Robinson, as noted, loved Gehrig, and takes every opportunity to take shots at Babe Ruth. He does mention the rumor that on a boat to Japan for a tour, Ruth and Gehrig's wife, Eleanor, had too much to drink and had sex, which she vociferously denied. "But for mere mortals, such as himself, Gehrig thought the rules had to be strictly obeyed; a man was not entitled to breathe too freely. He adhered to a moral code loftier, certainly, than the Babe’s, risking accusations from some that he was rigid, stuffy, and self-righteous. In his own self-abnegating way, he was a believer in dignified behavior. He was convinced others should share his sense of pride in being a New York Yankee.” Ruth attended Gehrig's farewell day, but Robinson notes that they hadn't spoken in years.
Gehrig was something of a sphinx, but Robinson does reveal certain details about him, such as that Eleanor exposed culture to him, and he particularly enjoyed operas and ballets. I also never knew that after he retired from baseball Mayor LaGuardia appointed him as a parole commissioner. He crossed paths with a young tough who would one day be known as Rocky Graziano, who credited Gehrig with helping set him on the right path.
Robinson's prose style is part baseball boilerplate part lofty academics. You'll be reading along to standard sports talk and then get a literary reference. This kind of pleased me, as sports writers are always pulling literary allusions out of thin air, which makes what they're writing about something greater than it is.
Robinson writes, in his introduction, "But through all the years of Yankee hegemony I preferred Gehrig, even as he played and lived constantly in the bulging shadow of Ruth." Mostly this is because Gehrig was sort of the white knight of baseball, compared to the raucous behavior of most ballplayers, especially Ruth. His opening chapter is about Ruth's "called home run" in the 1932 World Series, which is still argued about today. No one remembers that Gehrig, up next, hit a home run of his own.
Gehrig was born to German immigrants in 1903, and was something of a mama's boy. He went to Columbia and hit some memorably long home runs, and ended signing with the Yankees (John McGraw of the Giants took a look at him and didn't like what he saw, thus changing baseball history). He earned the first base job after the Yankees' Wally Pipp was hit in the head with a pitch in 1925. Gehrig did not relinquish the position for thirteen more years, or 2,130 games.
He was a prodigious hitter and worked to make himself a good first basemen. What one gets from the book that he was a perfectionist, sometimes breaking down in tears when he made a mistake. He played through many injuries, including a number of broken fingers. The streak was tweaked a little--sometimes he was lifted early, or just pinch hit. One game was cancelled by the Yankees president Ed Barrow because of rain, even though there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
After Ruth retired in 1934, Gehrig enjoyed some time as the greatest of Yankees, although in 1936 Joe DiMaggio came along and once again he was thrust in the shadows, and unfavorable press. "Lou’s difficulty with the press stemmed from his inability to master the art of small talk. Not adept at ornamental language or rhetorical flourishes, Lou had a tendency to speak in flat, un-dramatic sentences, much to the chagrin of reporters who wrote about the Yankees."
Robinson laments: "Ironically, Gehrig is now best remembered not for the committed way he played the game, but for the way he departed it on that lugubrious summer day in 1939 when he waved farewell to the fans at Yankee Stadium because he was stricken in the prime of life with an incurable disease." The last few chapters, when the perfectionist was mystified why his skill were deteriorating, are indeed sad. But his speech, which is now the centerpiece of the movie about him, The Pride of the Yankees, is a rousing finish to a great career.
Robinson, as noted, loved Gehrig, and takes every opportunity to take shots at Babe Ruth. He does mention the rumor that on a boat to Japan for a tour, Ruth and Gehrig's wife, Eleanor, had too much to drink and had sex, which she vociferously denied. "But for mere mortals, such as himself, Gehrig thought the rules had to be strictly obeyed; a man was not entitled to breathe too freely. He adhered to a moral code loftier, certainly, than the Babe’s, risking accusations from some that he was rigid, stuffy, and self-righteous. In his own self-abnegating way, he was a believer in dignified behavior. He was convinced others should share his sense of pride in being a New York Yankee.” Ruth attended Gehrig's farewell day, but Robinson notes that they hadn't spoken in years.
