Roots of Violence

An Occasional Publication for Persons Interested in Violence Prevention

In order to prevent violence, we have to understand it
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Volume 1, Number 1 August 2010
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“I’ll get you, you SOB” Pitcher Flings Beaner

at Lou Gehrig for Imagined Slight
Jane F. Gilgun
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, USA

B e careful who you slight, even if you don’t mean to. Lou Gehrig was a famous Yankees
baseball player in 1934 when he met Ray White, a promising pitcher on the Yankees
farm team. White didn’t think that Gehrig was interested in him, and he complained to
teammates about Gehrig’s apparent disinterest. White and Gehrig had both been student athletes
at Columbia University. White didn’t know that Gehrig was reserved with everyone, not just
him. White apparently got his revenge. Here’s the story.
In an exhibition game with White on the mound and Gehrig at the plate, White threw a
ball that grazed Gehrig’s head. In the locker room later, the catcher teased Gehrig about the pitch
and asked Gehrig why he didn’t like White. Gehrig allegedly said, “That guy can go to hell.” So
maybe, maybe not—Gehrig might not have thought much about White until White threw that
pitch, or maybe he didn’t like White for any number of other reasons.
A few months later in another exhibition game, White again pitched to Gehrig. This time
he threw a pitch that slammed into the side of Gehrig’s head. The pitched knocked Gehrig cold.
Five minutes later, he woke up and allowed himself to be taken to a hospital. Tests showed he
had a concussion, but no skull fractures.
The next day, Gehrig was back in the game against doctors’ advice. His head was so
swollen he borrowed a hat from the large-headed Babe Ruth, cut a hole in the hat, and played a
fabulous game that included three triples. He did this despite a huge headache.
A few years later, in an interview, Gehrig said he had probably been “foolhardy” and
should have done what the doctors told him to do. He continued, “I just that I wanted to prove
myself right away. I wanted to make sure that big whack on my head apparently hadn’t made me
gun shy at the plate.” Apparently he voiced no suspicions that White had hit him on purpose.
Years later, White explained himself. “He might have shown some interest in me as a
fellow Columbian and a potential Yankee, but he always seemed cold and unfriendly. He just
didn’t seem to give a damn about me. That’s the impression I got.”
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Jane F. Gilgun, Ph.D., LICSW, is a professor, School of Social Work, University of Minnesota,
Twin Cities, USA. Her articles, books, & children’s stories are available on Amazon Kindle, the
Apple store, & scribd.com/professorjane for a variety of e-readers & mobile devices. She has
done research on violence for more than 25 years.
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 White denied the beaning was deliberate, but more instinctive, a response to Gehrig’s
home run in the first inning, he said.

