[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 20901]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                CAL RIPKEN, JR., HALL OF FAME INDUCTION

  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, I rise with a great deal of joy and 
enthusiasm this morning, as the senior Senator from Maryland, to be a 
part of what all of Maryland is doing today. We are on the road to 
Cooperstown. We are literally in our cars or renting transportation to 
be heading to Cooperstown, and we are going to Cooperstown in our 
hearts, because on Sunday, our beloved all-around Marylander, all-
around American hero, Cal Ripken, Jr. will be inducted into the Hall of 
Fame.
  We are so excited about this because we want the world to know Cal 
Ripken as we know Cal Ripken. What a great guy. The world knows him as 
a fantastic baseball player, and he certainly is. I will go into his 
record in a minute. But he is also a fantastic human being, a devoted 
father, a faithful husband, a man of the community, giving his time and 
energy to philanthropic work. When we call him the ``Iron Man,'' he 
absolutely is.
  Throughout his 21-year career, he has been the epitome of ``Iron 
Man,'' both on and off the field. I watched Cal going from being 
unknown to being the best known baseball player from Baltimore since 
Babe Ruth. I was there that last day at Memorial Stadium, when we 
closed the stadium down, and I was there on opening day at Camden 
Yards, and Cal was there, and I will watch him as he is inducted into 
the Hall of Fame. For we Oriole fans, it was never ``if'' Cal would go 
into the Hall of Fame, it was simply when.
  Now, all baseball fans know about something called ``the streak.'' We 
remember the victory lap he took around Camden Yards on that very 
special night. As we were heading into that record-breaking, show-up-
at-every-game Cal Ripken event, there was a countdown that was going on 
all over. At Camden Yards every day, they had the number when Cal would 
come out on the field. In my own office in the Hart Building, I had a 
great big banner for our own countdown.
  There he was: 2,632 consecutive games. During that time, he hit 431 
homeruns. He also started in 19 All-Star games. He won two American 
League Golden Glove awards, eight Silver Slugger awards, two American 
League Most Valuable Players, and the statistics go on.
  But statistics don't tell the real Ripken story. We remember not the 
numbers, but we remember the man--the strong, dependable presence of 
Cal Ripken, Jr. Night after night, day after day, sometimes through 
injuries, through the wide range of emotions and pressures experienced 
as a major leaguer, at every game there he was: at third base, at 
shortstop, smiling at doing his job and doing it well.
  I remember that fateful night when Cal broke the Lou Gehrig standing 
record. To see that banner drop from 2,130 to 2,131 and hear the 
admiration and the jubilation of the crowd in Baltimore is something I 
will always remember. The sustained cheers were never ending as Cal, 
urged by Rafael Palmeiro, took a lap around the field. It was a proud 
night for the Ripken family, for the Orioles, and for Maryland.
  Mr. President, I wish you had been there that night. It was a magical 
night. Families came from all over to that game. Now, when I walked 
into Camden Yards, I thought maybe it would be a raucous night. Maybe 
it would be a spirit of New Year's Eve that we have in the Inner 
Harbor. But when you walked into Camden Yards, it was a quiet night. It 
was a respectful night. It had an air of great dignity. People were 
bringing their children. They had come from all over. They knew that 
something very special was going to happen because of a very special 
man. That evening had as much dignity as the player himself.
  Cal's accomplishments transcend well beyond the baseball field. His 
character and demeanor are reflected in the successes he experiences 
every day on the field and off the field. He shows up and gives his 
maximum effort in every aspect. He puts his family above all. He is a 
community philanthropist and is committed to living something called 
the ``Ripken way.'' The Ripken way was something taught to him by his 
father, that very well-known baseball manager, Cal Ripken, Sr. Now, 
this Ripken way is something special. It isn't complex. Did the Ripkens 
hire a consultant or handlers to tell them about it? How did they do 
it? It came from their hearts, their experience, and their commitment 
to values.
  The Ripken way is a value-driven leadership way. Its wisdom is to 
build great players and bind generations together. Here is what it is: 
No. 1, keep it simple. No. 2, explain the why of what you are doing to 
the people who are affected. Celebrate the individual. Make it fun and 
sweat those details and learn the little things so the big things can 
be done the right way. It emphasizes clarity, simplicity and, most of 
all, personal integrity.
  I think the Ripken way is being used all over Maryland. It is used in 
our businesses and in our homes. It is in our hospitals, where Cal and 
his wife Kelly have contributed so much to children, and it is in our 
hearts today as we salute Cal Ripken and the wonderful honor he is 
receiving.
  He applies the Ripken way on the ballfield and off the ballfield. He 
has established a foundation in his father's name: The Cal Ripken, Sr. 
Foundation, which helps young people learn not only baseball but the 
values of sportsmanship and the values of integrity, honor, and 
fidelity, the things that do build iron in your character. This is the 
legacy which shapes Cal's life, and so he wants to pass it on. Cal may 
be the local boy, but he is now an international hero.
  There is no question that Cal has earned his way into the Hall of 
Fame. We congratulate him on his very stellar career. We so admire his 
work ethic and his commitment to community, to country, and for the 
well-deserved honor of being inducted into the Hall of Fame. While Cal 
has already achieved so much, I cannot help thinking about him that the 
best is yet to come.
  On behalf of Senator Cardin and myself, I will introduce to have 
referred to the appropriate committee a resolution commemorating Cal on 
his outstanding career in baseball and for his induction into the Hall 
of Fame.
  Mr. President, these are tough times in the Senate. So when we can 
talk about something that really does deal with honor, fidelity, a 
commitment to community, a commitment to country, and showing up every 
day and getting the job done, I think the way Cal would want us to tip 
our hats to him would be to step up to the plate and do our jobs and to 
do it the Ripken way. That is what I would like to do.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Nelson of Nebraska). Without objection, it 
is so ordered.

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