Calvin Edwin Ripken, Jr. certainly deserves credit for hard work as well as swimming in the deeper end of the gene pool than brother Billy, but we shouldn´t forget Earl Weaver´s in kick starting the career that would come to be defined by "The Streak." In July of 1982, Weaver decided to switch his beefy 6´4" 220 lb third baseman to shortstop, a practically a visionary move at a time when quick, lanky shortstop like Alfredo Griffin, Dave Concepcion and Ozzie Smith were more the rule. In fact, not a single one of the starting shortstops in the AL in 1982 is listed at more than 190 lbs at baseball-reference.com, and only the legendary Bill Almon comes close to Ripken´s height at 6´3"
Baseball had seen big, power-hitting shortstops before; in fact, the all-time greatest shortstop Honus Wagner stood at 5´11", 200 lbs, making him enormous by the standards of his era. Square-built Vern Stephens became Boston's second "Strong Boy" after John L. Sullivan. But speed and glove work defined the position in the 80s, making Ripken look like a potential bull in a china shop. Ripken was never fast, but he adapted to the position like the natural athlete he was, and always seemed to position himself just the right way. Not only was Ripken´s defense "good enough" to man the position, he actually had well above average range and won two Gold Gloves in his career. Ripken became a prototype for larger, stronger shortstops to come, culminating in today´s crop of behemoths where a player like Derek Jeter (6´3", 180) actually looks small. Even young super-speedster Hanley Ramirez stands at 6´3", 200 lbs.
Ripken´s bat, by the way, was also "good enough" for the position. Ripken retired as a member of the 3,000 hit club, finished with the most home runs ever by a shortstop and drove in 90+ runs in eight seasons. His all-time greatest performance was his MVP season (his second, the first being in 1983) when he hit .323 with 34 HR and 114 RBI. He could have taken a few more walks, esp. later in his career, but we´ll let him slide on that one.
He was also fairly durable, as you might have heard. Ripken shattered Lou Gehrig´s consecutive games played record of 2,130 by playing in a mind-boggling 2,632 games in a row. True, the Orioles cheated a few times during that streak, but over 99% of the time, Cal was playing virtually every inning. (TRIVIA QUESTION: Who replaced Cal Ripken at 3rd base on Sept 20, 1998, the day Ripken´s streak ended? ANSWER BELOW)
As I mentioned before, Honus Wagner is indisputably (now that A-Rod has moved to 3rd base) the greatest shortstop in major league history, but who is the second best? Ernie Banks leaps to mind as an obvious candidate but many people forget that he spent nearly the second half of his career playing first base. Pirates great Arky Vaughan was almost certainly the best offensive shortstop between Wagner and Ripken, but his glovework was average and his career fairly short, in large part due to time served in WW2. Cleveland´s Lou Boudreau and White Sox stalwart Luke "Old Aches and Pains" Appling were gifted both offensively and defensively, and deserve serious consideration for the honor, and Ripken´s peers Robin Yount and Alan Trammell are both among the greatest ever to play the position. Nobody in this group, however, is clearly superior to Ripken whose consistent high-level of performance and longevity make him a very compelling choice to back-up Wagner on the all-time team.
his new boxed set from A&E and MLB Productions includes five of Cal´s career-defining games, and a sixth disc with a documentary and numerous bonus clips. First up is the September 6, 1995 game in which Cal passed Gehrig for the all-time Streak record; to add a little pizzazz to the festivities, Ripken also homered in the 4th. Next is the May 28, 1996 game in which Ripken posted his first-ever three-home run game (he and brother Billy homered in the same inning) and drove in eight runs.
Third in the set is the Oct 1, 1996 playoff game against Cleveland, Ripken´s first post-season appearance since 1983. Fourth, the June 13, 1999 game vs. the Braves when Ripken went 6-for-6 with 2 homers. Finally, something that should really thrill Ripken fans, the 2001 All-Star Game which marked Ripken´s final appearance in the all-star classic. He hit the first pitch he saw from Chan Ho Park into the stands, which is almost as amazing as the fact that Chan Ho Park made an All-Star roster. The sixth disc in the collection includes an hour-long documentary "Cal Ripken, Jr: The Ironman´s Legendary Career" and a host of bonus clips that are listed in the Extras section below.
