Word: ripkens
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
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...
...shortstop and pitcher for Aberdeen High School, Cal Jr., their fourth pick in the draft. His talent was so obvious that nepotism was never an issue. In 1982 the Orioles traded third-baseman DeCinces to the California Angels to make room for the kid he once carried to safety. Ripken missed only two games in his Rookie of the Year season, becoming the Orioles' shortstop on a permanent basis on July 1. In '83 Ripken was named the American League MVP, helping lead the Orioles to victory in the World Series over the Philadelphia Phillies...
...ORIOLES CONTINUED TO struggle, and Ripken's consecutive-game string grew longer and longer, the talk about resting him grew louder and louder. "I never understood the reasoning behind it," he says. "O.K., my statistics weren't as good as they were in '83, but sitting down would only be running away from the problem. You don't get out of a slump by not playing. And if I wasn't hitting, I could help the team in other ways." Indeed, in 1990 Ripken set a major league record for fewest errors by a shortstop in a season, an amazingly...
...Streak has had two close calls. The first came during game No. 444 in April 1985, when Ripken sprained his ankle on a pick-off play in the third inning. Although he continued playing, his ankle was badly swollen and discolored after the game. Fortunately, the Orioles had scheduled an exhibition game against the Naval Academy the next day. The second near-miss came as a result of a bench-clearing melee with the Seattle Mariners during game No. 1,790 in June of '93. Ripken twisted his knee, and when he woke up the next morning, he couldn...
...Ripken did play the full nine innings that night. In fact, he has played in 99.2% of every Orioles game since the Streak began. The percentage would be even higher had Ripken not been ejected from two games in the first inning. After umpire Drew Coble threw him out on Aug. 7, 1989, for arguing, Coble said, "I felt like I was throwing God out of church...