Gehrig was something of a sphinx, but Robinson does reveal certain details about him, such as that Eleanor exposed culture to him, and he particularly enjoyed operas and ballets. I also never knew that after he retired from baseball Mayor LaGuardia appointed him as a parole commissioner. He crossed paths with a young tough who would one day be known as Rocky Graziano, who credited Gehrig with helping set him on the right path.
Robinson's prose style is part baseball boilerplate part lofty academics. You'll be reading along to standard sports talk and then get a literary reference. This kind of pleased me, as sports writers are always pulling literary allusions out of thin air, which makes what they're writing about something greater than it is.
July 17, 2020
Ray Robinson makes the point that Lou Gehrig, despite being one of the greatest baseball players of all time, was overshadowed during his entire career. His years with the Yankees were bookended by Babe Ruth at his onset and by Joe DiMaggio toward the end of his career.
That, and the fact that Gehrig was a humble person who didn't crave the spotlight for his accomplishments, was a horrible interview and had a really lame sense of humor and charisma, Robinson says Gehrig was never received the exaltation he deserved.
The book opens with Ruth's "called shot" in Wrigley Field in the 1932 World Series. Ruth pointed at something just before decking Cubs' pitcher Charlie Root's toss into the bleachers. It became myth: Did Ruth forecast his homer? Was he pointing at the Cubs players who were deriding him mercilessly? Was he indicating toward the scoreboard? Whatever he was doing, it became legend. What was lost in that moment was the Gehrig hit a home run of his own right after Ruth's.
Robinson chronicles Gehrig's life - from growing up poor in New York to trying out for Columbia's baseball team and eventually gaining the attention of the Yankees. The ending is sad, of course, in how Gehrig at first thinks he's just either tired, old or had played the Streak too long when his skills began leaving. The realization that he had a fatal disease didn't slow him down, as evidenced by his "Today I am the luckiest man" speech.
With the new book about Gehrig's offering for newspapers in the 1927 season in print ("The Lost Memoirs"), this is an excellent companion for those who want to know more about Gehrig. Obviously, Jonathan Eig's "Luckiest Man" that was published in 2005 is the standard for the bio on Gehrig, but Robinson's book also hits a home run.
That, and the fact that Gehrig was a humble person who didn't crave the spotlight for his accomplishments, was a horrible interview and had a really lame sense of humor and charisma, Robinson says Gehrig was never received the exaltation he deserved.
The book opens with Ruth's "called shot" in Wrigley Field in the 1932 World Series. Ruth pointed at something just before decking Cubs' pitcher Charlie Root's toss into the bleachers. It became myth: Did Ruth forecast his homer? Was he pointing at the Cubs players who were deriding him mercilessly? Was he indicating toward the scoreboard? Whatever he was doing, it became legend. What was lost in that moment was the Gehrig hit a home run of his own right after Ruth's.
Robinson chronicles Gehrig's life - from growing up poor in New York to trying out for Columbia's baseball team and eventually gaining the attention of the Yankees. The ending is sad, of course, in how Gehrig at first thinks he's just either tired, old or had played the Streak too long when his skills began leaving. The realization that he had a fatal disease didn't slow him down, as evidenced by his "Today I am the luckiest man" speech.
With the new book about Gehrig's offering for newspapers in the 1927 season in print ("The Lost Memoirs"), this is an excellent companion for those who want to know more about Gehrig. Obviously, Jonathan Eig's "Luckiest Man" that was published in 2005 is the standard for the bio on Gehrig, but Robinson's book also hits a home run.
June 8, 2022
One player I admired throughout my life was Lou Gehrig. This is despite my distaste for all things New York Yankee as he was one stalwart who seemed to share the same innocent love of the game that the fans had. His story was also a tragedy as he was cut down too soon by an ailment that would become synonymous with him.
In Iron Horse, author Ray Robinson has brought together a great portrait of Gehrig through interviews with friends, fellow ballplayers, and writers through the years. He interviewed many people who knew Gehrig personally and professionally.
