[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 156 (Friday, October 31, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2196]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RIPKEN POST OFFICE BUILDING

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                     HON. C.A. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 30, 2003

  Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing legislation to 
designate the postal facility in Aberdeen, Maryland as the Ripken Post 
Office Building in honor of the Ripken family and their contributions 
to this great city in the Maryland 2nd Congressional District.
  It is difficult to think of baseball and not think of the Ripken 
name. The accomplishments of Cal Ripken, Jr. are literally the stuff 
legends are made of. He appears throughout the record books after 21 
seasons with the Baltimore Orioles--as one of only seven players in 
baseball history to have 400 home runs and 3,000 hits. Of course, few 
in my home state of Maryland or this nation will ever forget his Iron 
Man record or the number 2131--signifying when Cal Ripken, Jr. broke 
Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played. Cal ended his own 
streak in 1998 after playing 2,632 games consecutively.
  Bill Ripken had a 12 year major league baseball career as a second 
baseman with incredible successes including a .9927 fielding percentage 
in 1992--the best of any major league second baseman that season. In 
the spring of 2002, Bill Ripken was honored for his career 
accomplishments with an induction into the Maryland Sports Hall of 
Fame.
  Those achievements alone are certainly deserving of admiration and 
acclamation, but there is so much more to the Ripken family philosophy 
and that is why this designation is for the Ripken family as a whole. 
Starting with Cal Ripken, Sr. and his wife Vi, the work ethic both Cal 
Jr. and his brother Bill exhibited throughout their professional 
careers can be attributed to this Ripken philosophy of hard work, 
dedication, sincerity of effort, and commitment.
  Even more, the Ripken Way embodies the memory of Cal Ripken, Sr. and 
his pure belief in the joy and craft of baseball. For 37 years, Cal 
Ripken, Sr. played, coached and managed in the Baltimore Orioles 
organization. He was responsible for developing a method of teaching 
that shaped the Orioles' minor league system and became known as ``The 
Ripken Way.'' That way has become the centerpiece of the Cal Ripken Sr. 
Foundation and its state-of-the-art baseball academy.
  This is a family with a history of giving back to the community--both 
the communities of Baltimore and Aberdeen. Through the Baltimore Reads/
Ripken Learning Center to the creation of the Cal Ripken Baseball and 
the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, the Ripkens continue to give of 
themselves in very tangible ways. The Aberdeen Complex has brought 
minor league baseball, jobs and prestige to the Aberdeen community. 
Both Cal and Bill Ripken are actively involved in youth camps, coaches 
clinics, tournaments and, of course, The Cal Ripken World Series.
  In a world when sport and commercialism is so often intertwined, the 
Ripken family--the individuals and the family as a whole--serve as 
incredible role models for what baseball means to this nation and what 
it was meant to be. These are real sports heroes and truly admirable 
people. Mr. Speaker I am honored to introduce this legislation on 
behalf of this incredible family from my home state and I urge my 
colleagues to vote for this bill.

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