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Reactions: Cal's last call Record-breaking lap a favorite memory of Ripken fansPosted: Tuesday June 19, 2001 12:49 PMUpdated: Tuesday June 19, 2001 6:18 PM Cal Ripken has had many lasting images in his 21-year major league career. CNNSI.com users shared their favorite memories of baseball's Iron Man. A sample of the responses we received follow:
I'm 21 years old, so I haven't seen Ripken's entire career. Of course, watching him break Lou Gherig's streak was amazing, but my favorite moment was probably when he decided to end his own streak. He ended it on his terms, not letting himself become sidelined with an injury or something else happen, but when he felt it was time, he decided to sit one out. And it was the first time he had "sat one out" in 2,632 games. To me, that was a very powerful moment, and I think it is hard to find a player with as much class or sportsmanship as Cal Ripken.
Two years ago, the Orioles beat the Braves 22-1 in Atlanta. After Ripken had four hits in as many at-bats, Orioles commentators predicted he would sit the rest of the night out to keep his game perfect (at 39, who gets five consecutive hits?). But Cal stayed in, and when the night was over, he was 6-for-6 and had drawn two standing ovations from Braves fans.
Winning the Home Run Derby at the 1991 All-Star Game in Toronto. I don't think any Baltimore fan thought that would happen from the outset.
I had many favorite Cal Ripken moments. But what invariably sticks out in my mind is his "victory lap" when he set the consecutive games played record. As he jogged around Camden Yards with Whitney Houston's One Moment In Time playing in the background, I got a little choked up.
My favorite Cal Ripken moment was the 1991 All-Star Game. Cal had been having a phenomenal season to that point, but I think many folks thought it was a blip and that he couldn't sustain it for the whole season. After he had a great night at the All-Star game, walking off with the game's MVP award, I think it was clear that this was truly going to be a special season for him.
Which memory? There are simply too many to count. However, 21 years of perfect gentlemanly behavior, and no hint of boorish superstar attitude. However, if I have to pick one single outstanding memory, it was of him and the fans while he circled the field for his victory lap after he broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive-games played record. No self proclaimed superstar, he was humble, tipping his hat to the fans, and the 20-minute long standing ovation, long after he had circled the field, had to be overwhelming to almost everybody watching.
I'll remember Cal's humility above anything else. Even though his victory lap around Camden Yards when he broke Lou Gehrig's record was emotional, the scene of Rafael Palmero and Bobby Bonilla pushing him out of the dugout to take that lap spoke volumes of how modest he is.
I am a life-long Orioles fan, having grown up in Baltimore in the glory days of Brooks, Frank and Boog. When the Orioles drafted Cal Ripken, Jr. (in 1978, I believe), I was NOT HAPPY. In fact, I was very unhappy. I was convinced that my Orioles had wasted a valuable draft pick on this local kid (he was a year younger than me) for one reason alone -- his dad coached in the Orioles organization. Never before or since have I been soooo wrong and so pleased to admit it. Thanks for the memories, Cal.
I went to Orioles spring training in 1996, the year after the Streak ended. After a Sunday game, Cal signed autographs for everyone who wanted, for over an hour. He started at the left-field foul pole and went all the way around the seating bowl to the right-field foul pole. I was standing beside the first-base dugout. He signed my ball for me. I was so nervous that when he handed me back my pen, I dropped it. He picked the pen up, wiped it clean, smiled, and kept signing for the other fans. I still have the ball at home, but I'll never forget dropping the pen!
I attended a game at Camden Yards the year that Ripken broke Gerhig's record. And as I was leaving the game, I saw a huge crowd, mostly kids, gathering down near the field for Cal's autograph. I sat back and watched as Cal signed, and signed, and signed. He did not leave the stadium until every person there had been given the chance of getting a signature. In an era of players whining about salaries and the way they are treated, that moment will stand out in my mind forever as a true example of a sportsman. He is truly unique, and we in Maryland will miss him.
Growing up in Baltimore, loving the Orioles was a way of life. When the Colts left, we had the O's -- and Cal. Cal Ripken embodied the work ethic of a blue collar town who loved to say "How 'bout them O's?" He showed class and integrity when the athletes around him seemed greedy and selfish. He gave back to the community from which he came -- and where he stayed. He is Baltimore's favorite son. Baltimore isn't a glamorous place, but it has heart and strength, and thanks Cal Ripken for mirroring that in his career.
My favorite Cal memory was when Cal made his victory lap around Camden Yards when he broke Gehrig's consecutive-games-played record. Cal was prodded out of the dugout by his O's teammates and ran around the field shaking hands with fans and acknowledging the people who matter most to the game of baseball: The fans. Cal has always been that way.
I live about 30-40 minutes south of Baltimore and get up to Camden Yards to see the Orioles about three or four times a year. I remember going to a game just a few weeks before he passed Gehrig's record when they already were doing the countdown on the warehouse wall in right field. What I remember most is walking outside the stadium or standing on the concession line and hearing people talk about their memories of Cal Ripken. I just remember watching him play and appreciating his attitude of always learning the game, but these people were talking about specifics. "I was there when he hit two against Detroit" or "I was in the upper deck and he fouled off six consecutive to stay alive and then drove in the winning run against Toronto." Cal obviously had the quality to make people feel special about baseball. I will always remember him for that.
Opening Day - I can't remember the year -- against Rocket Clemens and the Boston Red Sox. Cal hit a home run late in the game to lift the O's to victory. It was a perfect Opening Day at Memorial Stadium. Clemens had his 'A' game and Cal's shot was swift and electrifying, like the big left hook the beaten heavyweight throws to KO the champ in the late rounds. The moment was pure, and so is Jr.
Just like so many others, I had tears in my eyes the night Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's streak. But the memory that may stick with me the most is from the night before, on the night Ripken tied the streak, when he added to the storybook-like atmosphere with a line-drive home run.
I think it was in 1985 (the year after the Tigers won the World Series) and my dad and I had just watched an Orioles-Tigers game go into 16 or 17 innings. We didn't get back to the hotel until around midnight and we decided to eat at a diner at the bottom of the hotel. The restaurant was empty until a group of four guys walked in and sat in a both next to ours. I didn't really notice them, but my dad had recognized that it was some players from the Orioles. Naturally as a 14 year kid I got all excited, especially since one of them was Cal Ripken, Jr. Despite the fact that it was extremely late and he probably just wanted to eat, Cal answered all my questions, signed the game program, and let me put his World Series ring on my finger. To this day, I am amazed at how patient and friendly he was to us.
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