This is not the hero-worshiping portrayal of Gehrig tainted by the need for patriotism and heroism as depicted in Pride of the Yankees. Instead, Robinson puts Lou out there with his good points and bad for all the world to see. Fans of the star come away with both a deeper understanding and appreciation for the man who held the record for most consecutive games played in the major leagues until Cal Ripken Jr. broke it in 1995. Up until that time, it was thought to be a record that would stand forever.
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
In Iron Horse, author Ray Robinson has brought together a great portrait of Gehrig through interviews with friends, fellow ballplayers, and writers through the years. He interviewed many people who knew Gehrig personally and professionally.
This is not the hero-worshiping portrayal of Gehrig tainted by the need for patriotism and heroism as depicted in Pride of the Yankees. Instead, Robinson puts Lou out there with his good points and bad for all the world to see. Fans of the star come away with both a deeper understanding and appreciation for the man who held the record for most consecutive games played in the major leagues until Cal Ripken Jr. broke it in 1995. Up until that time, it was thought to be a record that would stand forever.
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
January 29, 2023
Any account of the life of Lou Gehrig will inevitably tremble under the shadow of his tragic death. Robinson does a good job of portraying how the "Iron Horse," a man of peerless endurance, physical prowess and legendary power in the batter's box, was gradually laid low by an insidious disease that robbed him of his strength, his game and ultimately his life. Yet, despite the inevitable, Gehrig celebrated his life when he delivered baseball's "Gettysburg Address" on July 4, 1939, in his farewell speech to his fans at Yankee Stadium. The man was a hero on the field and in the face of death. But even during his Hall of Fame career as the Yankees' RBI machine for more than a decade, he played in a shadow that made the baseball world treat him with less attention and admiration than he deserved. That shadow was both his team's good fortune and his bad luck: playing on the same team with Babe Ruth and then Joe DiMaggio, who were ever the darlings of the fans and the media. Nonetheless, as Gehrig himself told us before he died, he considered himself "the luckiest man on the face of the earth."
November 11, 2020
Gehrig was perennially the best second best player on his team - behind Babe Ruth for years, then one year where he was so much the best that he was walked a ridiculous number of times before Joe DiMaggio came along to top him again. Robinson's book, published back in 1990, does a workmanlike job of running down the basics of Gehrig's blessed life, until suddenly disease ended it. He was a remarkable hitter who managed to play in over 2000 consecutive regular season games, most of them at a very high level. When he was suddenly weakened by ALS, the disease now better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, his skills vanished, and he took himself out of the line-up before spending a year working as a Parole commisioner (and denying same to the future Rocky Graziano, which I did not know) and then dying just shy of his 38th birthday. By all accounts, Gehrig was a decent person, and a fierce competitor, and reading of his downfall was sad.
March 12, 2024
ALS is a cruel disease. My mum is 83 and had great difficulty speaking and swallowing much of anything. Food was getting trapped in her throat and blocking her air way was happening more often. she battled for each breath. The riluzole did very little to help her. The medical team did even less. Her decline was rapid and devastating. The psychological support from the medical centre was non-existent and if it were not for the sensitive care and attention of our primary physician, there she would have died. There has been little if any progress in finding a cure or reliable treatment. Acupuncture eased her anxiety a bit. this year our primary physician started her on Natural Herbs Centre ALS/MND Ayurvedic treatment, 6 months into treatment she improved dramatically. It has been a complete turnaround with her speech, she no longer needs the feeding tube to feed, the treatment is a miracle. She recovered significantly! Visit Natural herbs centre. com
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March 19, 2024ALS is a cruel disease. My mum is 83 and had great difficulty speaking and swallowing much of anything. Food was getting trapped in her throat and blocking her air way was happening more often. she battled for each breath. The riluzole did very little to help her. The medical team did even less. Her decline was rapid and devastating. The psychological support from the medical centre was non-existent and if it were not for the sensitive care and attention of our primary physician, there she would have died. There has been little if any progress in finding a cure or reliable treatment. Acupuncture eased her anxiety a bit. this year our primary physician started her on Natural Herbs Centre ALS/MND Ayurvedic treatment, 6 months into treatment she improved dramatically. It has been a complete turnaround with her speech, she no longer needs the feeding tube to feed, the treatment is a miracle. She recovered significantly! Visit Natural herbs centre. com
February 19, 2021
I have been meaning to read this book, written by Arnold Hano's buddy Ray Robinson, for a while now: finding this copy in our bargain bins gave me the opportunity.
