The schedule tells us that Cal Ripken, Jr. will take the field for the last time in his career on September 30th in Yankee Stadium. It will be a happy/sad type of day ... a celebration of Cal’s Hall of Fame career, complete with speeches, film clips, and audio bites reliving all his highlights. This is as it should be. The melancholy will also be there as we celebrate. Cal, especially in Maryland, was and still is a figure of immense pride and respect, bordering on worship. He’s always been here for a whole generation of thirty something and younger fans. Ironman, All Star, Hero, Good Guy ... a totally worthy player and person to look up to. But now that will all be history ... Cal will be gliding into his well earned retirement, leaving us to long for one more Ripken moment that will never come.
For Oriole fans that remember TBC (Time Before Cal) and know the history of the Oriole franchise, Cal’s retirement may just mark the end of an astonishing run. I, and the rest of my Cub Scout pack, went to my first Oriole game in September 1963. The O’s were playing the Tigers at Memorial Stadium and thumping them good, winning 9-0. We sat in the right field bleachers, directly behind the Tigers bullpen shack and listened as fans heckled the Tigers bullpen crew. It marks the start of my personal love for the game that has lasted for 38 years and running. That late season game in 1963 also started a streak that Cal would be proud of ...
The 1963 Baltimore Orioles had a trio of future Hall of Famers on their roster -- Brooks Robinson, Luis Aparicio, and Robin Roberts. This threesome started a line of succession that might be broken by Cal’s retirement. Brooks left the scene in 1977, but he had been joined in the Future HOF Club (FHOFC) by Jim Palmer in 1965, Frank Robinson in 1966, and a one-year cameo by Reggie Jackson in 1976. Palmer ended his stay midway through 1984, but he had welcomed FHOFC members Eddie Murray in 1977 and Cal in 1981. Twenty years later and Cal is the one constant that saw Eddie go and come, and go again. Roberto Alomar, Rafael Palmeiro, Mike Mussina, Lee Smith, and Joe Carter (all unfortunately ex-O’s) may also one day hang their plaque in Cooperstown.
My point? Well, for the last 38 years I’ve gone to Orioles games and practically known that a FHOFer wore Orioles colors that day. As Cal retires, that streak may be broken. It’s ironic that Cal would break that streak, isn’t it? The 2002 version of the Orioles may contain an unforeseen gem that has a HOF career ready to blossom, but none look likely to have a Cooperstown career. A trade or free agent may bring a link that keeps the streak intact. Maybe. I’m not rooting against such a player as an Oriole; it just doesn’t look likely.
My personal streak is 38 years, but the Orioles HOF streak goes back to Brooks’ start in 1955 and George Kell’s two-year stay a year later. Hoyt Wilhelm also knuckled his way through the 1958-1962 seasons. That makes the length of the HOF streak 46 years! The franchise arrived in Baltimore in 1954, so if no Bird is a FHOF next year, it will mark only the second year in club history that has occurred.
The current Orioles have had problems fielding a winning team the last few years. But as fans grouse about the current O’s, they may not realize how lucky we’ve been throughout the years to be able to cheer on such talented players. We may not realize just how much fun we’ve had. Cal represents the end only to the HOF fun. Remember one thing though, O’s fans ... while we’ve been having fun, we’ve also learned to enjoy the game. When you visit Camden Yards next year, pay thanks to the stars of yesteryear. Thank them and remember them for all the thrills they produced for you. Then go inside and enjoy the game. Whether the O’s win or lose, explain the game to your kids instead of prowling the concession stands with them. Baseball has a thousand nuances that makes it the most interesting game around. Remember that, enjoy the game and hope just a little that Rochester or Bowie houses that next Hall of Fame player.
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Copyright © 2001 by Jim Nelson. Posted August 14, 2001.
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