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One for the ages Ripken was an old-time star in a modern world
The obvious can't be said enough sometimes. Cal Ripken closes out his 21-year career with the Baltimore Orioles in the next week and there will be tributes and more tributes -- indeed, they have started already, presentations and ceremonies at each final stop along the road in this final season -- but no matter how high the pile of kind words becomes, there always will be room for a few more. Cal Ripken truly was a different kind of star for our modern times. In a world of comets, flying across the sky, he was a night light in the corner, strong and constant, always there. In a symphony of high notes and flourishes, he was a bass line, strung across the bottom. In a rush of adjectives pulled across the headlines, he was a simple noun and predicate. He played. He played and he played and he played. His record is 2,632 straight games, all in the same uniform, and it never is going to be touched. He played when he was hurt. He played when he was tired. He played when ... I don't know, what are the excuses now that superstars sometimes use? He played when his pants didn't fit or his kids had colds or his car didn't start or his alarm clock didn't work. He played. Baseball will go out of business, cease to exist, before someone comes close to his record. There have been bigger stars and better players, and more will follow, but there will never be another Cal Ripken. He earned the gold watch more than anyone ever did in the game he played. And he played. Leigh Montville appears regularly on CNN/Sports Illustrated. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
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