Seven years after the beaning, Gehrig died of amyotrophic   lateral   sclerosis   (ALS),   also  
known   as   Lou   Gehrig’s   disease.   Medical   research   has   linked   Gehrig’s   death   to   several  
concussions  he  had  during  his  short  career.  He  played  immediately  after  each  concussion.  
People  need  to  rest  after  a  concussion.  Even  then,  there  is  no  guarantee  that  there  will  be  
no  later  problems.    
Concussions  followed   by  strenuous  physical  activity  may  lead  to  brain  degeneration  
that   in   turn   results   in   symptoms   that   are   similar   to   ALS.   White’s   direct   hit   may   have  
contributed  to  damage  to  Gehrig’s  brain.  
Back   then,   pitchers,   players,   and   no   one   else   knew   how   dangerous   concussions   may  
be  and  can  later  lead  to  brain  degeneration  and  death  if  disregarded.  
Roots of Violence
White’s beaning of Gehrig makes sense to most people. He believed Gehrig had slighted
him. He got back at Gehrig. Even the custom of throwing pitches at players who just had a good
hit is routine, “instinctive.” This threat of physical injury is a way of getting back at a good
player who might make score a run. Maybe that player could make the pitcher’s team lose.
White’s actions were well within the rules of baseball.
Beliefs about getting back at others is widespread. Most people think about hurting others
when they feel slighted, insulted, or disrespected. Most of us do not act on these thoughts. We
realize that if we do, someone will get hurt—us and the other person and possibly others, such as
family and friends.
Some people don’t think about consequences. They are hurt and angry. They hurt others.
Some people even say, “I hurt. I want others to hurt.”
What to do?
The belief in getting back at others is widespread. The belief sometimes leads to serious
harm, as probably was the case for White’s beaning of Gehrig. What can we do to stop people
from hurting others whom they THINK has slighted them?
• Don’t assume. Assume=Ass out of you and ass out of me. White had no idea what
Gehrig really thought of him. He made assumptions based on Gehrig’s actions. Had he
learned more about Gehrig, he may have found that Gehrig had not singled him out.
Gehrig was reserved with everyone.
• Consider alternative explanations. The actions of other people can have any number of
explanations besides the ones we come up with. When we are stressed, we usually come
up with explanations that put us in a bad light. Pause for a while. Talk to someone else
about your explanations for the behaviors of others. Those others may have a hair up their
you know whats about something that has nothing to do with you.
• Consider consequences. Think of what can happen to you, to your family, to the person
you want to get back at. Be honest with yourself. A lot can depend on it. Don’t be foolish.
A 20 year-old man in prison for rape said he did think about the consequences the last
time he raped. He said, “Rape is worth giving up a bundle for.” Is the gratification of
getting back at someone worth what will happen later? Is the gratification worth it even if

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 the other person did slight you on purpose?
• Know that others can be jerks. Yes, they can. It may not be you at all. Sometimes other
people are out of line.
• Maybe you did something hurtful. Think about your own actions. Did you do
something hurtful to the person you think has slighted you? If you don’t know, ask.
“Have I done something to offend you?” A simple enough question. If you have, you can
say, “I’m sorry I offended you.” The other person can be gracious, withholding, or a jerk.
Does it matter? What matters is that you did the right thing.
Conclusion
It’s fun to think about getting back at others. Most of us like to puff ourselves up. We
enjoy thinking about scaring others into submission when we believe they’ve done something to
harm us. Enjoy the fantasy, but don’t do it. The consequences can be terrible. Don’t assume.
Consider alternative explanations. Know other people can be jerks. Know that you can talk to the
other persons to find out if they have a grudge against you. If you have done something unkind,
take responsibility. If they accept your expression of regret, all the better. If they don’t, so what?
You’ve done what you can.
References & Further Reading
Gilgun, Jane F. (in press). Reflections on 25 years of research on violence. Reflections:
Narratives of Professional Helping.
Gilgun, Jane F. (2010). The power of the case. Issues in Qualitative Research, 1(4).
Available on scribd.com
Gilgun, Jane F. (2008). Lived experience, reflexivity, and research on perpetrators of
interpersonal violence. Qualitative Social Work, 7(2), 181-197.
McKee, Ann C., Gavett, Brandon E., Stern, Robert A., Nowinski, Christopher J., Cantu,
Robert C., Kowall, Neil W., Perl, Daniel P., Hedley-Whyte, E. Tessa, Price, Bruce, Sullivan,
Chris, Morin, Peter, Lee, Hyo-Soon, Kubilus, Caroline A., Daneshvar, Daniel H., Wulff, Megan,
& Budson, Andrew E. (2010). TDP-43 proteinopathy and motor neuron disease in chronic
traumatic encephalopathy. Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology. To be
published August 2010.
Robinson, Ray (2010). A misunderstanding, a beaning, and a piece of the Gehrig puzzle.
New York Times, Sunday, August 30, p. 17.
About This Publication
Roots of Violence is an occasional publication for persons interested in violence prevention. In
order to prevent violence, we have to understand it. Jane F. Gilgun, Ph.D., LICSW, is the editor
and publisher. To submit articles to this publication, Professor Gilgun cordially invites
researchers to email brief articles of three to five pages to her at jgilgun@umn.edu.

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