Cal Ripken Jr. Interview | 30th Anniversary of ‘2131’ | Baltimore Orioles

Cal Ripken Jr. Interview | 30th Anniversary of ‘2131’ | Baltimore Orioles

Welcome in everybody as we get ready to celebrate one of the best days in Orioles history, the anniversary of 2131 with our own Cal Ripken Jr. A really cool opportunity today to sit down with none other than ours here and relive some of those moments. You’re 10 in Asheville and you think you want to be a minor leaguer, which I I love. You’re not even talking about the major leagues, but you’re running around with your dad and you said Doug Desensei is the one giving you the best advice. Is there anything that you remember that kind of stuck out with him in particular? I remember at that time in my life, uh, dad thought I was old enough to take to the ballpark. Um, and we always had to wear a uniform because in order to be on the field, you got to you have to have a uniform. You just can’t be running around in shorts. So, there was sort of a professional feel to it. And uh, since dad had other responsibilities in those days, he was the pitching coach, the hitting coach, the catching coach, the infield coach, the outfield coach. He did all of that. So he had responsibilities all over the place and he told me that he couldn’t, you know, be with me all the time. You so I’m had freedom. So other players would be giving me advice on how to play the game. Doug Desensei was the one that I got the most positive reaction out of my dad. He said he you should feel a ground ball in a classic three-point stance. You your feet should be spread out just about shoulder width apart. You get the ball out in front the angle of your glove. And I’m telling him that. He goes, “Yeah, that’s really good.” So then I targeted Doug, you know, every day when I came to the ballpark. So I had my my my guys. The interesting part about uh being around the minor leagues at that time, your eyes are all big and you’re watching them play a game that you really love to play and you realize that they’re getting paid to do that. But I thought that was the best job you could have. You come to the ballpark and you get a chance to play u baseball. And uh so I wanted to be a minor league player. I I didn’t think um one day I’ll be a big league player. um I want to do this that’s right in front of me. And you were comfortable in in those minor league cities. You you’ve talked about this before. You adapted well. Vi would pack all you guys up in the car every summer to to go out and live this life. And um I I think you see the blueprint for 2131. The fact that you were a two-way and you had the opportunity to pitch, but you wanted to be a position player because you didn’t want to just play one and five. You you wanted to be out there every day. Did you Did you ever question that? Uh in the early days, yes. And I think the uh the Orioles um management team questioned that too because when I ultimately was given a choice, I was drafted uh got most of my attention uh as a from the scouts as a pitcher. And every time they came, um all of them said, you know, we’re thinking about drafting you pretty high as a pitcher. And I didn’t get much feedback from being an everyday player. But since I had uh worked out a couple times in in Memorial Stadium with dad around when I was 15, um Earl Weaver saw me field ground balls. Um dad knew where to throw the ball so I could hit a home run down the left field line in Memorial Stadium. So all that looked better and and uh um ultimately they said um what do you want to do? And I thought about it for a minute and I said um well pitchers only get to play one out of every five games. I want to play every day. And uh so ultimately I got to choose that. And my dad played a really diplomatic role in this because during those discussions, I think Hank Peters was in the room, Tom Gordano, um Dick Buouie, the scout that uh scouted me and dad. Dad kind of came at it from his professional standpoint. Okay, look, we’ve had guys similar to Cal you before and we’ve had great success at if there’s any question, we’ll start him as a regular player and then if it doesn’t work out as a regular player, then you always have the option to go back to pitching. We’ve had we’ve done that before and it’s harder to do the opposite and he said it was very very hard to do the opposite because you’re missing all this development time. So that set the stage for me to choose. And when I went away to Bluefield, West Virginia, um in 64 games, I think I did not hit a home run. Um ironically, I hit a home run in the first scrimmage game. You know, I thought, “Wow, this is pretty easy.” And then I didn’t hit a home run the whole year. Probably hit 260, 265. Um a little bit a few doubles, but I made 32 errors in 64 games. And most of those errors were like in the first 30 games or 35 games. So I swear when the brass from the Orioles came around to look, you know, at uh all the prospects, they looked at me and said, “I told you you should have been a pitcher.” Um but then I I got it and it uh happened pretty fast after that. So, so you you come up third base ends up being the spot until Earl being Earl decides he wants to put you in the middle out at short and and you said gave you a a relatively patronizing