On July 4, 2009, BYU law professor Michael Goldsmith took the mound at Yankee Stadium to stare down the toughest opponent of his life, amyotophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Seventy years after the Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig retired from baseball to battle the incurable disease, Goldsmith’s own advocacy in the fight against ALS led to a nationwide awareness day – every professional baseball team wore special patches on their uniforms as part of events held at 15 ballparks. (See ‘A Grand Slam for ALS’ for the full story)