And other enduring values from baseball’s Iron Man
Probably five or so years before Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s record of most-consecutive games in baseball history, I was one of his youngest fans. My brothers and I all collected baseball cards, and Ripken was the only guy I ever went out and spent real money on at the card shop. By the time he broke the record and made it onto the cover of such magazines as Sports Illustrated for Kids—a sweet black-and-white photoshop of Ripken and Gehrig having a jaw—my little book of Ripken collections had reached 72 different cards. I even wrote him letter once asking for his autograph, but got a standard response with a sticker or something instead. Better luck next time, I guess.
I say all this to mention how Cal Ripken Jr. has sort of been a hero of mine for 30-some-odd years now. He was a hero then, someone a kid could look up to as a fair and friendly ball player with great stats. He proved his character later not only by breaking the record, but also by showing up every day for work even long after the record was smashed. And he’s still a hero today, training youth in sports and morality through his foundation and stadiums across the country. He’s a great, standup guy.
So when I saw this audiobook available on the Libby app, read by the author himself, I jumped at it. It was a great companion for me as I drove this past week, and I even learned a few things along the way.
Ripken has some wise lessons to teach, and he doesn’t beat around the bush. He opens with a lesson on how we’re all working on streaks of our own, even if we don’t know it, and that consistency and loyalty will one day win the day. He’s got lessons about playing fair and refusing to cheat—even when it’s technically allowed. He even has some great life lessons about the difference between real success and just making money.
I really enjoyed Ripken’s recollections of his baseball career, through its ups and downs. Especially, I enjoyed his interactions with other players, his friendship with Eddie Murray for example, or his mentoring-friendship with Derek Jeter. Ripken pulls few punches when he recalls dirty plays or unfair practices in games from his past, yet he’s also intent on sharing the lessons he learned from each instance.
While this may not be a book on baseball entirely, and more a book on character and playing the game of life well, it contains enough baseball history to make me happy. I love reading sports books during their seasons, and this certainly counts as a great baseball read for this year.
I’ve had The Ripken Way on my shelf for years, so I’ll likely be picking that up this season or next, especially as my own kids get involved in sports. He’s a pleasant writer, and while I don’t know his personal beliefs, he’s an honorable guy with plenty to say about playing well and living right. I recommend this one highly.
©2021 E.T.
Read More Baseball Books:
- The Kid from Tomkinsville by John R. Tunis (1940)
- The Catcher in the Wry by Bob Uecker and Mickey Herskowitz (1982)
- Just Show Up by Cal Ripken Jr. and James Dale (2019)