(TRIVIA ANSWER: The immortal Ryan Minor manned 3rd base while Cal sat out the game.)
Baseball had seen big, power-hitting shortstops before; in fact, the all-time greatest shortstop Honus Wagner stood at 5´11", 200 lbs, making him enormous by the standards of his era. Square-built Vern Stephens became Boston's second "Strong Boy" after John L. Sullivan. But speed and glove work defined the position in the 80s, making Ripken look like a potential bull in a china shop. Ripken was never fast, but he adapted to the position like the natural athlete he was, and always seemed to position himself just the right way. Not only was Ripken´s defense "good enough" to man the position, he actually had well above average range and won two Gold Gloves in his career. Ripken became a prototype for larger, stronger shortstops to come, culminating in today´s crop of behemoths where a player like Derek Jeter (6´3", 180) actually looks small. Even young super-speedster Hanley Ramirez stands at 6´3", 200 lbs.
Ripken´s bat, by the way, was also "good enough" for the position. Ripken retired as a member of the 3,000 hit club, finished with the most home runs ever by a shortstop and drove in 90+ runs in eight seasons. His all-time greatest performance was his MVP season (his second, the first being in 1983) when he hit .323 with 34 HR and 114 RBI. He could have taken a few more walks, esp. later in his career, but we´ll let him slide on that one.
He was also fairly durable, as you might have heard. Ripken shattered Lou Gehrig´s consecutive games played record of 2,130 by playing in a mind-boggling 2,632 games in a row. True, the Orioles cheated a few times during that streak, but over 99% of the time, Cal was playing virtually every inning. (TRIVIA QUESTION: Who replaced Cal Ripken at 3rd base on Sept 20, 1998, the day Ripken´s streak ended? ANSWER BELOW)
As I mentioned before, Honus Wagner is indisputably (now that A-Rod has moved to 3rd base) the greatest shortstop in major league history, but who is the second best? Ernie Banks leaps to mind as an obvious candidate but many people forget that he spent nearly the second half of his career playing first base. Pirates great Arky Vaughan was almost certainly the best offensive shortstop between Wagner and Ripken, but his glovework was average and his career fairly short, in large part due to time served in WW2. Cleveland´s Lou Boudreau and White Sox stalwart Luke "Old Aches and Pains" Appling were gifted both offensively and defensively, and deserve serious consideration for the honor, and Ripken´s peers Robin Yount and Alan Trammell are both among the greatest ever to play the position. Nobody in this group, however, is clearly superior to Ripken whose consistent high-level of performance and longevity make him a very compelling choice to back-up Wagner on the all-time team.
his new boxed set from A&E and MLB Productions includes five of Cal´s career-defining games, and a sixth disc with a documentary and numerous bonus clips. First up is the September 6, 1995 game in which Cal passed Gehrig for the all-time Streak record; to add a little pizzazz to the festivities, Ripken also homered in the 4th. Next is the May 28, 1996 game in which Ripken posted his first-ever three-home run game (he and brother Billy homered in the same inning) and drove in eight runs.
Third in the set is the Oct 1, 1996 playoff game against Cleveland, Ripken´s first post-season appearance since 1983. Fourth, the June 13, 1999 game vs. the Braves when Ripken went 6-for-6 with 2 homers. Finally, something that should really thrill Ripken fans, the 2001 All-Star Game which marked Ripken´s final appearance in the all-star classic. He hit the first pitch he saw from Chan Ho Park into the stands, which is almost as amazing as the fact that Chan Ho Park made an All-Star roster. The sixth disc in the collection includes an hour-long documentary "Cal Ripken, Jr: The Ironman´s Legendary Career" and a host of bonus clips that are listed in the Extras section below.
(TRIVIA ANSWER: The immortal Ryan Minor manned 3rd base while Cal sat out the game.)