of catch the ball, throw the ball, make it clean. But what did that mean to you over that time that he really and was even asked on the night of 2131? He said there was we were never going to move him back. I always wanted him up the middle. I wanted him to be there. Um I didn’t know that piece. Um, I do remember he paid me the biggest compliment at the end of that season when he said if I would have moved him earlier, we would have won. Um, because we we end up going to the last day of the season with Milwaukee and we uh were tied after 161. And if he would have moved me earlier, then we could have made up a couple of games. I guess first time I made my debut um it was a pinch running um for Ken Singleton and he tells me to go run for Singy. It was the 11th or 12th inning of the game. I come running out and Singy’s coming over to shake my hand. He goes, he goes, “You’re running for me.” And he started laughing. End up scoring the running winning run on a I think Loenstein hit a double down the right field line. So I we got to celebrate the um a win. I didn’t do much except touch on plate. Um but it did matter to me that the stadiums were really big. it was, you know, I don’t, you felt like you, the spotlight was on you more. Um, the media was covering you all the time. You didn’t, you weren’t used to that. And so, there was a few things that you had to get used to. So, I think baseball-wise, I was ready, but emotionally and dealing with the new surroundings, it took a little while to feel like it’s just a same game. Yeah. What I found so fascinating is we look at careers like yours and these numbers that no one will ever touch and they think that’s the pinnacle and we know that’s not human form. There’s always going to be something missing. You said the best feeling you ever had in your career was catching the final out of the World Series. And if you had one regret, for lack of a better word, you wish that there had been more playoffs with those teams. If we had to play devil’s advocate here and you’re trading that record for more chances in the playoffs, are you making that trade? Sure. Sure. The uh that’s the first time I’ve been asked to compare those two. I kind of look at it is what what’s your greatest moments by far catching the last out of the World Series and the meaning that surrounds that. I mean, nothing comes close. What’s your best personal moment on the field? Might be in the lap around the uh ballpark. It was spontaneous. I um I was embarrassed to that people were clapping. so much. Um the whole concept of running around a stadium to and in an effort to get our game started again seemed so wrong to me. Um but once I started rolling out there, you started seeing people that uh you knew by face and you saw others that you knew by name and the and the celebration became way more personal. Um it was big and wonderful, but when you started running down there, it became more one-on-one, which uh that was really cool. So, your question is, would I have traded um the lap around the ballpark? Yeah. For uh for more times to play in the playoffs. I got the I got a chance to experience playoff type baseball in ‘ 82, my first year. Second year, I think we learned that, you know, we need to make up that game somewhere earlier in the season. We got off to a good start. We walked through the pennet, got through the playoffs with Chicago, and then won the World Series. So your first two years you’re thinking, “Ah, this is going to happen all the time.” Um, and then we were pretty good after that, but we just didn’t get back. The Tigers jumped out really far in a lead. We couldn’t catch them. Um, and so you’re thinking this is going to happen all the time. You’re just um you’re just 24 25 years old um at that stage. And coming back to the playoffs in 1996 and 1999 reminded you how special that was. there was a rebuilding and challenges and um you know that we all had to deal with and meet you know during that time frame. But when we got back to the playoffs in 96 and 97 um it it really cemented that feeling that I had catching the last out of the World Series. So if you’re asking me the whole streak celebration and then having the record for Lou Lou Garri I would trade that for a chance to play in the playoffs um many more times. I like it. That that tracks with with your team first that that you’ve always spoken about. And I do want to rewind a little bit because you’re on that 1993 reasonable. Everybody says, “Oh, you’re within a couple hundred games, but that’s still several seasons from this record.” And in 93, you’re thinking about a day off for whether that’s mental, emotional, or otherwise. And Rick Sutcliffe Yeah. says, “No, because I’m pitching and I need you behind me.” Did he Did he tell you that story? but tells you that he wants you behind him and he’s gonna have a fight if you’re not. Did that give you any kind of of recharge because you were always that guy that no, I am going to start every day just because it’s my job, not not for anything flashy, but to have someone else kind of punch up in the background of of what it meant to them. It was uh it was really meaningful because sometimes when you’re in a slump, you’re in the lowest of lows and you’re feeling that you can’t play, you