By Andy Knipe, PALS

Yesterday was the kind of day that you had to cherish. June 19, 2003. Lou Gehrig, "The Iron Horse", would have turned 100. Yes, a few weeks ago America celebrated Bob Hope with a living tribute and 100th birthday and it was fitting. But perhaps more fitting was the ceremony given to Lou Gehrig,"The Pride of the Yankees." A man who only lived to 37 but the legacy he leaves behind is truly memorable.

The day for me begins with lots of anticipation, but lots apprehension as well. I awake at 6:00 AM unable to sleep thinking about the day ahead. As an ALS patient, my day goes according to the help of others. Someone to shower, dress and feed me. That responsibility is left up to my Eleanor Gehrig, my wife Laura. My pillar of strength. On this day, both mom and Laura share the work. My health aid is not available so the stress is upon me, mom, and most of all Laura. While she has to tend to my many physical needs, here I am worrying about Yankee tickets, being on time, and oh yeah, rain.

My brother Billy shows up on time to load me and my 300-pound behemoth of a power wheelchair into the van. Billy, like me is a diehard Yankee fan so he knows how important today's game is. While I battle Lou Gehrig's disease, all that Billy is expected to battle is the Triboro Bridge, without an EZ-Pass. Billy, Mom and me arrive right on time. Laura stays home due to the weather and daunting task of caring for my three-year-old son, Joseph. Joseph, nick named "Joltin'-Joe," was born just three months prior to my diagnosis. I get special parking right in front of "Ruth's House" in the same lot as Torre, Jeter, Clemens, and the rest of the Yanks. The ALS Association and Yankees arrange the parking pass, making life easier for a few hours. Fellow patient, advocate and close friend Chris Pendergast gets a spot too.

As I drive out of the player's parking lot in my chair, I see so many people lined up on the sidewalk hoping to catch a glimpse of a Yankee. I wonder what they think when they see me coming. I also wonder if they know that it's Lou Gehrig's birthday. Just then along walks Theresa Wright. She's the academy award-winning actress who played Eleanor Gehrig in "Pride of the Yankees." Walking along her side is Ray Robinson, author of "The Iron Horse" and the greatest living historian of Gehrig. What a treat. Dorine Gordon, ALSA-NY president accompanies these two legendary people over to me and I am truly in awe. I've had the chance to meet and talk to them before but none more special then yesterday. I felt Lou's presence right there and now as I write this story. ESPN just ran a segment about "The Iron Horse" and there I was being interviewed about my illness and the Gehrig connection. Life, no matter how fragile, is funny. The irony is remarkable. Isn't it ironic too, that "IRON" is easily found within ironic or irony?

I share an umbrella with Helen Hunter, wife of the late, Catfish Hunter. There is more irony. ALS took Catfish's brilliant baseball career and robbed him of life just like Lou. They were proud members of The Bronx Bombers. Teammates separated only by decades not courage. My brother Richard commented how unprepared he was for Helen hunters delightful "Noth Caalinnaa", accent. Despite how inaudible my voice was, Helen patiently answered my questions. Maybe it was her own experience with ALS that helped her out with my words. Or perhaps it was Gehrig helping me and Helen understand the way we understood him.
It was now off to Monument Park to lay wreath for Lou next to his plaque. I led the parade of patients, caregivers and ALS advocates into left field. It may either been the excitement, rain or speed of my chair that gave me this grand marshallesque honor but I gladly took it. Jeremy Schaap of ESPN was the first familiar face I saw as I entered these hallowed grounds. Jeremy and I shared the stage as honorees at the Lou Gehrig sports awards dinner last October. Lou Gehrig. The irony just keeps on coming. Schaap, son of the late Dick Schaap has the same good-natured grace as his father did. Jeremy is part of my ALS family and I was happy to see him. He too, has great patience for people with damaged voices like mine. Later, he interviewed me for ESPN's "Outside The Lines." I never expected the interview let alone making the cut. Boy was I surprised. He and his producers added subtitles and it worked.

Ray Robinson gave a speech. Theresa Wright kindly posed for pictures. And for one brief moment I looked up to the heavens and caught a look at Gehrig's bronze bat. It rested at the top of the flagpole and pointed east. The probable direction that many baseballs took on their way off Gehrig's bat and into the bleachers. My brother Billy answers his cell phone with word that Michael Kay mentioned me on his radio show. My mom and brother Rich smile and I just look down and say, " Michael Kay's The Man!"
Tears roll down my cheek. Michael is someone I admire greatly and I'm floored by his simple generosity time and time again. Michael was not calling the game yesterday, but I knew he would recognize The ALS patients and families someway. He did.

After all of pictures, interviews and reflections about Lou were done, we placed roses in front of his monument. Families and patients gathered as a spokesman from the mayor's office read a proclamation citing June 19th, 2003, Lou Gehrig day.

The rain picked up but I didn't mind. Chris Pendergast along with wife Christine and her parents, shared laughs with my family. My good friend and little brother, Billy Siegrist, took part in this ceremony along with so many others. He is a throw back from Mayberry, U.S.A. with family values handed down from parents just like Lou's. Billy designed an oversized presentation check for Chris and his non-for profit ALS organization, Ride for Life. "Ride for Life" because of an annual event in which ALS patients ride their electric wheelchairs down the highways and byways to raise funds for a cure and create awareness. I took part in this years ride and no matter how difficult it was, I will cherish those 9 days on the road forever. Yesterday Chris gave 8,520 dollars to The ALS Association for patient care and research. He arrived at that figure by taking the 2130 consecutive games played by Gehrig and multiplying that by 4.

Chris and I drove out on the rain soaked warning track towards home plate. We received cheers from spectators as we drove down the left field line sending a chill down my spine. Lou Piniella sat in the visitor's dugout, chomping on piece of candy as Chris and I drove by. Word came that both, "Sweet Lou" and Joe Torre would meet us for the check presentation behind the dish. I thought about Lou Gehrig in that classic photo with his head bowed and cap between his hands. I stared at an unoccupied home plate and heard his speech pumping out of the loud speakers in my brain. This time the photo was in living color.

If you ever watch the managers exchange lineups did you ever wonder what they're saying? Lou Gehrig, I believe, granted me full access yesterday. Piniella and Torre shared laughs about weather. I also overheard them talking about everything from Mondesi playing left to Pinellas's mother in law dieing from ALS. Again the irony came out. Torre gave me first hand knowledge that the game was probably a rainout.

It was then where the rain felt as heavy as my heart. Not because of a washout in the Bronx, though. I believe Lou Gehrig wanted us all to take ourselves out of the game yesterday. Just the way he did in Detroit when he let Joe McCarthy replace him with Babe Dahlgren. The rain that fell was really Lou's tears falling from heaven. He along with so many others who died from ALS let their tears fall over Yankee stadium for a reason. They were shed so that more people would take notice Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis even for just one day. God Bless you, Lou.