Cal Ripken, Jr., was the perfect baseball player. He would play when he had the flu and even when he had a sprained ankle.
He was loyal to his city of Baltimore. He never left if more money was offered. In 1995 he broke Lou Gehrig’s 2,130 games by playing 2,218 games in a row. According to World Book, Cal ended his streak of 2,632 consecutive games when he chose not to play in the game of September 20, 1998.
He was 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 220 pounds. He was and still is the biggest shortstop in major league history. He is the only shortstop ever to hit 20 or more home runs in 10 straight seasons.
He is noticed much less than most major league superstars. He only gets noticed for his good plays. He is the only shortstop to have a record of start in eight straight All Star games.
In his first year in the major league, he was voted Rookie of the Year by the newspapers writers who cover the American league.
In 1983, at the age of twenty-three, Cal lead the Orioles to a World Series victory. He always seemed the favorite every group would vote for as player of the year. There were two reasons. First was his outstanding performance on the field. Second was the way Cal handled himself off the field. He loves being a role model for children, so he tries to be the best person he can in order to set a good example.
In 1987, Cal had a dream come true. His brother Billy joined the Orioles and the team was managed by his father Cal Ripken, Sr. His Father was manager of the team until the beginning of the 1988 season. The Orioles started the season by losing the first six games. The teams owner and general manager made the decision of removing Cal Ripken, Sr. as the manager. Cal Ripken, Sr. was put back as third base coach. Cal Jr. understood, because he knew these things happen in baseball.
Cal was so dedicated to baseball that he had a batting cage with a mechanical pitcher in his backyard so he could practice for hours everyday. Cal would spend one afternoon a week at Baltimore’s stadium answering every letter he received from fans. He would hang around the ballpark more than an hour after games, signing more than 500 autographs.
Babe Ruth is still a very well-known person in history today, even almost one-hundred years later. He did not only change the way people viewed negro baseball leagues, but he also gained a large reputation for his ability to play baseball, obviously due to his amazing abilities. Ruth’s ability to play was almost impossibly good, in fact, he was even titled “athlete of the century” for his ability. With that ability and power that he had once he won, he would become a
after that, and the Texas Rangers recruited and signed him quickly. R.A. Dickey was known for blowing
During his first year in the major leagues, Roger hit 14 home runs and drove in 51 RBI's for the Cleveland Indians. Midway through his second year, Roger was traded to the Kansas City Athletics and finished the season with 28 home runs and 81 RBI's. Roger received attention and in his third year, was elected to the 1959 All-Star team.
Roberto Clemente once said “I want to be remembered as a baseball player who gave all I had to give.” One could easily say that Roberto Clemente left everything he had on the baseball field, when he played. Roberto Clemente was originally born in a fairly large city in Puerto Rico. Clemente came from humble beginnings. His father was a foreman at a sugar cane plantation, while his mother did little odd jobs such as running the grocery store on the same sugar cane plantation. Clemente even worked on the plantation to help bring in money for his family of nine and to also buy a bicycle. While growing up, Clemente was focused on baseball and track. He even won medals for javelin throwing.
can hit and field like no one else. He is an amazing player and great hitter. He has a great
Jackie Robinson changed baseball in America in the 1940s by breaking the segregation barrier that was bestowed on baseball. Robinson played in the Negro League for the Kansas City Monarchs. In 1945 Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers negotiated a contract with Robinson that would bring Robinson into the major leagues in 1947. Baseball was segregated because of racial intolerance, economic factors, and other complex reasons. The major leagues would rent out their stadiums to the Negro League teams when their own team would be on the road. For example, if the Brooklyn Dodgers were on the road they would rent out their stadium to the Kansas City Monarchs. Major League team owners also knew if they integrated the Majors the Negro League would lose their best players and the Negro League would be lost. Also, the Majors would lose significant revenue.
In our society, many celebrities are selfish, but we do not take enough time to appreciate the ones that make great sacrifices in order to help the less fortunate. One person believed by many to be an inspiration on and off the baseball field is David Ortiz. David Ortiz should be given the title National Treasure because of his profound charity work and contributions to baseball. He has saved the lives of hundreds of children by giving them medical care they desperately need, and has revolutionized the role of the designated hitter in baseball.
Branch Rickey was the club president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and had the secret goal of signing the Negro Leagues' top players to the team. Although there was no official ban on blacks in organized baseball, previous attempts at signing black ballplayers had been thwarted by league officials and rival clubs in the past, and so Rickey operated undercover. His scouts were told that they were seeking players for a new all-black league Rickey was forming; not even the scouts knew his true objective.
Even as a child Derek loved baseball. He and his dad would often throw in the baseball field behind his house almost everyday. Although his dad sounds like a great role model for him, his Grandma Dot and Grandpa Bill were the most important people in his childhood. They were his moms parents. He would go visit them in New Jersey for weeks at a time. His Grandma would tell him stories about the best Yankee players and basically plant dreams in his head. At night he would watch the Yankee’s play with his Grandpa Bill and fall asleep in his lap. As soon as he woke up in the morning(which was ussualy pretty early) he would go into to his Grandma and say “Come on Gram! Lets go throw!”. They went through this routine every morning.
After his departure from the Army he joined the Kansas City Monarchs, an all African-American baseball team, of the Negro League. Due to low pay and constant traveling, he decided he did not want to make baseball a career although he was one of the top players. Until 1947 only white players were allowed in Major League Baseball but in 1945 Clyde Sukeforth, a scout for Branch Rickey who was the Brooklyn Dodgers club president, had been looking for an African-American player and was watching Jackie for a while.
won 29. When he reached that number Comiskey benched him, the player resentment of this was
should know Babe Ruth is for the most important reason, that being the way he
Crack! Back, back, back the ball goes. Home run! Who hit it? It was Jackie Robinson, the first black baseball player in the major league. Many people would agree Jackie was one of the best players to ever swing a bat. However, he faced many difficulties on his journey to becoming a professional baseball player. Without Jackie playing in the pros, baseball and civil rights wouldn’t be the way it is today. Baseball may have taken a long time to not be made up of mainly white players. Jackie was a beacon of hope to black people in the fact that they could compete and succeed in a white man’s sport.
Roberto Clemente Walker was born in Barrio San Anton in Carolina, Puerto Rico, August 18, 1934. He was the youngest of four children. He stood 5 feet and 11 inches tall, and he weighed 175 pounds. Roberto excelled in track and field, winning medals in the javelin throw and short distance races. However, his real love was baseball. He played amateur baseball with Juncos Double A Club and soon went on to play with the Santurce Crabbers in the Puerto Rican Winter League. From Santurce he signed with Montreal's Triple A team. Clemente joined the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1955, where he played his entire eighteen year Major League Baseball career from 1955 to 1972. Roberto played in two World Series, batting .310 in 1960 and .414 in 1971. He was the National League Batting
...rst all time in total accumulated bases with 6,856. He was second all time in at bats with 12,364. He was third all time in hits with 3,771. He was third all time in runs scored with 2,174. He was also third all time in games played with 3,298. He was elected into the Hall Of Fame in 1982. His autobiography, I had a Hammer, was published in 1990. In 1999, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of breaking Babe Ruth’s record, Major League announced the Hank Aaron Award, given to the best overall hitter in each league.