Saw a brief interview with him on TV yesterday. Said he was talking to Don Mattingly about the controversy regarding steroids and things like corked bats - he asked Don if he was ever tempted to use something like those things and Don said no because if you even just tried it and were caught, it would taint everything you ever did in baseball. Cal agreed and said he had too much pride in all the hard work he put into what he accomplished to do something like that.
Cal also said he would like to get back into baseball sometime as a coach or a manager, but right now he's too busy watching his son playing baseball - sounds like this guy has his priorities straight. Baseball could use a few more Cal Ripken Jr.'s.
Still holds the MLB record for Grand Slams with 23
stomperrob wrote:Baseball could use a few more Cal Ripken Jr.'s.
Couldn't be said any better
Agreed.
I've always looked at Cal as a class player. Even if he wasn't totally 100% he still got on the field and gave everything he had day in and day out. If only some of today's players would take a page out of Cal's book. I'm not talking about guys like Tejada and Arod, they play hurt, sick, etc. I'm more referring to guys like Drew, Juan Gonzalez, etc. that take days off for very minor things.
Yes doctor, I am sick. Sick of those who are spineless. Sick of those who feel self-entitled. Sick of those who are hypocrites. Yes doctor, an army is forming. Yes doctor, there will be a war. Yes doctor, there will be blood.....
Ripken and Mattingly are blowhards. Let's pretend they had marginal talent, would they be tempted them to roid up to keep his job? It's easy to say you won't take illegal supplements when you have tremendous natural talent--its like a chick with huge knockers denigrating boob jobs, of course she is going to say boob jobs are wrong if she is already stacked.
by Jose Contreras is 72 » Thu May 06, 2004 12:55 pm
stumpak wrote:Ripken and Mattingly are blowhards. Let's pretend they had marginal talent, would they be tempted them to roid up to keep his job? It's easy to say you won't take illegal supplements when you have tremendous natural talent--its like a chick with huge knockers denigrating boob jobs, of course she is going to say boob jobs are wrong if she is already stacked.
Yes and no. It's not as though there were any allegations of the marginal players of Cal and Don's era enhancing their performance somehow, but I definitly think the conversation would hold a little more weight if it was conducted by, let's say, Willie Randolph and Rick Dempsey.
stumpak wrote:Ripken and Mattingly are blowhards. Let's pretend they had marginal talent, would they be tempted them to roid up to keep his job? It's easy to say you won't take illegal supplements when you have tremendous natural talent--its like a chick with huge knockers denigrating boob jobs, of course she is going to say boob jobs are wrong if she is already stacked.
There are quite a few players today that have much more than marginal talent who are right smack in the middle of the BALCO investigation.
stomperrob wrote:Baseball could use a few more Cal Ripken Jr.'s.
Couldn't be said any better
Agreed.
I've always looked at Cal as a class player. Even if he wasn't totally 100% he still got on the field and gave everything he had day in and day out. If only some of today's players would take a page out of Cal's book. I'm not talking about guys like Tejada and Arod, they play hurt, sick, etc. I'm more referring to guys like Drew, Juan Gonzalez, etc. that take days off for very minor things.
Mad.......I agree with most of what you said but there were a lot of times, IMHO, that he should have sat down for the good of the team but he didn't. I understand the desire to be ready to play every day but I also see the need to realize that a day or 2 off here and there could do wonders for the team.
by Jose Contreras is 72 » Thu May 06, 2004 1:47 pm
Lofunzo wrote: IMHO, that he should have sat down for the good of the team but he didn't. I understand the desire to be ready to play every day but I also see the need to realize that a day or 2 off here and there could do wonders for the team.
See, I hear that a lot, and it's a debatable point, but seriously, at what point were his potential replacements, even for a day, any better for the team's offense - and defensively, for that matter - than Cal?
The fact that it was Ryan Minor who finally squashed "The Streak" only somewhat furthers that point.
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by stomperrob » Wed May 05, 2004 11:37 pm 
