[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2329]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNIZING THE OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS OF CAL RIPKEN, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. C.A. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 24, 2007

  Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Madam Speaker, I rise before you today to 
recognize a man who led by example not only on the field but continues 
to lead off the field as well. Cal Ripken Jr., a son of Maryland who is 
known to many as Baseball's ``Iron Man'', was inducted into the Major 
League Baseball Hall of Fame on January 9, 2007. He garnered 98.53% of 
the votes--the third highest total in Major League Baseball history.
  Calvin Edwin Ripken, Jr. was born in Havre de Grace, Maryland on 
August 24, 1960. He has dedicated his entire baseball career playing 
for the Baltimore Orioles organization and contributing to life in 
Maryland.
  Cal made his debut for the Orioles in August of 1981. He quickly 
impressed baseball fans and professionals alike with his play at the 
shortstop position, and was honored for his play by being named the 
American League's Rookie of the Year in 1982. His continuing excellence 
on the field led to many additional awards throughout his career. Cal 
was named the American League's Most Valuable Player in 1983 and 1991. 
He was a 19-time American League All-Star, winning Most Valuable Player 
awards in the 1991 and 2001 All-Star games. However, none of his career 
accomplishments matches his consecutive games played record, previously 
held by Lou Gehrig at 2,130 games. Cal broke the longstanding record on 
September 6, 1995, eventually playing 2,632 consecutive games, a record 
for which he was nicknamed ``Baseball's Iron Man''.
  Cal Ripken, Jr. retired from professional baseball on October 6, 
2001, but that was not the end of the Iron Man's service to baseball or 
Maryland. He has been an active member of the local community 
throughout his career and beyond. In 2001, Cal and other members of the 
Ripken family began the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, which is dedicated 
to providing access to baseball and softball camps for underprivileged 
youth. He continued to support baseball in the community when he built 
a stadium in Aberdeen, MD, for the Aberdeen IronBirds, the Single-A 
affiliate of the Orioles, of which he is a part owner.
  He is known as the ``Iron Man'' because of his dedication to the 
Baltimore Orioles and to baseball due to his consecutive games streak 
record. However, his efforts on and off the field for the Baltimore 
area, the state of Maryland, and fans of baseball everywhere are what 
really make him the ``Iron Man'' to all. Just as he could be counted on 
to show up every day on the field to play for the Orioles, he is 
counted on by the people of the Baltimore area and Maryland to show up 
off the field, and I am proud to say that the ``Iron Man'' has always 
come through.

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