can’t hit, and uh it might be better off if somebody else plays, you know. So, you start uh beating up on yourself, feeling sorry for yourself. And Rick in that moment snapped me back into it. I always thought that there was an intangible value for playing. Even if you you weren’t hitting your best, you still could make a decision in the field. You could do something to impact the game. Um maybe you calm the second baseman down in a in a Yankee Stadium moment. There’s all kinds of reasons I could say why I should be in the lineup. And ultimately, I always said the manager sits in that office every single day, makes out the lineup card. So, he has to look um and at the lineup card and and if he thinks I’m one of the persons that can help you win that game, then he puts you in a lineup and you play. I mean, that was a simple approach. But over time when you did the ups and downs and the rebuilding process and then experiencing, you know, slumps or even you start questioning yourself, you know, how much uh how much do I have left in my tank, you know, and when you’re like 30 years old, you’re thinking, uh, uh, did I just forget how to play? So, right around that time, you know, Rick was there and we’re standing out at shortstop. I think it was at Cleveland, to be honest with you. We were standing out at Shore Stop. Sometimes he would come in and stand with me. And I needed somebody and he he was that person that had, you know, a little older than me, had experience uh in the big leagues for a long time. And so I threw that idea past him. You know, what do you think? You know, maybe it’s I’m thinking it’s better off if u you know, maybe it fix my fixes my hitting. Maybe it gives me a a new start. You know, what do you think? And that’s when he gave me this sort of macho thing of saying, “I’m pitching tomorrow and if you’re not in the lineup, um, we’re going to fight. I’m going to kick your butt.” And then he went on to explain, he says, “Look, um, I get to play one every five games.” And we discussed that earlier. And when I’m out there, I want the best team, best chance to to win the game behind me, and you are the best option at Shoretop. He said, basically, stop whining, stop feeling sorry for yourself, fix your hitting, he says. He says, can you bunt? And I go, yeah. I said, “Well, bunt for a base hit and uh do something or whatever else to fix your hitting. That’s all you need to do. Once you fix your hitting, everything will be all right.” And that advice, uh, you know, made me, you know, think again, saying, “Yeah, um, I should be in the lineup. Yes, I should be playing uh behind Rick Suckliffe, and all I have to do is fix my hitting. All I have to do is get a hit.” He goes, he goes, “Do you think you can get one hit out of four? You know, that’s that’s 250.” And I said, “Can you do that?” And I go, “Yeah.” He goes, “Well, do it. And that was um it was at the right time. It was something that I needed. Uh I I don’t know if Rick will will tell that exact story that way. Interesting. But I think um my version of it right now is pretty accurate. So you get and something I would have never thought would have occurred, but you get some doubters, some critics. You said when the street gets to about the 12, 13, 1500s mark and then they all start to turn the tide and act like they’ve been with it once you start to get closer. the banner debuts at 21108. Did Did that ever stick with you that you that you had these people out there kind of being a little a little pestilent or Well, you you had to deal with uh I mean the ups and downs of rebuilding were was hard enough, you know, uh and uh you’re accountable and responsible for your quality of play. You’re personally and also as a team, but as a team member, you’re not controlling all the strings. You’re not creating the lineup and the roster. you can do the best you can um out there on the field and and try to do your job and then try to be a good teammate so you can help um everybody else do their job. Uh it’s important for a short stop second baseman to be really in sync so you can turn those tough double plays that saves a run in the eighth inning and you win a game. Um so you’re used to the criticism when you you fail in the clutch. Um you don’t hit with runners in scoring position. um you can make a case that if I would have got this hit or got that hit, we would have won this game. Um so you you deal with the reality of how it’s how it’s interpreted and how it’s written. But the streak seemed to for a while there was a lot of people that thought it was a good thing that it was um it’s honorable to be to go out there and put yourself out there and play every day instead of saying, “Well, you know, I’m not swinging too well. Give me a little vacation and then I’ll come back.” You’re you’re putting the team uh first. you saying, “Okay, here I am. I want to play. If you want me to play, I’ll play.” And so, there was a lot of people that thought it was the right approach. There were some people that thought, you know, uh, when you’re when you’re not swinging well, you’re not playing well, that there should be other things. There should be other options. And I think there were some people in the media that um all of a sudden made a name for themselves by