Bradley R. Weissenberger wrote:

Christopher_Dragon wrote:Cal Ripken, Jr.

He's my favorite Philadelphia Phillie.

If I was Cal Ripken, Jr., I would not have broken the consecutive games record. Instead, I would have played in 2,129 consecutive games, and then I would have taken off game 2,130 out of respect for the great Lou Gehrig. It would have been a tip o' the cap for the ages to a man who, after all, only lost his consecutive games streak due to the effects of a disease that is now named after him.

Dude, he's Lou Gehrig.

If you have not, I reccomend a gander at Gehrig's numbers. Absolutely jaw dropping. He's probably the most amazing all around ball player ever after Ruth.

Ripken could not even hold Gehrig's jock strap.

And I fuckin hate the Yankees.

My 69-year old Dad likes to give his sons autographed baseballs for Christmas each year.

Two years ago he waited for almost two hours to get baseballs signed by Ripken at a sports memorabelia show. The balls cost $125 each.

When Ripken was signing them, my Dad asked Cal if he would write his consecutive games played number under his name.

The uber-millionaire Ripken said he'd do it for an extra $50 per ball.

Cal Ripken Jr. - you are CRAP!

6-4-3 wrote:My 69-year old Dad likes to give his sons autographed baseballs for Christmas each year.

Two years ago he waited for almost two hours to get baseballs signed by Ripken at a sports memorabelia show. The balls cost $125 each.

When Ripken was signing them, my Dad asked Cal if he would write his consecutive games played number under his name.

The uber-millionaire Ripken said he'd do it for an extra $50 per ball.

Cal Ripken Jr. - you are CRAP!

Jesus. I wish I wouldn't have read this.

connor wrote:

6-4-3 wrote:My 69-year old Dad likes to give his sons autographed baseballs for Christmas each year.

Two years ago he waited for almost two hours to get baseballs signed by Ripken at a sports memorabelia show. The balls cost $125 each.

When Ripken was signing them, my Dad asked Cal if he would write his consecutive games played number under his name.

The uber-millionaire Ripken said he'd do it for an extra $50 per ball.

Cal Ripken Jr. - you are CRAP!

Jesus. I wish I wouldn't have read this.

Secondededed

connor wrote:

6-4-3 wrote:My 69-year old Dad likes to give his sons autographed baseballs for Christmas each year.

Two years ago he waited for almost two hours to get baseballs signed by Ripken at a sports memorabelia show. The balls cost $125 each.

When Ripken was signing them, my Dad asked Cal if he would write his consecutive games played number under his name.

The uber-millionaire Ripken said he'd do it for an extra $50 per ball.

Cal Ripken Jr. - you are CRAP!

Jesus. I wish I wouldn't have read this.

That probably wasn't his own personal policy, it was probably part of the contract with the promoter of the show. I doubt Cal is just taking the $50 bill and stuffing it in his wallet. He'd probably add 2,520 (or whatever it is) on the ball if you ran into him in the street. I've never run into Cal Ripken, Jr. in the street, so maybe he wouldn't.

Still, he agreed to that stupid contract if that's the case.

FUCKING JOHNNY DAMON.

Ishmael wrote:His presence in the line-up, when he should not have been playing, frequently hurt his team on the field. But he didn't care. He was pursuing a personal record.

His lifetime OPS: A pedestrian .788

CRAP.

This is something Allen St. John wrote in the Village Voice in 2001 and I don't buy it.

I fail to see how Ripken's presence out of the lineup would have ever helped the Orioles. It's not like they would have gone to the playoffs more frequently if Lenn Sakata and Manny Alexander got more at bats or Ripken's numbers would have improved dramatically if he sat down once in awhile. For most of his career, Ripken was the best player on that team by a mile and his managers treated him accordingly.

There is no sensible person who knows anything about baseball history who thinks Cal Ripken is the best shortshop of all time, but it is absurd to discount a guy who had 3000 hits, the all-time record for shortstops, and a solid glove a two positions.

NOT CRAP

Christopher J. McGarvey wrote:

connor wrote:

6-4-3 wrote:My 69-year old Dad likes to give his sons autographed baseballs for Christmas each year.

Two years ago he waited for almost two hours to get baseballs signed by Ripken at a sports memorabelia show. The balls cost $125 each.

When Ripken was signing them, my Dad asked Cal if he would write his consecutive games played number under his name.

The uber-millionaire Ripken said he'd do it for an extra $50 per ball.

Cal Ripken Jr. - you are CRAP!

Jesus. I wish I wouldn't have read this.

Secondededed

Thirded. Ugh. Still, he is my favorite player of my lifetime--and the reason I was an Orioles fan for so long until Raphael Palmeiro was outed. Close second is Greg Maddux. Please don't say that he IM'd underage boys or anything like that.

Does Cal get any credit for bringing the offense to the shortstop position?

Yuri Zanow wrote:For most of his career, Ripken was the best player on that team by a mile and his managers treated him accordingly.

I don't know what a mile is when comparing baseball players, but Ripken is certainly not a mile better than Eddie Murray, Rafael Palmiero or Roberto Alomar.

But, yeah, who the fuck are they going to put out there, Juan Bell?

vockins wrote:

Yuri Zanow wrote:For most of his career, Ripken was the best player on that team by a mile and his managers treated him accordingly.

I don't know what a mile is when comparing baseball players, but Ripken is certainly not a mile better than Eddie Murray, Rafael Palmiero or Roberto Alomar.

But, yeah, who the fuck are they going to put out there, Juan Bell?

Of course not, but Eddie Murray was gone less than halfway through Ripken's Oriole career, Palmeiro only played with Ripken for five years, and Alomar only three years. That leaves an awful lot of his career when his was hitting in front of Randy Milligan and Joe Orsulak. Plus, I'm not sure that any of those guys had better seasons in Oriole uniforms than Ripken did in 1983 and 1991.

Yeah, but Palmeiro did it with steroids, while Ripken did it with milk.