I fell in love on this day back in 1995. I was sitting in my house in Pocatello, watching a baseball game on TV. Cal Ripken Jr was going to surpass Lou Gehrig's record for number of consecutive baseball games played and the game was on ESPN. At the top of the sixth inning, when the Baltimore Orioles took the field and Ripken trotted out to take his place at the shortstop position, the game was official and Cal was baseball's new Iron Man with 2,131 consecutive games played.
What a moment. There was a huge warehouse by the ballpark that had the number on it. When the numbers changed to 2131, indicating the new record, the crowd erupted. I remember watching Cal walk around the ballpark, shaking hands, high-fiving the crowd. I watched as the fans at Camden Yards showered Cal Ripken Jr with applause and love. It made me teary and from that moment on, I have loved the game of baseball.
Even with all the problems that baseball has with PEDs and paying players too much, it still makes me happy. I don't watch it nearly as much as I used to or with the obsessive passion that I used to have, but I still love it just as much, especially at this time of year when we're getting to the end of the season and approaching the playoffs. The other night when I was at Petco Park in San Diego, I just felt so happy and relaxed and full of joy. There are people who say the baseball is boring because it's slower than the other sports and doesn't involve physical contact. I'm ok with that.
Football is awesome and basketball is fantastic, but there's nothing like an afternoon at the ballpark for chillin' out, chatting, having a drink, maybe a hot dog and enjoying all that is right and good. :) And singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the middle of the seventh inning? Best tradition in sports!
So thanks, Cal Ripken Jr. Your durability and willingness to go to work every day inspired me and showed me what a great game with incredible history and tradition.
One more thing that I forgot to mention in my last post about the wonderful day I spent in San Diego (and it relates to baseball!) After the game on Tuesday night, Lizzie and I stopped in a bar where the Padres post-game radio show was being done. Lizzie knows the guy who hosts the show, someone she referred to as "Coach". He greeted her warmly, giving her a hug and a kiss. Lizzie introduced me to Coach John Kentera and he was super nice. There was another guy there that Lizzie greeted and I met him, too. His name is Randy Jones. Jones pitched for the Padres in the late 70s and won the National League Cy Young Award in 1976. That was way before I started watching and following baseball, but it's pretty cool! He had a very firm handshake :)
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