taking on the streak because the streak was a was an issue that people talked about u you know um whether I should keep playing whether I should not keep playing you know what’s is there a value to it or not and there were some people that took that stance that it was it was negative it was a bad thing once it got to a certain point it was like u all right there there’s this positive energy for it they think it’s good for baseball. They think that um um this is this this this is going to be good for baseball if that record is uh is is approached or broken. And that was the first time I thought that I felt a little pressure like, okay, everybody thinks this is good and I need to get to a finish line. I never played the game to try to get to a finish line. you play today and then when today’s over you play tomorrow and uh when you when you felt that there was sort of a finish line and people were planning for this celebration you’re thinking god what if what if something happens to me what if I what if I can’t do it and that was an uncomfortable feeling I had the freedom of not worrying about it all those all those years and then when it got close um it it started to u creep into my mind um I didn’t change the caliber of play I didn’t changed the way that I I played the game. Whether you dive or you run into a catcher or um take, you know, get taken out on second base, you stay in there to turn a double play. Um because I always thought that that insulated you from injuries by by by playing, you know, um you don’t you don’t lose your focus. You keep your focus right where it’s supposed to be. But it it it was a weird sort of feeling that uh all of a sudden there’s a finish line. And I never looked at it that way before. when it you watched the the buildup from there and like we’re saying earlier they they build 260 extra seats onto the field for your night. It’s the largest capacity that this ballpark has ever seen and you’ve got President Bill Clinton who’s always involved in baseball but was absolutely going to be there that night with his wife and daughter and um so many great people in the game. Deaggio shows up for this evening and and you know what that feels like. Was there any moment of of trying to steady yourself? And they kept saying on the broadcast how earlier today Cal was telling us he’s exhausted and and yet you continue obviously the streak from there. It just seems like it was that emotional exhaustment of of waiting for this particular day. It was more the emotional side. I mean, physically, you know, you go through a long season, you have your ups and downs, you have your Knicks that you play through, and I I would contend whether you play 162 or you play 101, you know, you’re uh you’re 100% maybe on the first day of spring training and then you’re somewhat less than that as the season goes on depending upon what happens. Um, and so physically, you know, it’s a grind. Um, but it wasn’t much different, but emotionally you’re uh there was a lot of things going on. you’re trying to um please everyone, you’re trying to go I remember Paul Molader gave me some really good advice early in that season. And I I I don’t think I executed it really well um as the season was on as the season went on, but I started to get it more and more. And he told my he told me he told me he said just surrender to the process. I go surrender to the process. Just like give in, you know, just go with it. It’s it’s it’s it’s a way to manage it or cope with it that uh you’re not controlling things. Like to me, I always felt like I uh I gave myself a better chance if I controlled controlled my environment. Uh so I look for ways to make it all right for me. Um and control those things so I could do my job every single day. Whether it was, you know, dealing with the media, whether it was, you know, um you know, uh anything else um that surrounded the game, I wanted to put some controls on that. Um, but if you if you lift off the controls, then it’s a whole lot easier to uh to kind of cope and deal with it. And I and so I think every time that I start to get stressed, a little bit emotionally uh drained, I’d start to think about Paul’s advice and I try to execute on. I I don’t think I was great at it, but I think it really helped me, you know, uh especially down down the stretch when when there was so much planning and then and so much going on besides just the baseball game. Chris Burman, you said you guys talked leading up to that game. He had the call and he was trying to figure out how to encapsulate this moment. You throw in a little extra. He gets his classic back call on a couple other guys and then you step up and crush your third home run in three days. We talk about runners sometimes. they get to the end and they have that little extra push. Did Did it feel like that at all to to have that in that moment? Because you said this this wasn’t really the season and yet you were able to put three in three days. Yeah. To me, I I look back on that whole thing. It um it’s important not to celebrate the streak for an attendance record for just fact that you showed up every day. It’s that um you were good enough to play every day. They wanted you to play every day. There was a reason why you were playing every single