"Major League Baseball is proud to devote the Fourth of July to Lou Gehrig and the disease that bears his name. We are pleased to have this opportunity to help find a cure for ALS and help those who are suffering from the disease."

Selig also said "Major League Baseball considers it a privilege to assist our troops in any way we can. We are proud to support these efforts in every way possible, and we ask our fans to join us this Fourth of July weekend and beyond in this effort to raise awareness and funds for this important cause."

The scene in every home park will be dramatic when those clubs each have someone read Gehrig's famous "Luckiest Man" speech. July 4, 1939, was proclaimed "Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day" at old Yankee Stadium. Between games of that Independence Day doubleheader against the Washington Senators, the memorable ceremonies were held on the field. The New York Times would report a day later that it was "Perhaps as colorful and dramatic a pageant as ever was enacted on a baseball field (as) 61,808 fans thundered a hail and farewell."

The Yankees will host a special "4♦ALS Awareness" ceremony at new Yankee Stadium prior to their 1 p.m. ET game today against the Blue Jays. During the pregame ceremony, the Yankees will recognize Michael Goldsmith, a lifelong baseball fan who contributed to the development of the "4♦ALS" initiative.

"Seventy years after Lou Gehrig's farewell speech, no cure exists for ALS," Goldsmith said. "Doctors have no real way even to slow its devastating progression. Because research for a cure is still in its infancy, defeating ALS will require the same determination that Lou Gehrig and Cal Ripken Jr. demonstrated in setting records for consecutive games played. I live for the day when all ALS patients can give you a standing ovation for fighting this fight with us."

Today, all on-field personnel, including players, coaches, umpires and groundskeepers, will wear a "4♦ALS" patch.