Word: cal
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Unofficially, the Streak probably began in the late '60s in the basement of the Ripken household, by then in Aberdeen, Maryland. Says Vi Ripken, the matriarch of the Ripken clan (daughter Ellen, sons Cal Jr., Fred and Billy): "I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard 'Just one more game, Mom.' The kids would be playing Ping-Pong in the basement, and it was always a struggle to get them to come upstairs for dinner, and even more of a struggle to get them to go to bed. Nobody liked to end the night on a loss...
...down. While Gehrig occasionally resorted to artifice to extend his streak, Ripken has never done anything untoward to keep his alive, or played anything less than hard. Gehrig was literally afraid of leaving the lineup; Ripken is in it for the fun. "There's a joy to Cal's game that never ceases to amaze me," says Mike Flanagan, the Orioles' pitching coach who has played for Cal Sr. and played with Cal Jr. "People who think he's out for glory just don't get it." Indeed, fans who think that Ripken will sit down shortly after...
Opponents and teammates alike hold Ripken in the same awe in which he holds Gehrig. Says the Toronto Blue Jays' veteran designated hitter Paul Molitor: "As someone who has spent a few years of my life on the disabled list, I can tell you that what Cal has done and is still doing is beyond my comprehension. He plays the second toughest position on the field every day, often on artificial turf, sometimes in day games after night games, sometimes after flying all night. He's still a dangerous hitter, still the most reliable shortstop out there...
WITH ANY GREAT RIVER, THERE IS A LONGING to find the source. In Ripken's case, it is an immaculately groomed, ranch-style home in Aberdeen, where he and his siblings grew up and where his folks, Vi and Cal Sr., still spend their days in semi-retirement: golf, bumper pool, tomato plants. Senior's tomatoes are such things of beauty that he could probably make a fortune selling them at a road stand, maybe even under a sign that reads SON-TRIED TOMATOES...
...Cal met Vi after watching her play softball in high school, and the game has gripped their family ever since. When Cal Jr. was born, Cal Sr. was catching for Class B Fox Cities (Wisconsin) under manager Earl Weaver. (Weaver once claimed he knew even when Junior was a fetus that he was going to be a major leaguer.) An injury ended Senior's playing career soon afterward, so he embarked on a minor league managerial odyssey that took him to Leesburg, Florida; Appleton, Wisconsin; Kennewick-Richland-Pasco, Washington; Aberdeen, South Dakota; Elmira, New York; and Dallas. While...