day. So when it got down to celebrating that, I I wanted desperately for us to play well. I wanted desperately for me to play well. And if given my brothers, if I was choreographing how the season would play out, we would have been in first place in the thick of a pennet race in September and we wouldn’t have been thinking about anything else besides that, you know, and then say, “Okay, the record comes and goes, but yet the focus is where it should be on on the on the team.” We fell out, fell back a little bit. the California Angels were in that pennant race. So for us or for me, I can speak for me, it became um important uh it was like it was like a playoff atmosphere, but it was important to play well, to hit well, to to to uh to do well. And so, uh, I was struggling a little bit coming into the series with the California Angels and I remember I think we had a day game and Jim Abbott was pitching and, uh, I had a conversation with Miss in the dugout and he says, he said, “Why don’t you put a little flex in your stance? Why don’t you, you know, pull pull a new stance out or something like that?” Because I was always, um, being kitted for my stances. And I went up there, I said, “Okay.” So, I put a little flex right out a little bit. put a little flex in my stance and hit a hit a home run to right center field. So I came around, I gave um Mike Msina credit, you know, he gave me a batting tip. But uh that sort of momentum and I kind of kept that little bounce in my uh um that little adjustment because once it works, you want to make it work again and make it work again. So I hit a home run in 2129, hit a home run 2130, and hit a home run 2131. But more importantly, we beat a really good team three straight games in that time frame. And it made the celebration um it really put the celebration in the right perspective for me looking at that and knowing that it was not going to be the end of the game and we talked about this earlier. You kind of wish it had been then instead of in the middle, but you just got to finish five. You’re out there, you’re waiting for that third out. Do you feel that tension start to come up or or elation or did you notice that you were counting down the outs? Uh, so when did the banner start on the on the uh warehouse? Do you remember? 21108. 21108. So it was a good two weeks. Mhm. Two weeks before. So I remember being at a home when that first time that happened to me. Totally took me by surprise that they started playing the John Tesh music and then everybody kind of looked over and you saw the banners up there and then the banners went at a certain moment in the game. I didn’t know why, you know, but it’s when the game becomes official, whether it’s you’re winning at four and a half or whether you’re after five complete innings, the game becomes official. Um, and the first time it hit me, I’m going, that’s different, you know, and and then what it made me do was each time it subsequently happened after that, you’re starting to think about um all the people that helped you get there, which was really emotional to me. I was uh sitting there thinking about it. It makes you I want to stay in the moment and then stay in the present moment and not look back. You know, there’s there’s a there’s a benefit to learning from from the past, but you’re doing something right now. You don’t want to be going back and thinking, um, god, you know, my mom did this, my dad did that. You know, you’re starting to think about all the people that helped you get to that point. So, it made you just go back in time and and review. And that was kind of emotional for me. Um, it kind of caught me off guard, but once you get used to it a little bit, then you kind then you kind of get your ability to cope with it, whatever else, and it’s not as emotional as you go down the stretch. But 2130 and 2131, the anticipation was greater and the number was close. You know, it was the tying game and it was the breaking game. And so that became a little bit more intense. I I was able to control my emotions a little bit more because I already had revisited, you know, how I got here, you know, kind of in the in those first two weeks. But now it was uh there was there was an anticipation for it to be um to come to fruition. And after the after the 213130 game, there was a sense of relief. It was like it was a foregone conclusion that tomorrow would happen, you know, after that. Um but during the 21 um 31 game um I think everybody was sort of anticipating that. I mean some people were thinking I hope I get the ball and then I’m going to I’m not going to give it back. It’s going to be mine. You know I think it was a pop fly to Manny Alexander. Was it was that what is that right? Um and then everybody knew what was going to happen. Now what we didn’t know was going to happen was going to be that long, you know, um um at the game. And I was super sensitive about that because it’s like having a rain delay in the middle and you’re asking your starting pitcher to cool down and then warm back up again. And I’m thinking, okay, let’s play. Let’s uh let’s play the game and we’ll stay out here as long as you want after the game was my feeling. Um but the u saying thank you and the different curtain calls um showing my kids the uh