- This event has passed.
Baseball at the Phelps Mansion
February 17 @ 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
The Lineup
- Introduction…Jared Kraham
- Reading of “My Luke, The Iron Horse,” by STAR
(Southern Tier Actors Read) - The Girl who Struck Out Babe Ruth and Lou
Gehrig—Or did She? - Updates from Rumbletown
Special appearances by The Binghamton Rumble Ponies Mascots, Silent Auction, and a ballpark themed lunch.
Tickets are $15.00 per person.
An afternoon of baseball at the Phelps Mansion, which is brought to you by the Binghamton Baseball Booster Club, the Phelps Mansion, and our wonderful sponsors listed in this program. This afternoon will not only be entertaining, but informative as well. Binghamton’s mayor, Jared Kraham, will introduce My Luke, The Iron Horse, as well as provide an update on what’s going on within the city’s stadium district.
The program will then have Michael Tuders show a video of 17-year-old Jackie Mitchell striking out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig! Mitchell indelibly wrote her name in baseball history by striking out this duo, but as she did so, she also became part of a debate that still rages today regarding the events of that day!
Our program will conclude with an update from representatives from the Rumble Ponies. Another exciting season awaits us at Rumbletown! Currently the front office of the Rumble Ponies is hard at work on putting together the final planning pieces for the kickoff to the 2024 season, which includes its annual “Welcome the Ponies” dinner at the Holiday Inn.
About “My Luke, The Iron Horse”
This is the story of the final two years of Lou Gehrig’s life, when he had faded from the national spotlight and was left to battle ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) while serving as a parole commissioner in New York City. Perhaps the story is one the New York Yankees prefer not to be told, as it chronicles the team’s failure to offer Lou Gehrig employment in its front office after his diagnosis.
Lou loved baseball and would have enjoyed remaining involved in the game after his playing days had ended abruptly, but that was not to be, as the Yankees had other ideas. Lou is not the only hero of this play, as New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, affectionately known as “The Little Flower,” stepped up to the plate and offered Gehrig a position with the New York Parole Commission in 1939. Gehrig’s work as a civil servant provided him with fulfillment and challenge as he battled the late stages of his disease.
In his famous speech on July 4, 1939, Gehrig referred to himself as the “Luckiest Man Alive,” giving himself this moniker despite the early end his illness brought to his illustrious playing days and two years later, his life. My Luke, The Iron Horse suggests why we should respect Gehrig today more than ever. It is the last chapter of this man’s life and illustrates his humility and grace. Compelling characters make this historical drama come to life, with a cast including Babe Ruth, Eleanor Gehrig, the aforementioned LaGuardia, and a future boxing champion of the world.
Play Ball!