Cal Ripken: From a Young Fan to a Hall of Famer By Rick Grantham At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Baltimore Orioles has a long history in Baseball. It is a member of the Major League Baseball, Eastern Division. It was a first known as the Milwaukee Brewers, which not the same as the Milwaukee Brewers we know today. In 1901, it changed its name to St. Louis Brown when it transferred there. It got the oriole name after it moved to Baltimore in 1954.

One of the most memorable players who played for the Birds is Calvin Edwin Ripken, Jr. He was born in Havre de Grace, Maryland on August 24, 1960. Baseball is in his blood. His father was a baseball coach who happens to manage the Orioles in the 80s.

He has given several wonderful memories to baseball fans. One of which is breaking the record set by Lou Gehrig where he acquired the name Iron Man after setting the 2,632 consecutive games in Major League Baseball.
He had an amazing career with the Orioles. This is the only team he played for throughout his career, which lasted from 1981-2001.

It did not come as a surprise when young Cal developed a love for baseball. Who does not love the game, right? At a very young age, he was sure of what he wants to be when he grows up. The time he spent watching his father coached and the time he practiced batting with the players prepared him for baseball greatness.

Before he joined the Orioles, he was a varsity player in high school, which won the Championship crown in Class-A league in 1977. He also won a batting title in Hanford County when he played in Mickey Mantle World Series in 1977.

His growth as a baseball player was gradual. He did not wow everyone when he first stepped in the stadium. It was not bad either although there were a lot of room for improvement. As he progressed to the different Oriole team, he also improved as an athlete. It did not take long before he made his first All Star appearance. Although he struggled at the bat, his improvement was in time for him to win the coveted Rookie of the year award.

There were bittersweet moments in the Baltimore Orioles history. The team beat the Philadelphia Phillies to win the World Series. Ripken also got the most valuable player for the series from the American league. However, this did not sustain. They had their worst standing ever and even finished last at some point. This happened amidst his reputable performance.

He continued to play his best but many fans were speculative of his low batting average. This did not stop him from winning his second most valuable player award from American League though. He even won a Golden Glove as the best defensive player. He also got the most valuable player for the All Star game.

His induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame took place on January 2007, six years after his retirement. The young lad who fell in love with sport while watching his dad coach his team, has turned out to be one of the greatest baseball players of our time.

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