Gehrig Speech Reenactment Set for July 1 at Werner Park

OMAHA, Neb. - July 4, 1939 was declared "Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day" at Yankee Stadium. It was also the day Lou Gehrig gave his famous speech and retired from professional baseball due to a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease that would forever be attached to the great baseball player's name - Lou Gehrig's disease.

For the fourth year, a reenactment of that speech will follow the Omaha Storm Chasers July 1st baseball game - raising awareness of the disease that 72 years after Gehrig's speech, still has no known cause or cure.

The speech, to be delivered after the Storm Chasers 7:05 p.m. game against the Albuquerque Isotopes on Friday, July 1, 2011 at Werner Park, will be performed by Kevin J. Ehrhart, a member of the Omaha Theatre Company staff. Ehrhart says he continues to be a part of this evening because he "believes this disease to be one of the most oppressive diseases known in the world today."

In addition to the reenactment following the game, Dave Masters, 36 and a retired Air Force veteran will throw out the first pitch. Masters was given a medical retirement three years ago and diagnosed with ALS in March of 2010.

For more information about all ALS events go to www.alsa-midwest.org.

About ALS

Commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS is a progressive, degenerative fatal neuromuscular disease that can strike without warning. Every day, 15 new cases of ALS are diagnosed within the United States and 15 people die from the disease. Seventy years have passed since Lou Gehrig's death from ALS at the age of 37, yet, there is still no known cause, cure or effective treatment for this devastating illness.