Lou Gehrig didn't have Lou Gehrig's disease?

I saw the HBO piece today. One thing they talked about was Gehrig was documented six times to be knocked out in a game then back in the line up the next day.

Once, his head was so swollen that he had to borrow a cap from Ruth so it would fit.

You'd think even in the 1920s if someone's head was so swollen they had to get a larger size cap, anybody would have said "Uhh, dude, maybe we need to get you looked at."

 

No you wouldn't think that back then.

This was an era where workers were regularly injured in dangerous jobs like mines and steel mills. If a worker got injured, he'd better show up for work or he's lose his job. Why would a ballplayer be any different?

And there were no unions back then to protect any workers' rights, whether it was a baseball player or a guy digging coal.

 

That's true.

You loaded 16 tons, and what did you get?

Another day older and deeper in debt.

 

They didn't care about the players back then. Not saying that they do now.

 

Not only that, but especially back then, players were seen as very lucky people to be playing a game instead of, what would be considered actually working. They were only a generation or so removed from being seen as lazy lowlifes who didn't want to work for a living. Complaining about injuries wasn't seen as anything special.

Plus, the competition for jobs was so intense, players clung to their starting positions to the death. One example: The 1939 Yankees. Their starting infield of Joe Gordon (2B), Frank Crosetti (SS) and Red Rolfe (3B) missed one game. Combined. First base was Gehrig, who only played eight games before leaving the lineup. Babe Dahlgren replaced him, and played all 144 games after that.

 

I'm not saying they cared about the players or that I'm surprised he played with a badly swollen head.

Even with the attitudes of ownership, etc. back then it's not exactly like complaining of a sore shoulder or having a blister on your finger like players today. I'm not surprised by a lack of compassion, but by lack of common sense.