RIPKEN SPECIAL

HEADED TO THE HALL

Local baseball legend to be inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame
By Sean Welsh Examiner Staff Writer

Wednesday, January 10, 2006

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Iron Man bound for Cooperstown

A career that began with a young son who followed his father to the ballpark and who eventually traversed 3,001 games through 21 seasons has finally reached its pinnacle. Former Baltimore Orioles great Cal Ripken Jr., an Aberdeen native, earned his crowning achievement Tuesday afternoon when he learned he would be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Ripken, 46, will be inducted July 29 with former Padres outfielder Tony Gwynn. Ripken received a record 537 votes from 545 ballots for a percentage of 98.53 the third highest mark in history. Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is the greatest honor a player can receive, and it should be one of the most memorable days of my career, Ripken, a career Oriole, told The Examiner Tuesday. Ripken, who attended Aberdeen High, was drafted by the Orioles in the second round in 1978 and made his major league debut three years later. Baltimore is a great city, and I couldnt ask for better fans, Ripken said. My career wouldnt have meant half as much to me if I hadnt had the opportunity to spend it in my hometown. I put a great value on staying in Baltimore and having my kids grow up here. It could not have worked out better. Ripken, the 12th Oriole inducted into the Hall of Fame, was at home with his family wife Kelly and children Rachel and Ryan when he re-

Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken waves to the crowd in the middle of the fifth inning of a game against the California Angels in this Sept. 6, 1995 photo in Camden Yards. He played in 2,632 consecutive games, tallied more than 3,000 hits and 400 home runs and won two MVP awards. AP ceived the call Tuesday afternoon. I had made a real effort to put the Hall of Fame announcement out of my mind, Ripken said. It wasnt until I received the call that I actually let it sink in. Its an overwhelming feeling, and Im glad my family was with me for the call. Family has meant a great deal to Ripken throughout his career. His late father, Cal Ripken Sr., was a minor league manager while Ripken was growing up and instilled a work ethic in his son that enabled him to play in a record 2,632 consecutive games. Dad always comes to mind during important milestones in my baseball career, Ripken said. He made me into the player I was, and to this day, I still owe my work ethic and love for baseball to him. Ripken won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1982, and a year later won the leagues Most Valuable Player Award while leading the Orioles to a World Series title. He won the AL MVP award again in 1991, the same year he won the first of his two All-Star Game MVP awards. He hit .276 with 431 home runs and 1,695 RBI overall.

For more Hall of Fame coverage, see pages 42 and 44 He ended his career in 2001. Seven of his 21 years with the Orioles were spent playing with his brother, former second baseman Bill Ripken.

CALVIN EDWIN RIPKEN, JR.

CAREER BATTING STATISTICS YEAR 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 G 23 160 162 162 161 162 162 161 162 161 162 162 162 112 144 163 162 161 86 83 128 AB 39 598 663 641 642 627 624 575 646 600 650 637 641 444 550 640 615 601 332 309 477 11,551 R 1 90 121 103 116 98 97 87 80 78 99 73 87 71 71 94 79 65 51 43 43 1,647 H 5 158 211 195 181 177 157 152 166 150 210 160 165 140 144 178 166 163 113 79 114 3,184 2B 0 32 47 37 32 35 28 25 30 28 46 29 26 19 33 40 30 27 27 16 16 603 3B 0 5 2 7 5 1 3 1 0 4 5 1 3 3 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 44 HR 0 28 27 27 26 25 27 23 21 21 34 14 24 13 17 26 17 14 18 15 14 431 RBI 0 93 102 86 110 81 98 81 93 84 114 72 90 75 88 102 84 61 57 56 68 1,695 BB 1 46 58 71 67 70 81 102 57 82 53 64 65 32 52 59 56 51 13 23 26 1,129 SO 8 95 97 89 68 60 77 69 72 66 46 50 58 41 59 78 73 68 31 37 63 1,305 AVG .128 .264 .318 304 .282 .282 .252 .264 .257 .250 .323 .251 .257 .315 .262 .278 .270 .271 340 .256 .239 .276

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

1982 American League Rookie of the Year 1983 American League Most Valuable Player 1991 American League Most Valuable Player 1991 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player 1992 Roberto Clemente Man of the Year 1995 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year 2001 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player 1982 Rookie Player of the Year The Sporting News 1983 Player of the Year The Sporting News 1991 Player of the Year The Sporting News 1991 Baseball Digest Player of the Year 8 Silver Slugger Awards 1983 Silver Slugger shortstop 1984 Silver Slugger shortstop 1985 Silver Slugger shortstop 1986 Silver Slugger shortstop 1989 Silver Slugger shortstop 1991 Silver Slugger shortstop 1993 Silver Slugger shortstop 1994 Silver Slugger shortstop 2 Gold Glove Awards 1991 Gold Glove shortstop 1992 Gold Glove shortstop

TOTAL 3,001