As a native of Baltimore, I am very familiar with retired baseball player and native Marylander and Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. Not only did Ripken change the face of baseball here in Baltimore, but also for the rest of Major League Baseball. He continues to change baseball as the Chairman and CEO of Ripken Baseball, Inc.
Baltimore’s own “Iron Man,” Ripken was born in Havre de Grace, Maryland on August 24, 1960. Born into a baseball family, Cal Ripken, Sr. was a former coach of the Baltimore Orioles. He even coached sons Cal and Billy for a season.
Cal became a professional baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles in 1981 and was named Rookie of the Year during his first full season the next year. During his 21 year career, he only ever played for his hometown team, the Orioles. He also had the pleasure of playing with the Orioles during that last World Series appearance and win in 1983.
While and Oriole, Cal played shortstop and third base and was named the American League Most Valuable Player in 1983 and 1991. After 21 years with the Baltimore Orioles, Cal retired from baseball in 2001 and was then inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
His major league records consists of 1982 American League Rookie of the Year, two-time Most Valuable Player (1983 and 1991), two-time Golden Glove recipient (1991 and 1992), two-time All-Star MVP (1991 and 2001), his world record of 2632 consecutive games played, and election to the American League All-Star team 19 consecutive times. Major League Baseball fans also voted his 2131st game as Major League Baseball’s “Most Memorable Moment in History” and he was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team at shortstop.
Cal was became known as the “Iron Man” when, during the 1995 season, Cal Ripken, Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games record. He set a new record at 2130 games played and then voluntarily ended the streak 3 years later with 2632 consecutive games played.
As Chairman and CEO of Ripken Baseball, Inc, Cal Ripken, Jr. devotes his time to helping youth baseball and provide a platform for those who love and play baseball. The Aberdeen Project encompasses this. It consists of the Ripken Youth Baseball Academy and the Ripken Baseball Stadium. The Ripken Baseball Stadium is also home to a Class A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, the Aberdeen Ironbirds. The youth baseball academy provides camps and tournaments to youth ballplayers from all over the country during the spring, summer and fall.
According to the Ripken Baseball, Inc. website, “The academy is also the permanent home of the Cal Ripken World Series played each August. It includes 16 teams of 11 and 12 year olds from all over the world and crowns the champion of the Cal Ripken Division of Babe Ruth League, Inc.”
The company also owns two other Class A affiliate teams, the Augusta (GA) GreenJackets, the Class A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, and the Charlotte (FL) Stone Crabs, the Class A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. Ripken Baseball also runs the spring training business operations in Port Charlotte, Florida for the Tampa Rays.
Cal and his brother, Billy (executive vice president of the company and a 12-year veteran of Major League Baseball), were able to open the Ripken Experience complex in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina that hosts youth baseball tournaments each year with teams traveling from across the country.
Cal Ripken, Jr. has been very generous with his time and money when it comes to giving back to the community. In 2001, he and his family established the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation in memory of his father. The non-profit organization works throughout the country with Boys and Girls Clubs, P.A.L. (Police Athletic League) centers, inner-city schools, and other organizations that serve distressed communities in America. The foundation helps to teach critical life skills and build character in troubled youth through baseball and softball themed programs.
Cal Ripken, Jr., of course still lives in Maryland with his wife Kelly and children Rachel and Ryan.