the uh t-shirt that I wore. Um that was the whole thing. It was like a little bit of a a jersey. um gift ceremony, you know, privately. Here’s my jersey. But the whole purpose was, hey, see when I got on here and then uh and that was kind of cool, but and it just kept going and on and on. And I thought the the coolest part when Bobby Bo and u Raphael pushed me, you know, out out finally. Uh Rafie, I think, came up with the idea, you’re going to have to take a lap. And I’m thinking that’s that’s stupid. I’m not doing that. You I’m running around the ballpark. And uh Bobby Bo had a little bit more um baritone to his voice and he was more forceful. And then when they pushed me down the line, I felt like I had no choice. And so I started to go down. I think Bumbrey was the first person I shook hands with. And then I went down the line. And I was thinking about, okay, let’s let’s see if this let’s hurry through this. And then really quickly, I it didn’t matter uh that the game was delayed at all to me. And I can’t tell you exactly when that moment happened, but you were starting to enjoy it. You got all the way around. It got a little slower. It got a little slower as you went down. And then coming to the California Angels. I mean, who gets to to um shake hands with the uh the other team that you’re playing against in the middle of the game for a bigger reason than that game, I guess. And I remember I wish that I could remember what Rod Karu said to me. I always had the utmost respect for Rodney and he was there. And I remember when I finally looked at the video after all those years because I didn’t want to look at I didn’t want to change my perspective. But I would finally looked at the video. I saw myself and then embraced him and we said something to each other and I me the only thing I can remember was hey that that was really cool but I can’t tell you what what it was but just the fact that you went through that process. Um and at that point I could have said okay the game’s over you know um we don’t need to play the rest of it. But we went out and completed it and uh and it ended in the way that I hoped it would end. I think Moose was fine with it. He’s he’s told several people he had it highlighted how elated he was that he got to be the starter for that. Angels players, their coaches were talking about they were looking ahead on the calendar because it was easy to do the math. You’re not you’re not trying to do starting pitcher math. You know, you’re in every game and they went this is lining up for us. And just to be a part of it was something so special for everybody. And and the greatest part about the way baseball likes to tie in numbers is you get pushed back out of that dugout 8 minutes into the ovation. Obviously your number, but I love what Kirk Jin, of course, our lover of baseball numbers, comes out with is that the military time of you getting pushed back out is 2131. And and so it really can’t be more poignant than that moment. And you finally get to see emotion from Cal Senior, which most of us, we’ve we’ve read, we’ve seen. He’s not that guy, but holding his hands out to you from the box, you guys catch a look that that moment of admiration and love, and and you have done something that your dad truly is proud of. You have a president saying that you’ve inspired Americans as everyday workers. Bus drivers are setting streaks of 18 plus years showing up to work every day. And their answer was because Cal did it. and what a more difficult job he has than for me to get these kids to and from school every day. When you try to tie a bow on on the complete change that you set, not just in baseball, but in a culture in that moment, have you been able to really put that together? No. Um um the only thing I can come up with is that um it’s meaningful to people to show up and meet the challenges, whatever their challenges they have. So it seems like um a lot of people have the concept of uh showing up and uh and what their streak is is as important to them as u and I kept thinking I’m a baseball player. I get to play a game, you know, and so the grind of of baseball and the pressures sometimes of baseball and the expectations of winning and all the stuff that you go through, you know, there can be some pressures there, but I mean, when you boil it down to it, it’s just a game. And uh you get to fulfill a kid’s dream. Um I I I say jokingly that I didn’t have to grow up until after I was 41 because you’re you’re in this kid’s game and you’re playing. So I I I don’t know if I put full perspective uh on that. Um the best I can come up with is that is that it is important you know for you to care about something and show up for it. You know uh whether it’s uh you know work or school. Uh at first I thought it was kind of cool where kids thought having perfect attendance was cool. I would tell them I didn’t have perfect attendance. Um, and I and I I think sometimes when you’re evolving as a kid and you have different pressures that that maybe taking a break from things is a is the right way to do it. I never thought taking a break from playing baseball was the right way to do it. I thought if I was struggling, I could find something in this struggle game that I could fix for tomorrow. Um, if we were