Word: ripken
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...Ripken said he did not want people to be sad, but I have to be, both because The Streak is over and because of the way it ended...
That said, would Ripken's motivation, even if it were impure, diminish his accomplishment? Probably not. Ultimately, the guy still played in 2,632 consecutive games. If I were an employer and had a worker who did not miss a day of work in 17 years, I don't think I would care why he showed up, especially if he were one of the best in the business. Perhaps that makes me a hypocrite...
Ironically, however, Lou Gehrig--the man who held the record for most consecutive games played until Ripken broke it in 1995--also ended his streak by pulling himself out of the starting lineup on May 2, 1939. But Gehrig, a career .340 hitter, was batting .143 in 1939 and suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the illness that would eventually take his life and bear his name. Gehrig took the day off because he wanted to help his team...
...Ripken, however, is a career .276 hitter who was batting .275 this season--hardly a slump. In fact, Ripken has been on fire for the past two months. He is batting .358 in his last 52 games, and his .978 fielding percentage leads all American League third basemen this year. The Iron Man apparently had different motivations than the Iron Horse, but perhaps these facts also provide an explanation of another sort...
Throughout this season, Baltimore columnists have called for Orioles manager Ray Miller to bench Ripken, saying that he was contributing to the Orioles' underachievement. The numbers seem to indicate otherwise, so perhaps those columnists should seek alternate employment...