Calvin Edwin Ripken, Jr. certainly deserves credit for hard work as well as swimming in the deeper end of the gene pool than brother Billy, but we shouldn´t forget Earl Weaver´s in kick starting the career that would come to be defined by "The Streak." In July of 1982, Weaver decided to switch his beefy 6´4" 220 lb third baseman to shortstop, a practically a visionary move at a time when quick, lanky shortstop like Alfredo Griffin, Dave Concepcion and Ozzie Smith were more the rule. In fact, not a single one of the starting shortstops in the AL in 1982 is listed at more than 190 lbs at baseball-reference.com, and only the legendary Bill Almon comes close to Ripken´s height at 6´3"
Baseball had seen big, power-hitting shortstops before; in fact, the all-time greatest shortstop Honus Wagner stood at 5´11", 200 lbs, making him enormous by the standards of his era. Square-built Vern Stephens became Boston's second "Strong Boy" after John L. Sullivan. But speed and glove work defined the position in the 80s, making Ripken look like a potential bull in a china shop. Ripken was never fast, but he adapted to the position like the natural athlete he was, and always seemed to position himself just the right way. Not only was Ripken´s defense "good enough" to man the position, he actually had well above average range and won two Gold Gloves in his career. Ripken became a prototype for larger, stronger shortstops to come, culminating in today´s crop of behemoths where a player like Derek Jeter (6´3", 180) actually looks small. Even young super-speedster Hanley Ramirez stands at 6´3", 200 lbs.
Ripken´s bat, by the way, was also "good enough" for the position. Ripken retired as a member of the 3,000 hit club, finished with the most home runs ever by a shortstop and drove in 90+ runs in eight seasons. His all-time greatest performance was his MVP season (his second, the first being in 1983) when he hit .323 with 34 HR and 114 RBI. He could have taken a few more walks, esp. later in his career, but we´ll let him slide on that one.
He was also fairly durable, as you might have heard. Ripken shattered Lou Gehrig´s consecutive games played record of 2,130 by playing in a mind-boggling 2,632 games in a row. True, the Orioles cheated a few times during that streak, but over 99% of the time, Cal was playing virtually every inning. (TRIVIA QUESTION: Who replaced Cal Ripken at 3rd base on Sept 20, 1998, the day Ripken´s streak ended? ANSWER BELOW)
As I mentioned before, Honus Wagner is indisputably (now that A-Rod has moved to 3rd base) the greatest shortstop in major league history, but who is the second best? Ernie Banks leaps to mind as an obvious candidate but many people forget that he spent nearly the second half of his career playing first base. Pirates great Arky Vaughan was almost certainly the best offensive shortstop between Wagner and Ripken, but his glovework was average and his career fairly short, in large part due to time served in WW2. Cleveland´s Lou Boudreau and White Sox stalwart Luke "Old Aches and Pains" Appling were gifted both offensively and defensively, and deserve serious consideration for the honor, and Ripken´s peers Robin Yount and Alan Trammell are both among the greatest ever to play the position. Nobody in this group, however, is clearly superior to Ripken whose consistent high-level of performance and longevity make him a very compelling choice to back-up Wagner on the all-time team.
his new boxed set from A&E and MLB Productions includes five of Cal´s career-defining games, and a sixth disc with a documentary and numerous bonus clips. First up is the September 6, 1995 game in which Cal passed Gehrig for the all-time Streak record; to add a little pizzazz to the festivities, Ripken also homered in the 4th. Next is the May 28, 1996 game in which Ripken posted his first-ever three-home run game (he and brother Billy homered in the same inning) and drove in eight runs.
Third in the set is the Oct 1, 1996 playoff game against Cleveland, Ripken´s first post-season appearance since 1983. Fourth, the June 13, 1999 game vs. the Braves when Ripken went 6-for-6 with 2 homers. Finally, something that should really thrill Ripken fans, the 2001 All-Star Game which marked Ripken´s final appearance in the all-star classic. He hit the first pitch he saw from Chan Ho Park into the stands, which is almost as amazing as the fact that Chan Ho Park made an All-Star roster. The sixth disc in the collection includes an hour-long documentary "Cal Ripken, Jr: The Ironman´s Legendary Career" and a host of bonus clips that are listed in the Extras section below.