winning by a lot, uh, and I was swinging the bat really well, you want to keep it going. You want to stay in there and get your last at bat and you just want to keep things rolling in the way that you did. But the reaction from everybody, I I still think that it had something to do with the fan base looking for something good in baseball. Yeah. You were just looking for something that made you feel like uh you know, maybe the era in which Lou Garri played and we were going all the way back to Lou Garri’s time in the comparison. I always said that wasn’t a really good comparison because Lou is one of the greatest players to ever play the game. you know, it just and um what we had in common was this desire to to be out there and and to play and and physically uh and mentally we could do it. And so uh um I would I would always think about because sometimes they I get asked this question, if you had a chance to talk to Lou, what would what would you uh say? And uh and I was thinking I would hope that his uh response would be the same as mine is that it was just um you meet the challenge of today. It’s your responsibility to your team. Your team could count on you to be in the lineup and so you did. Um closest thing I came to that was Sashio Kinogasa is the u iron man of Japan. um he uh he he had recently passed, but I had a number of experiences with him where I could talk about it because who do you talk to that’s played 2,000 games in a row and uh and so I was happy to hear him through a Japanese interpreter feed feed back the responsibility and the feeling that he had towards the game but also towards his team. Um, and I would I would think that that’s what that that that that’s what Lou um would have thought was important. And I think people in general think that that’s really important. They do. And it it sticks to this day. And and I hope when you’re in that red Corvette, we’re not making you walk for 22 minutes this time, but you get to feel a little bit of that again. The kids are old enough now where they they really get to remember all these anniversaries that we have to celebrate such a big day. So, have you ever thought about how you feel about uh anniversaries or reunions and all that kind of stuff? I mean, I haven’t had one quite big enough to to feel momentous about because I’m I’m forced to think about that now. But it does give you a perspective when looking back. I mean, I always thought, okay, your your experiences uh when you were younger, it’s great and you’re moving forward, but you don’t really go back in time. You just focus on what’s happening here um and then you move forward. you’re constantly looking ahead. But when you get to be a certain age, there are times when you look back, and maybe this is the 30-year anniversary is one of those times where you remember your interactions with people. Um, you know, I didn’t know, you know, uh, about Msina’s feelings about pitching in that game till right now, but there was a lot of things that happened in a in a human way that was considered good. So, they’re worth remembering. they’re worth going back and kind of living that again. And maybe when you get to be a certain age, all you have is those memories and you’re not moving forward anymore. But uh um it’s good to hear the perspectives of people that were in involved in that uh game and what it meant to them and really what it meant to the fans uh overall. So um I I I never went to a high school reunion. Um never really wanted to. Yeah, we I think we have a lot in common there. And I and I’ve been out I’ve been out of high school a long time now, but uh um this is the first time I’m thinking and looking back on it and it has this sort of warm feeling that um that uh was good. So uh so maybe I’ll change my mind on um reunions. Well, I think this one’s going to be pretty special, but we’re we’re all looking forward to it, Cal. and and thank you for for taking today to walk us back down some of those memories and and more importantly the people attached to them. You you’ve opened up uh um a lot for me to think about is because there’s certain perspectives that I didn’t uh I didn’t allow myself or I didn’t really know was happening. I’d love to have a conversation with Msina now um and try to hear Yeah. all these years later. Uh Ben Ben McDonald’s an open book is Ben had the camera attached to his face for your whole game. So, we’ve already hired him to record your second documentary and Bobby Bo and all those guys or whatever else. I mean, when I um we have plans. I don’t know. I haven’t participated in all the plans, but I mean, there’s plans to have um different people come back and I’m I’m kind of um um I want to be a little surprised of uh who comes back and what what happens, but uh I’m looking forward to that. Again, fans, just a reminder, come out and celebrate the 30th anniversary of 2131 September 6th against the Dodgers. So much in store. Even Cal is going to be surprised by this, but you don’t want to miss it. [Music] Yeah. Yeah. [Music]

Ahead of the 30th anniversary of 2131, Cal Ripken Jr. sits down for an interview with Melanie Newman to discuss the night he eclipsed Lou Gehrig’s record of 2130 consecutive games played.

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