Cal Ripken
Cal Ripken
Calvin Edwin "Cal" Ripken Jr., nicknamed "The Iron Man", is an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseballfor the Baltimore Orioles. One of his position's most offensively productive players, Ripken compiled 3,184 hits, 431 home runs, and 1,695 runs batted in during his career, and he won two Gold Glove Awards for his defense. He was a 19-time All-Star and was twice named American LeagueMost Valuable Player. Ripken is best known for...
everybody expected surprised
I never expected all of this, ... I'm real surprised about everybody being here.
state
I don't want to think it's true. I'm in a state of denial,
bring hear mad mood worst
You could be in the worst mood ever and all you had to do was hear Kirby laugh, or see his smile, and he could bring you back. Even when you were mad at an umpire.
against brought compete face favorite field game great joy loss people played puck remember saying smile
This is a great loss for baseball. Puck was one of my favorite people to compete against on the field and to be around off the field. I will always remember how Kirby played the game with joy and how he brought a smile to your face just by saying hello.
attached home kids league means minor satisfied schedule stayed time until value
I stayed attached to baseball through the kids and through minor league baseball, and I'm very satisfied with the schedule it allows me to have, which means I'm home until my kids go off to college. I value that time.
cultural everybody players utilize
One person's going to win, and everybody else is going to not win. So let's not feel like we're losers. Let's utilize the cultural opportunities, get to know the other players on the other team, look around you, enjoy your world series.
age continued cover dad fact factor hair locker losing practice premature ran stairs talking
My dad had premature gray. I was always the one with the most energy, the one who continued to practice longer. I ran up and down the stairs of different stadiums. I didn't feel the need to cover up the fact that I was losing my hair or it was graying. When you're on a team, age is only a factor when you're talking in the locker room.
actual along joy seems step work
When you're in the day-to-day grind, it just seems like it's another step along the way. But I find joy in the actual process, the journey, the work. It's not the end. It's not the end event.
brothers league lose playing rarely whether
Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I very rarely lost - then everything would go crazy.
flattered
I'm always flattered when someone thinks of me as a potential commissioner of baseball.
guys pains player
I had aches and pains when I played. No player is ever 100 percent, 80 percent, 85 percent. Guys that play 158 or 162 or 145, we are all in the same boat.
realize
When you are away from the game and busy with other areas, you realize that the world does not revolve around baseball.
minor
I had trouble with my temper all the way through the minor leagues.
heard inside missed ninth people retire understood
I never understood that when I heard people retire - they said they missed being around the guys. I don't have a need to make a play in the ninth inning of a game anymore. But being on the inside and being part of a team is something that you really do value and you really do miss.