This is a very well written, informative account of the life of the Patron Saint of Baseball; Robinson is at pains to point out that Gehrig wasn't actually a saint, and doesn't quite succeed. In his introduction, he keeps describing Gehrig as "modest" and "humble", ad nauseam; thankfully, in the body of the work, he doesn't stress it quite so much. What's obvious is that the man was one hell of a hitter, and one hell of a hard worker, as all great hitters (possible exceptions, Babe Ruth and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson) have necessarily been; hitting a baseball is a difficult thing to do.
This is a very well written, informative account of the life of the Patron Saint of Baseball; Robinson is at pains to point out that Gehrig wasn't actually a saint, and doesn't quite succeed. In his introduction, he keeps describing Gehrig as "modest" and "humble", ad nauseam; thankfully, in the body of the work, he doesn't stress it quite so much. What's obvious is that the man was one hell of a hitter, and one hell of a hard worker, as all great hitters (possible exceptions, Babe Ruth and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson) have necessarily been; hitting a baseball is a difficult thing to do.
July 21, 2020
I purchased Ray Robinson's biography of the ballplayer from a discount seller, thinking it would be a good choice for my classroom library. The author skillfully blends Gehrig's on-field experiences with private-life anecdotes and doesn't allow baseball jargon to interfere with the flow of the narrative. One nit: the woman in Gehrig's life get short shrift (his mother and his wife) and I would have liked to know more about them and how they influenced him. All told, the book is a good read for Gherig fans and sports followers in general; short chapters move the reading at a crisp pace.
May 27, 2023
My husband who had been diagnosed with Bulbar ALS disease for 2 years at the age of 63 had all his symptoms reversed with Ayurveda medicine from natural herbs centre. com after undergoing their ALS/MND natural protocol, he no longer requires a feeding tube. God Bless all Lou Gehrig’s disease Caregivers. Stay Strong, take small moments throughout the day to thank yourself, to love your self, and pray to whatever faith, star, spiritual force you believe in and ask for strength. I can personally vouch for these remedy but you would probably need to decide what works best for you.
June 16, 2023
My husband who had been diagnosed with Bulbar ALS disease for 2 years at the age of 63 had all his symptoms reversed with Ayurveda medicine from natural herbs centre . com after undergoing their ALS/MND natural protocol, he no longer requires a feeding tube. God Bless all Lou Gehrig’s disease Caregivers. Stay Strong, take small moments throughout the day to thank yourself, to love your self, and pray to whatever faith, star, spiritual force you believe in and ask for strength. I can personally vouch for these remedy but you would probably need to decide what works best for you.
December 27, 2016
Ray Robinson's account of Lou Gehrig: "Iron Horse: In his time", is an easily readable, very enjoyable portrayal of Gehrig through his career as New York Yankees' first baseman that contains a baseball fan's enthusiasm for the sport of baseball, and for Gehrig's famously stoic, hard-working personality, Robinson's book provides interesting and fair insight into the man, player. S.
April 30, 2020
I’m a biography fan, a Yankees fan and I loved this book. I always loved the story of #4 and one is my favorite movies is Pride of the Yankees. This has everything—hard work, dreams, love story, and baseball.
October 3, 2017
Loved this, despite having never watched a game of baseball in my life. Anyone who enjoys sports biographies should have this on their list.
November 17, 2017
Satisfactory read.
This book captures many events in Lou Gehrig's life but did little more for me. It certainly cannot be considered among the best Gehrig bios ever written.
This book captures many events in Lou Gehrig's life but did little more for me. It certainly cannot be considered among the best Gehrig bios ever written.
June 15, 2018
6.12.18-6.14.18 8/10
May 1, 2020
Nice. Simply told. Lots of great facts.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews