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...
baseball kids giving
I've felt some great feelings on the baseball field... in front of 50,000 people and millions on TV... but the feeling you get when you give a kid a chance, that is a hundred times greater than that feeling.
team guy style
Different styles work for different guys... If you can handle shortstop and hit, teams will find a way to pencil you into the lineup.
inspirational-sports athlete thinking
Stubbornness usually is considered a negative; but I think that trait has been a positive for me.
responsibility games teammate
I always thought being a gamer and someone who had a sense of responsibility to the game and to my teammates was the honorable thing.
stars team games
The last thing you want to do is go down in the history of All-Star game competition as the only injury (his nose was broken by Roberto Hernandez) sustained during the team picture.
long three lines
As long as I can compete, I won't quit. Reaching three-thousand is not the finish line as long as I can contribute.
secret insightful the-end-of-the-day
Ultimately, at the end of the day, you couldn't say you were better than the other person because you knew you had a secret. You knew you had cheated.
nice thinking careers
I haven't given it (achieving 3,000 hits) much thought. I was taught a certain approach, how to come to the ballpark. I try not to do too much thinking about things like that. In this society we measure success in different ways. Three thousand (hits) represents success over a career, not a season. It'll be nice to get to that point.
hands games focus
My approach to every game was to try to erase the games that were before and try to focus on the game at hand.
careers shapes wanted
Early in my career, I decided I never wanted to get out of shape.