1998 Volume 121 No 1–4 - Phi Delta Theta Scroll Archive

Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, we present at this time
an interview with Lou Gehrig. Now I'm sure I don't have to
explain who Lou Gehrig is because he's a gentleman of whom
we have all heard. And because we have all heard about Lou,
we know a great deal about him. Our interview today will
deal strictly with baseball as a game, rather than Lou as a
man.
Lou, is baseball played differently now than when you first
started playing
Lou: Well, that's a difficult question. I think it was played
harder, and it was made more difficult for the young man
of fifteen, twenty years ago when I broke in. He had to go
out and fight his way for a job under many adverse conditions.
The young man today is surrounded with old-timers'
advice and experience. So you can see readily where the
difference lies.
Lou: Why, I think Joe Gordon in two years will be one of
the real greats and will go down in the class with Eddie
Collins and Gehringer, and there is a slight possibility that
he will overshadow them defensively.
Anc: He seems to be going that way at the present time.
Lou: Well, there's no question about it.
Anc: Lou, what's your opinion of night baseball
Lou: Well, night baseball is strictly a show and is strictly
advantageous to the owners' pocketbook, but as far as being
a true exhibition of baseball, well, I don't think I can
say it is, and it's very difficult on the ballplayers themselves.
Of course, we realize that the men who work in the daytime
like to get out at night and really see a spectacle and we do
all in our power to give them their money's worth. But after
all it's not really baseball. Real baseball should be played in
the daytime, in the sunshine.
Anc: You can't see the balls as well at night as you can in the
day, is that the trouble It's hard on the eyes
Lou: Well, you can't see the what you call "the spin" on the
ball. You see, it looks faster than it really is and your
timing's slightly off.
Anc: /5 that why some ballplayers can hit very well at night
and not so good during the day and vice versa
Lou: (Laughter) No, I would say there are no ballplayers
that hit better at night than they do in the daytime. Now
you look at comparative averages at the close of the season,
and I believe that you will see it's strictly a pitcher's game at
Anc: Speaking of up-and-coming ballplayers, you being asso­nightciated
with the Yankees, what do you think of Joe Gordon as
a second baseman
Anc: More close, more low-hit games
Lou: More low-hit games and low scores. Now (Cotton)
Pippen beat us a night game in Philadelphia, our first night
game, he beat us 3 to 2 and we had pretty fair luck with him
in two innings in a daytime game.
Anc: / remember that time. I think that was the first game
Philadelphia won from the Yanks in a long time, wasn't it
Lou: Yes, I believe it is. That particular night game.
Anc: We often hear about ballplayers as ballplayers, Lou. Of
course, the fans have their favorites. But ballplayers see
things that the fans don't see. For instance, one ballplayer
may be very smooth and make plays that the fans wouldn't
catch. So who would you say has been the ballplayers'
ballplayer
Hear Lou Gehrig on the web!
Through the magic of the internet, all Phis can hear
clips from the orignal recordings of the radio interview
on these pages.
Simply log in to Phi Delta Theta'sWeb site: http://
www.phidelt-ghq.com and click on the Scroll section.
Follow the instructions on the screen to hear from the
Iron IHorse, Lou Gehrig, Columbia '25, Phi Delta Theta
and America's favorite hero.
http://www.phidelt-ghq.com THE SCROLL SPRING 1998 15