Irony, as we know, is part of life. And death. Is there a better word to use regarding Lou Gehrig?

Think of his nickname: “The Iron Horse.” It implies endurance. It recalls an indestructible man, one who never called in sick for almost 14 years — 2,130 consecutive games, as if we could ever forget that number?

And yet, at age 35, in what should have been the prime of his life, the Yankees first baseman contracted an incurable disease. Two years later, at 37, The Iron Horse was dead.

See full article – ESPN

Joe Torre was offered a one-year contract with a pay cut, to remain manager of the New York Yankees.  He turned it down, even though it still would have made him the highest paid manager in Major League Baseball.  His legacy of four World Series titles and 12 consecutive years making the playoffs, apparently wasn’t enough for George Steinbrenner.

The rumors of whether Torre would be offerred a deal at all, surfaced during the season.  He finally was, but didn’t meet his expectations, so he said so long to New York. Full article

Back in 1998, It seemed crazy when Todd McFarlane — a brilliant but eccentric comic-book artist turned action-figure mogul — paid $3 million for the ball Mark McGwire hit for his then record-breaking 70th home run.

It seemed even crazier when he paid about $500,000 for Barry Bonds’s record-breaking 73rd home run ball in 2003. Steroids scandals were by then casting shadows over home run records, and McFarlane was riding the memorabilia market down. But it doesn’t seem so crazy now that McFarlane Toys is the official distributor of action figures for all four major American sports.