Back in January, we featured our friend DC giving his thoughts about the decision not to elect Mark McGwire to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Now that this year's ceremonies are over, DC's got some thoughts on the more pleasant side of things. Enjoy.Something good happened this weekend: Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn, icons of baseball and living reminders of my childhood innocence, were enshrined into Cooperstown. This ceremony could not have come at a better time, as it served to distract us that from the dog fighting rings, mafia-linked gambling/point shaving, getting tasered after a night out, and steroid induced home run records that have come to permeate our sports culture this summer.
Instead we all got to take a time out and honor two of the guys who did it the right way, inspiring millions along the way. In this day and age of free agency ruling sports and fans rooting for laundry rather than the players who wear it, it’s hard to believe that these two guys - Tony Gwynn, a product of San Diego State, played 20 seasons for the San Diego Padres and Cal Ripken, Jr., who called Maryland home, played 21 years as a Baltimore Oriole - managed to play their entire careers for one team for no reason other than they felt it was important. Neither man spent a single game in another team’s jersey and it’s nearly impossible to imagine the heartache that would be felt in their respective cities if they had. Thank goodness neither Gwynn nor Ripken attended the Scott Boras School of Contract Negotiations.
There are those out there who question the greatness of Cal Ripken, Jr.. As a fan of his this sentiment hurts, however as a fan of baseball in general it makes me die a little inside. First off, the man has over 3000 hits, 400 home runs, and 1600 runs scored. He drove in nearly 1700 runs and had a fielding percentage of .977. He is a 2 time MVP, 2 time Gold Glove winner, 8 time Silver Slugger Award winner and made 19 All Star Teams. I don’t think it’s going out on a limb to say that those are Hall of Fame worthy statistics. But more important than any numbers are two things that he did to directly affect the history of baseball.
First off, as the Iron Man, he destroyed Lou Gehrig’s “Unbreakable Record” for consecutive games played the way a grizzly bear destroys a salmon. If you consider yourself a baseball fan and you don’t remember watching the night he broke the record, well you may want to reconsider your definition of baseball fan.
Secondly, Cal Ripken, Jr. and “The Streak” to break Gehrig’s record saved baseball following the 1994 strike. I know that everyone gives the bulk of the credit to the home run chase of Mark McGwire (who SHOULD have also been inducted this weekend) and Sammy Sosa, but the reality is Cal Ripken, Jr. and his brush with history captured the attention of as many people and his reputation has never been soiled the way that Big Mac and Slammin’ Sammy’s have been. So to the baseball fan who claims that Cal’s greatness is overrated I say “Without Cal, you might not have baseball.”
Finally, Ripken changed the position of shortstop forever. Before he came along, shortstop was played by short, quick little buggers who wouldn’t know a home run if it fell out of the sky, kicked them in the shins and screamed “Hey, look at me, I’m a home run.” Then Cal came along at 6’2” tall and weighing over 200 lbs and showed the world that a bigger person with an athletic build can play shortstop. So again, to the Ripken bashers I say “Do you like watching guys like A-Rod, Jeter, Tejada, Michael Young and Nomar? Well you have Cal to thank for that one too.”
As for Tony Gwynn, I didn’t get to see him play much due to the fact that he was so loyal to San Diego. Everything I knew about him I knew from highlights and the endless comparison of this hitting with that of Wade Boggs. But just from those limited sources I know that he was a definite Hall of Famer, who played the game the way it was meant to be played, who loved the game and a city so much that he promised not to abandon them and then kept his word for a 20-year career.
Without a doubt, both Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken, Jr. were among the greatest players my generation will ever see. More importantly, though, they played the game the right way, they embraced the cities and fans who loved them and they viewed being a role model as an important part of their job descriptions. I find it both appropriate and poetic that their entrance into the Hall of Fame links these two players for all time.
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