Cal Ripken
Cal Ripken
Calvin Edwin "Cal" Ripken Jr., nicknamed "The Iron Man", is an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseballfor the Baltimore Orioles. One of his position's most offensively productive players, Ripken compiled 3,184 hits, 431 home runs, and 1,695 runs batted in during his career, and he won two Gold Glove Awards for his defense. He was a 19-time All-Star and was twice named American LeagueMost Valuable Player. Ripken is best known for...
state
I don't want to think it's true. I'm in a state of denial,
against brought compete face favorite field game great joy loss people played puck remember saying smile
This is a great loss for baseball. Puck was one of my favorite people to compete against on the field and to be around off the field. I will always remember how Kirby played the game with joy and how he brought a smile to your face just by saying hello.
bring hear mad mood worst
You could be in the worst mood ever and all you had to do was hear Kirby laugh, or see his smile, and he could bring you back. Even when you were mad at an umpire.
everybody expected surprised
I never expected all of this, ... I'm real surprised about everybody being here.
miss quite
Quite frankly, I don't miss standing in the box or standing on the field playing.
activity baseball dad field looking manager minor outside saw though traveled
Even though my dad was a manager in the minor leagues, I still traveled around with him and saw it from the field out. Now, as an owner, you're kind of looking from the whole baseball activity from outside in, from a fan's perspective.
asked managing serious yes
I've been asked to interview for many managing jobs, and I never said yes because I was never serious about it, and I thought it would be wrong to go through that process.
appeals certain coach job league lifelong manager point test time
I have goals and ambitions, and I see myself as a lifelong baseball student. I have certain philosophies that I'd like to test at some point at the big league level. The job of manager appeals to me, a coach appeals to me, at a different time frame.
dad minor people
My dad was part of the Oriole way. I think he was there 14 years in the minor leagues; I think seven of those years, they had the same people in place. So it was about continuity. It was about stability.
bat crack pitcher starts
Baseball can be slow in many ways. The action starts with when the pitcher delivers the ball. But the action really starts when the crack of the bat happens.
kids
I did make a choice when I got away from baseball to be there to get my kids off to college.
compelled felt kept life matter whatever
There have been times in my life when I felt compelled to write things down as a matter of therapy, but whatever I kept about those days, I shredded. It was too personal.
kids parent support
Disadvantaged kids many times don't have the support network that we all have. I know how important my parents were in my life and many of these kids don't have that support network.
thinking people helping
I am driven by what you are able to accomplish and how you are able to help some people. I go about it each and every day, sometimes I think I say yes too much and I am too busy in my life.