Lou Gehrig Day - Steve Gleason
Team Gleason is observing the inaugural Lou Gehrig Day on Wednesday, June 2nd!
June 2 was chosen by Major League Baseball as the official date for Lou Gehrig Day, as it marks the day in 1925 when Gehrig took over as the Yankees' regular first baseman and began his record-breaking streak of 2,130 consecutive games.
In 1939, Lou Gehrig stood in front of 62,000 Yankees fans and delivered one of the most poignant speeches in the history of sports. 82 years have passed and over 400,000 people in the US have died from ALS since Lou Gehrig made his speech. One is diagnosed and we lose another every 90 minutes.
Steve will synthetically recite a portion of Lou Gehrig’s famous “Luckiest Man” speech in a video narrated by Cal Ripken Jr. and produced by MLB Network that will be shown on video boards during the fourth inning (or pregame in some ballparks) of all games today!
Steve lost the ability to speak due to ALS, recites the speech with the help of Project Euphonia, a Google Research team focused on helping people with atypical speech be better understood. Using previously recorded voice samples from Steve, Project Euphonia was able to create an authentic, personalized version of his voice via computer technology.
“This is the genesis of a powerful and important tradition for the ALS community. I’m humbled and honored to be alive and to be a representative for all the people and families who are working to live with this brutal and devastating disease.” - Steve Gleason
Team Gleason is improving the lives of people living with ALS by delivering innovative technology and equipment, as well as providing and empowering an improved life experience.
Thank you to the MLB and Google Cloud for including Steve on this momentous day.
#LG4Day