Cal Ripken Jr.

I went to my first baseball game at age 5 with my uncle and my Dad. It was 1983, the year the O's would win their last World Series Title.

I remember three things from that night: 1) Feeling like a man hanging out with my Dad and uncle. 2) The sweet Orioles pennant I brought home that night. 3) CAL RIPKEN JR!

From that night on, I was a Cal fan for life. He became not just my favorite player, but my hero. I loved the way he played shortstop, his approach to the game, and his calm demeanor. As the Ironman continued to roll on, eventually compiling 2632 consecutive games played, my admiration for his day-in, day-out approach grew.

Some of my favorite memories revolve around watching Cal play in person. I will share more about that later...