Baseball Birthday Today

HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY "IRON MAN" CAL RIPKIN, JR.

Cal Ripken Jr. played for the Baltimore Orioles from 1981-2001 and was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in 2007. From May 30, 1982, through Sept. 19, 1998, Ripken played in a string of 2,632 consecutive games, a major league record that is known as "The Streak." On Sept. 6, 1995, he played in his 2,131st straight game, breaking Lou Gehrig's record and becoming baseball's Iron Man. Ripken was a 19-time All Star and two-time Most Valuable Player. He finished his career with 3,184 hits and 431 home runs. Ripken was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 1982 after hitting 28 home runs. "The Streak" began on May 30, 1982, when manager Earl Weaver started him at third base. The next season, he earned his first All-Star berth and was named the AL MVP, hitting .318 with 27 homers and 102 RBIs. The Orioles won the World Series that season, beating the Philadelphia Phillies in five games.
Ripken played every inning of every game in 1983. In 1987, Ripken's dad Cal Ripken Sr. became manager of the Orioles, and his brother Bill was called up from Triple-A Rochester. In 1990, Ripken began his major-league record streak of 95 straight games without an error. Ripken won his second AL MVP in 1991.
He also won a Gold Glove, was named MVP of the All-Star Game and won the All-Star home run contest that year. On Sept. 6, 1995, he broke Gehrig's streak and hit a home run against the California Angels. Ripken received a long standing ovation at Oriole Park at Camden Yards while he took a lap around the stadium, high-fiving fans. On July 15, 1996, Ripken started at third base for the first time since 1982. Ripken ended "The Streak" on Sept. 20, 1998, against the New York Yankees. Rookie Ryan Minor took his place at third base.


On June 19, 2001, Ripken announced his retirement.
Ripken was born in Havre de Grace, Md., on Aug. 24, 1960. The Orioles selected him in the second round of the 1978 draft. After retiring, he began Ripken Baseball, a sales and marketing company based in Baltimore that represents his business and philanthropic efforts, along with his brother Bill.

He is married to wife Kelly and has two kids -- a daughter, Rachel, born in 1989, and a son, Ryan, born in 1993.



http://www.chicagotribune.com/
photos BaltimoreSun

This one's for you, Missy.

Ripken, Jr. To Help Raise Funds For Shock Trauma

BALTIMORE -- Cal Ripken Jr. will add his star power to a fundraising effort for the University of Maryland Medical Center and its Shock Trauma Center.

The former Baltimore Oriole is being named honorary chairman of the campaign. The campaign's chairman, former state Sen. Francis X. Kelly, is a longtime friend of Ripken's.

The fundraising effort was set to kick off Thursday at a groundbreaking ceremony for a nine-story trauma/critical care building.

The building, set to open in 2013, will be the first major expansion of Shock Trauma since it opened in 1989. The project is slated to get $50 million in state funds over several years.

Officials said the expansion is needed because demand for services is expected to increase. Already, Shock Trauma serves nearly 8,000 patients a year in a building originally designed for 3,500.

www.wbaltv.com