Ripken Snubbed?

Winston-Salem, NC -- After the smoke has cleared from Cooperstown, two of the best players of the 80's and 90's were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Those players, of course, were Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn. With Bonds knocking on 756 homeruns, it luckily didn't steal the show of two gentlemen players.

My mom actually brought this point up to me since she's a big Cal Ripken fan. Did Sports Illustrated, perhaps right behind ESPN as the top provider of sports news, forget to display a tribute to Cal in their most recent issue? After all, Cal has graced the cover numerous times during his playing career -- I counted 7, including 4 during 1995, the year of The Streak. Well, with a little research from the BPA, Inc. Research Department, a special issue was made specifically for Cal... voila!...

Cal has done some amazing things over the years, some of those good deeds include:

• Bringing baseball back after the 1994 Strike with The Streak.
• Signing autographs for an hour after every game.
• Winning 2 MVP Awards and the Rookie of the Year Award.
• Winning a World Series.
• Building the Aberdeen IronBirds minor league franchise into a complete success.
• Running two other minor league franchises in Savannah and South Carolina.

And this week, Cal was named a goodwill ambassador to the Secretary of State. What can this guy not do? My personal favorite story of Cal, aside from watching him take the famous lap around Camden Yards on September 6, 1995 when The Streak became official, was him staying after an Orioles' game in 1996 signing autographs for an hour and 20 minutes! I was the third person in line when he had to go.

Is there anything bad about Cal? I talked to a friend of a friend, who lives in Emmittsburg, MD, and she runs a landscaping business. Her business was called on to mulch a section of Cal's estate. However, Cal's assistant told her and her crew to not even look or approach Cal if you see him on the grounds. I don't know how credible that story is.

The baseball junkie that I am... I still have to make it up to Aberdeen for a game. Speaking of games, does anyone notice that the attendance at Camden Yards has plummeted since Cal retired? How do you put fannies in the seats (aside from winning!)? Have Cal buy the team! We haven't seen the end of Mr. Ripken, and that's not a bad thing.