Adam and I both despise the Yankees as we are both Brewers fans.  However, any fan of baseball would be a fool not to include "The Iron Horse" on a list of the Top Five ballplayers of all time, regardless of the team on which he played.  Sports thrives on the concept of rivalries and nemeses.  Yet, in my opinion, any team -past or present- would be fortunate to have had Gehrig.  Not only were his skills impressive enough to earn him a spot in the Hall of Fame in addition to any season-by-season accolades, but his behavior set him above and beyond what is expected of professional athletes, including those of today.

Culturally, we not only admire athletes, singers, or movie stars, but deify them.  However, more often than not they often tend to border on selfish or thoughtless actions (see Roger Clemens).

Gehrig, by contrast, did what any professional athlete should do: he let his play do the talking.  However, trash-talking, chest-thumping, and "you-can't-tell-me-what-to-do" tantrums dominate pro sports. Considering the circumstances eventually resulting to his death, he handled the situation and the news from it with heroism we only see in movies.  Truly, he was someone who deserved to be idolized.