A Tribute to Cal
Doug McKinney | Staff Writer

I still remember the events to this day of my brother's eight year-old birthday party. I was sitting in my room packing up his friends' goodie bags, as I made sure I evenly distributed the toys and candy in each bag. After double checking each bag, I came across his best friend's bag. I reached in and found I gave his best friend two packs of baseball cards. I stared down at the two 1993 Topps baseball card packs and thought of a way to solve this problem. Just staring in suspense, kind of like opening that big present you find on Christmas Day, I got very impatient.

I took a look around the room and started opening one of the packs slightly, but quickly decided to open the other pack instead. It was like the scene from Armageddon where they had to choose to cut one of the few wires. Well, I went for it all and opened the pack up. Looking through the cards, I got a few decent players, a few no names, and few checklist cards, until I got to the last card. The card was of none other than one of America's greatest baseball players of all time, Cal Ripken, Jr. As I lifted the card up in the air, my brother's friend came in the room and saw that I was going through his goodie bag and wanted to see what I was holding up. He came closer as I just sat there in shock. The next thing I know I'm running out of the room being chased by, what I knew at the time and what I still know very well today, Cal Ripken's biggest fan.

After running around the house a few times, each lap screaming out in joy "I got Cal Ripken," I talked to him and told him the truth: I didn't get it out of his bag.

Ok so I lied, but this was Cal Ripken! He took a closer look and realized he had that card already anyway.

The reason I told that story was not to talk about me being a Cal fan, a big baseball fan, or about how I collect cards. It's because I knew this guy would make the Hall of Fame. Twelve years into his career this guy has already accomplished so much, by winning World Series, having sponsors fight over him, many all-star appearances, and even have a stance where you would see 12 year-old kids trying to copy. Two years later Cal played in his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking Lou Gehrig's former record. ESPN the Magazine's Tim Kurkjian wrote an interesting article on the San Diego Padre's Tony Gwynn and Ripken where he said "They didn't always look good playing, but they played the game with grace." It's true. Stars like Ripken and Gwynn weren't always the guys you would see going five for five in a night with three homers. They did have those nights from time to time, but that's not the point. These two stars will be entering the Hall of Fame together in five years. These guys play for the game, not for the money. Both guys have played for 20 seasons for their same teams, for far less money than they could have gotten elsewhere. These guys were, as I like to say, "heroes on and off the field." A month after the terrorists attacks on September 11th, America is still looking for patriotism to take a huge step in our lifestyles. Ironically this past week, Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig stated "He [Ripken] has become the symbol for the American work ethic, a symbol for the American working man and a symbol of everything that is great about the game of baseball."

Athletes like Ripken give sports a good name. How many guys have you seen play that have changed the way a sport is played? Well my man, let me say proudly that it's true: Cal has changed the way baseball is played. It's true: His streak has shown players that if you work hard enough you can play day in and day out. It's true: The past few years the Orioles haven't exactly been such a great team, but he's stuck with them. It's true: Cal's average the past few years has been like a roller coaster ride, but without a doubt he has given it all. It's true: Cal came into the MLB as a student of the game, but leaves as a teacher.

And that's the bottom line because Dougie Fresh said so, and peace (especially in the Middle East.)

With lots of sports love,
Doug McKinney