i say i admire ripken because he symbolizes america's blue collar mentality of never taking a game off. i also stated that i have a few friends that all seem to have a negative story about him and he is not the media darling he is made out to be. i have an opinion that i feel his stats are bit misleading because he didnt dominate the way a first ballot HOF'er dominates over an entire career, and his career stats are a result of a long career rather than 12-15 year HOF worthy numbers such as BA.
how am i being a dick? for having an opinion and sharing a story?
you're wound a little too tight. you need to lighten up. have fun being a cock for the rest of your life.:aktion033
how am i being a dick? for having an opinion and sharing a story?
you're wound a little too tight. you need to lighten up. have fun being a cock for the rest of your life.:aktion033
For those of us that actually grew up watching him play, we know Cal stated time and time again, he would gladly sit out a game if he thought he was anyways hurting the team. The thing is in order for you to be hurting the team, there must be a backup who could fill the roll better. Well we never had that. Unless you call Ryan Minor and Manny Alexander the answer. Even when he was struggling at the plate, he still filled the roll better then any other player in the organization at the time.
Since you asked...you posted this about Ripken in post #83...
"Also heard quite a few stories of him being a dick. But he was a media darling so he was portrayed a bit differently."
...and then you posted specific stories/accusations against Ripken. All your stories and accusations can NOT possibly be substantiated; I'm not saying they are not true, I'm saying that you can NOT prove them. I would bet you anything that there is another side to ALL your stories/accusations about Ripken. That, in my opinion, is how you are being a "dick". And note well, that I only used that term to describe you because you had used the term to describe Ripken.
I was just listening to the radio and Buster Olney, ESPN baseball writer, was on the Rome show, and this is not innuendo and rumor, but substantiated facts about Ripken. Olney says that when he covered Ripken during the season ('95 or '96?) when he broke Gehrig's record, that Ripken did more for MLB than any other player in history. He signed more autographs, gave more interviews, did more positive PR for MLB than anyone in MLB history. I'm not saying Cal is perfect, nor would he say that, and I'm sure he did some things wrong just like your stories allege, but I am just as sure there is another side to all your stories/accusations. And we are not privy to that side of the story. I still think you are a dick for your negative posts about Ripken in this thread. That is my opinion and I'm entitled to it.
ps. I don't think being "wound too tight" is a bad thing when it comes to defending someone whom I think has been wronged, and therefore, I will NOT lighten up. And yes, I will enjoy the rest of my life with the great satisfaction that I have been fair to others unlike you, box.
You're an idiot, fhm...there is no such thing as a "bad day at church". But at least you got the capital G right for a change. God fearing people like myself don't ask God to put a pox on other people, but I have noticed how people who are unfair to others do always seem to get what's coming to them!
I know a guy who pitched against Ripken back in the 80s. It seems (according to him) as if 90% of other players hated the man. Some even went out of their way to end his streak (throwing at him, etc). Cal Ripken is and was a dick. There's no doubt he deserves to be in the hall of fame. He isn't, however, anywhere near the player that everybody makes him out to be. I'll take Ozzie Smith at shortstop over him any day.
Like others in this thread, I grew up with 'The Ripken Years' (a current radio commercial jungle). I never understood the holy grail of the streak - it seemed like some hokum around which lots of advertising could be sold. Obviously the streak signified a long history with a single team which is an admirable personal accomplishment, but it didn't mean much to me. Ripken always seemed Nascar slick before Nascar was slick. I wouldn't use the word phony, but he was definetly measured and squeeky white clean- an image that the league successfully exported in its post-strike reconstruction. I do think Ripken always represented a genuine connection, within Baltimore, to a solid work ethic past, and the old winning organization. As the game took on a more expensive corporate face, Ripken was able to bridge both worlds. If his successful retirement ventures are any clue, we are likely to see him embeded in baseball's burecracy for many years to come. The word 'overrated' invites misunderstanding ; I think he is accorded a national respect that some might question on a statistical basis, especially if you were not familiar with that historical baseball era. I think he deserved inclusion in HOF.
Monday, Aug. 13, 2007 2:56 p.m. EDT
Cal Ripken Named Goodwill Ambassador
Sports, not politics, will be Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr.'s emphasis in his new role as a special envoy for the State Department.
"This isn't a political statement for me, necessarily," Ripken said Monday after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice formally announced his appointment. "This is about the kids and planning baseball and using baseball for good reasons."
Ripken, who set the Major League record for consecutive games played - 2,632 games in a row, earning him the nickname "Iron Man" - said he was ready for the task, which will take him first to China at the end of October.
The first commissioner of President Bush's White House tee-ball league for youngsters, the former Baltimore Oriole said he would promote teamwork and cross-cultural communication.
Rice, a well-known sports fan, introduced Ripken as a wholesome symbol of America who represents "our aspirations to be a better nation and to help build a better world."
Rice paid tribute to Ripken's record-breaking streak and joked that she expected him to keep up that kind of perseverance, saying, "Cal, I assume that whenever I call you, you're going to be hard at work for America."
Ripken noted he already was on another winning streak.
"Hall of Fame a couple of weeks ago and now this honor bestowed upon me by the State (Department), that's a pretty good little run, pretty good little streak," he said.
Ripken is the second "special sports envoy." Figure skating star Michelle Kwan is the other.
The job is an unpaid position for which the government pays only travel expenses.
Ripken, who retired in 2001, laughed when asked about money.
"I was looking for a baseball salary," he said. "We don't have those in government," chuckled Karen Hughes, the under secretary of state for public affairs with whom Ripken will be working most closely
Cal Ripken Named Goodwill Ambassador
Sports, not politics, will be Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr.'s emphasis in his new role as a special envoy for the State Department.
"This isn't a political statement for me, necessarily," Ripken said Monday after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice formally announced his appointment. "This is about the kids and planning baseball and using baseball for good reasons."
Ripken, who set the Major League record for consecutive games played - 2,632 games in a row, earning him the nickname "Iron Man" - said he was ready for the task, which will take him first to China at the end of October.
The first commissioner of President Bush's White House tee-ball league for youngsters, the former Baltimore Oriole said he would promote teamwork and cross-cultural communication.
Rice, a well-known sports fan, introduced Ripken as a wholesome symbol of America who represents "our aspirations to be a better nation and to help build a better world."
Rice paid tribute to Ripken's record-breaking streak and joked that she expected him to keep up that kind of perseverance, saying, "Cal, I assume that whenever I call you, you're going to be hard at work for America."
Ripken noted he already was on another winning streak.
"Hall of Fame a couple of weeks ago and now this honor bestowed upon me by the State (Department), that's a pretty good little run, pretty good little streak," he said.
Ripken is the second "special sports envoy." Figure skating star Michelle Kwan is the other.
The job is an unpaid position for which the government pays only travel expenses.
Ripken, who retired in 2001, laughed when asked about money.
"I was looking for a baseball salary," he said. "We don't have those in government," chuckled Karen Hughes, the under secretary of state for public affairs with whom Ripken will be working most closely
Cal is as close as is humanly possible to Jesus. I was there for Cal in Cooperstown and so were many others. Tony was the perfect man to go into the Hall with Cal. Both understand and love baseball and life and both were/are great ambassadors of baseball and America. God Bless the man who saved baseball, Cal Ripken!:toast: :toast:
