Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. wore number 8 fo
r the Baltimore Orioles. Not a lot of discussion needed on Ripken's stats. We all know THE STREAK (2,632 games), his 19 straight All Star appearances, his Rookie of the Year award (1982), his two AL MVP awards (1991, 2001), and most home runs ever by a shortstop (345). His election to the Hall of Fame in 2007 garnered 98.53% of the vote, highest ever for a position player and third highest ever (behind Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan). Rather than repeat everything that's on his Wikipedia entry, here's the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cal_Ripken,_Jr. For me, though, my memories of Ripken include seeing him signing autographs literally for hours after the game during his streak; of him playing for his dad, Cal, Sr., and along side his brother, Billy. And for everything that he has done to promote the game through Ripken baseball. In the mid 90's I was raising money for the Leukemia Society's "Team In Training" program. I held a silent auction consisting primarily of sports memorabilia. I contacted Ripken's agent, who had Cal sign a ball and send it over for the auction. It was one of the highest bid items! The photo is from his 1995 card from my collection (yes, I was a nerd and still collecting at age 31....).
r the Baltimore Orioles. Not a lot of discussion needed on Ripken's stats. We all know THE STREAK (2,632 games), his 19 straight All Star appearances, his Rookie of the Year award (1982), his two AL MVP awards (1991, 2001), and most home runs ever by a shortstop (345). His election to the Hall of Fame in 2007 garnered 98.53% of the vote, highest ever for a position player and third highest ever (behind Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan). Rather than repeat everything that's on his Wikipedia entry, here's the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cal_Ripken,_Jr. For me, though, my memories of Ripken include seeing him signing autographs literally for hours after the game during his streak; of him playing for his dad, Cal, Sr., and along side his brother, Billy. And for everything that he has done to promote the game through Ripken baseball. In the mid 90's I was raising money for the Leukemia Society's "Team In Training" program. I held a silent auction consisting primarily of sports memorabilia. I contacted Ripken's agent, who had Cal sign a ball and send it over for the auction. It was one of the highest bid items! The photo is from his 1995 card from my collection (yes, I was a nerd and still collecting at age 31....).
My second choice is Yogi "It ain't over til it's over" Berra of the New York Yankees. I have a fascination with old timers, and Berra is no exception. If you would like to have a fun read sometime, pick up either "I Really Didn't Say Everything I Said," or "When You Come To A Fork In The Road, Take It." While Berra is best known for his Yogi-isms, not to mention his AFLAC (mention of said company is neither an endorsement nor a criticism of their company, all rights reserved) commercial, he truly was an incredible player who many thought he had no athletic ability. Yet Berra was quick and agile behind the plate, one of only four catchers ever to field 1.000 for a season. He also gets my vote because he grew up, and is best friends, with Joe Garagiola, my favorite announcer of all time. His stats include: 15 time All Star, THREE time AL MVP, played on 13 World Series championship teams, and holds major league records for World Series games (75), at-bats (259), hits (71), doubles (10), singles (49), games caught (63), and catcher putouts (457). One of my lifelong dreams (which I doubt will ever be fulfilled) is to meet Yogi and Joe. One day I wil make a trek to the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center in NJ. Hmmm... ROAD TIRP! Who is with me?
The honorable mention category.... wow.. who would have mentioned "honorable mention" and Carl Yastrzemski in the same paragraph? In a nutshell, 23 seasons with the Red Sox, 18 time All Star, 1967 AL MVP, 3,419 hits (sixth on the all time list), triple crown winner in 1967 (for non baseball fans, that's leading the league in average, homeruns AND RBI in the same season, has happened only nine times in the American League), 8th on the all time doubles list, and voted into the Hall of Fame in 1989 with 94.63% of the vote (15th highest all time). Pictured here on his 1978 card from my collection.Other VERY notable stars pictured below (but won't bore you with their stats) include Hall of Famers Joe Morgan (card from 1977), Gary Carter (card from 1982), Willie "Pops" Stargell, and Bill Dickey. Interesting facts about Bill Dickey, he and Berra both wore number 8 for the Yankees, so when number 8 was retired, it was retired in honor of both of them. Also, he appeared in the 1942 movie "Pride of the Yankees" about Lou Gehrig. 
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