(TRIVIA ANSWER: The immortal Ryan Minor manned 3rd base while Cal sat out the game.)
Baseball had seen big, power-hitting shortstops before; in fact, the all-time greatest shortstop Honus Wagner stood at 5´11", 200 lbs, making him enormous by the standards of his era. Square-built Vern Stephens became Boston's second "Strong Boy" after John L. Sullivan. But speed and glove work defined the position in the 80s, making Ripken look like a potential bull in a china shop. Ripken was never fast, but he adapted to the position like the natural athlete he was, and always seemed to position himself just the right way. Not only was Ripken´s defense "good enough" to man the position, he actually had well above average range and won two Gold Gloves in his career. Ripken became a prototype for larger, stronger shortstops to come, culminating in today´s crop of behemoths where a player like Derek Jeter (6´3", 180) actually looks small. Even young super-speedster Hanley Ramirez stands at 6´3", 200 lbs.
Ripken´s bat, by the way, was also "good enough" for the position. Ripken retired as a member of the 3,000 hit club, finished with the most home runs ever by a shortstop and drove in 90+ runs in eight seasons. His all-time greatest performance was his MVP season (his second, the first being in 1983) when he hit .323 with 34 HR and 114 RBI. He could have taken a few more walks, esp. later in his career, but we´ll let him slide on that one.
He was also fairly durable, as you might have heard. Ripken shattered Lou Gehrig´s consecutive games played record of 2,130 by playing in a mind-boggling 2,632 games in a row. True, the Orioles cheated a few times during that streak, but over 99% of the time, Cal was playing virtually every inning. (TRIVIA QUESTION: Who replaced Cal Ripken at 3rd base on Sept 20, 1998, the day Ripken´s streak ended? ANSWER BELOW)
As I mentioned before, Honus Wagner is indisputably (now that A-Rod has moved to 3rd base) the greatest shortstop in major league history, but who is the second best? Ernie Banks leaps to mind as an obvious candidate but many people forget that he spent nearly the second half of his career playing first base. Pirates great Arky Vaughan was almost certainly the best offensive shortstop between Wagner and Ripken, but his glovework was average and his career fairly short, in large part due to time served in WW2. Cleveland´s Lou Boudreau and White Sox stalwart Luke "Old Aches and Pains" Appling were gifted both offensively and defensively, and deserve serious consideration for the honor, and Ripken´s peers Robin Yount and Alan Trammell are both among the greatest ever to play the position. Nobody in this group, however, is clearly superior to Ripken whose consistent high-level of performance and longevity make him a very compelling choice to back-up Wagner on the all-time team.
his new boxed set from A&E and MLB Productions includes five of Cal´s career-defining games, and a sixth disc with a documentary and numerous bonus clips. First up is the September 6, 1995 game in which Cal passed Gehrig for the all-time Streak record; to add a little pizzazz to the festivities, Ripken also homered in the 4th. Next is the May 28, 1996 game in which Ripken posted his first-ever three-home run game (he and brother Billy homered in the same inning) and drove in eight runs.
Third in the set is the Oct 1, 1996 playoff game against Cleveland, Ripken´s first post-season appearance since 1983. Fourth, the June 13, 1999 game vs. the Braves when Ripken went 6-for-6 with 2 homers. Finally, something that should really thrill Ripken fans, the 2001 All-Star Game which marked Ripken´s final appearance in the all-star classic. He hit the first pitch he saw from Chan Ho Park into the stands, which is almost as amazing as the fact that Chan Ho Park made an All-Star roster. The sixth disc in the collection includes an hour-long documentary "Cal Ripken, Jr: The Ironman´s Legendary Career" and a host of bonus clips that are listed in the Extras section below.
(TRIVIA ANSWER: The immortal Ryan Minor manned 3rd base while Cal sat out the game.)
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