Book #131: Iron Man: The Cal Ripken Jr. Story by Harvey Rosenfeld
Harvey Rosenfeld
Released: January 1st, 1995
My 61st book for 2025 was Harvey Rosenfeld’s "Iron Man: The Cal Ripken Jr. Story.
I found this one while browsing the sports section at Wonderbook one day. I never played baseball but have a passing respect for it. I have been to a couple Orioles games and used to go to Mariners games when I lived in Seattle.
Growing up, baseball was always on in our house. My dad was a huge Baltimore Orioles fan, and Cal Ripken Jr. was the standard to be set. Me being me, I would always root against the Orioles which would frustrate my dad. As I got older, I took on the Mariners as my team, but the Orioles have a place in my heart because of memories of childhood. My dad would tell me about the days when Cal Sr. played with Cal Jr. and even Billy Ripken. My father went to a computer school in Baltimore in the mid-1980's, and suddenly the fandom made sense. He and his friend Eric went to several games in the 1990's, and I would assume the 1980's as well. I still remember a lot of the players from those mid-late 1990's teams with people like Brady Anderson, Rafael Palmeiro, B.J. Surhoff, Roberto Alomar, Harold Baines, Bobby Bonilla, Eddie Murray, Mike Bordick, Albert Belle and of course, Cal Ripken Jr.
Cal Ripken was a household name in my hometown of Waynesboro, PA. Everyone knew him, and most of the kids coming up through Little League teams aspired to be him. My friend Andrew was a huge fan, and despite my rooting against the usual PA-conventional teams (Penn State, Steelers, Orioles, etc.), I always enjoyed watching him play.
Something I learned from this book is that Cal Ripken enjoyed winning success early in his career and later achieved notable player statistics while playing for some disappointing teams. He won his only World Series title with the 1983 Baltimore Orioles team. He would remain with them his entire 21-year career.
One of the most impressive things about him is that he played every single night for 2,632 straight games. To show just how impressive this is, the next man on the list is Lou Gehrig with 2,130, a full 502 games behind him. The closest active player is Matt Olson who currently has a streak of 782 consecutive games. This record will most likely never be broken ever again. He has endured injuries, player strikes, potential pulls, and other obstacles to maintain it. He ended nearly ended it on his own accord several times. He received a standing ovation September 6th, 1995, when he played his 2,131st consecutive game to pass Gehrig for the all-time record. The game ranks among ESPN's most-watched games of all time.
Cal Jr. has always had a solid reputation. I have never encountered anyone who had a bad things to say about him (short of sour opposing fans whose team he beat). He is a family man, a devout father, and inspires many both inside and outside the baseball community for the legacy he built, and the impact he had on his local community.
Here is what I learned:
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- Iron Man is dedicated to all those who persevere, like the Ripkens, on their commitment to family and community.
- The Ripkens grew up in Aberdeen, MD.
- Cal Ripken Sr. first joined the Baltimore Orioles in 1956.
- Cal Ripken Jr. was born in the Baltimore suburb of Havre de Grace.
- The Ripkens lived in the following places before settling in Maryland:
- Cal Jr. was very competitive growing up.
- He enjoyed playing cards.
- At the age of nine, the Ripken children would be allowed to catch fly balls during batting practice.
- Cal Jr. helped his team win a Mickey Mantle World Series title in Texas.
- Cal Jr. was pitching his first year in Little League.
- In one game, he hit 4 consecutive batters.
- Survived a shooting as a kid when a juvenile delinquent shot up a baseball field with a .22 rifle.
- Cal Jr. could hit balls over the Memorial Stadium fence at age 14.
- High school baseball games were played for seven innings unless tied. If there was rain, four at-bats were required by the losing team.
- If there was a rainout, games concluded and were not made up.
- Cal Jr. knew this and once during an Aberdeen-Thomas Stone game, he saw rain approaching, and intentionally threw to first base nine times. People thought he was eager to get the runner out, but in reality, he was buying time for the rain to arrive and secure the win. The rules were later changed to avoid this.
- Cal Jr. signed with the Orioles for $20,000/year.
- He made his profession debut for the Al Lewises on June 13, 1978.
- “When I would get down on myself, I thought about what it’s like in the Majors, what it’s going to be like when I get there, and it makes it easier.”
- “Charlotte is where I went from saying I hope I make the big leagues to I’m gonna make the big leagues.”
- Cal Jr. played in the longest game in baseball history. A 32-inning game that went 8 hours and 7 minutes before being stopped by the international league president.
- Cal Jr. always set a goal of hitting .300 every year.
- He was called up to the Majors on August 7th, 1981.
- Cal Sr. was a realist, not a dreamer.
- "You look like you're fighting yourself. Everybody is probably telling you to do this or that. So just know what you know you can do, not what everybody else tells you to do. Stick with what got you here." - Reggie Jackson to Cal Jr. during a slump his rookie season.
- Cal Jr. broke the Orioles rookie home run record in 1982.
- Ron Sharpiro was Cal Jr.’s agent.
- When on the road, Cal Jr. would often wrestle with his roommates or play pranks on others.
- The Orioles won the 1983 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
- President Ronald Reagan threw out the ceremonial first pitch in 1984.
- The Orioles took 5th place in 1984.
- “The thing about being known is that if you do anything wrong, people are never going to let you forget it.”
- “All heroes are human, and how the public reacts when he fails them depends on the way the individual has approached his heroism.”
- Cal Jr. hurt his ankle against the Rangers but returned to play the next game.
- He set the all-time Orioles consecutive game streak on May 4th by breaking Brooks Robinson’s streak of 463 games played.
- The Metrodome in Minneapolis was a little darker than the outdoors.
- The Orioles fired manager Joe Altobelli in June 1985.
- Cal Sr. won his Orioles managing debut 8-3.
- The Orioles were fairly injured in 1986, with the exception of Cal Ripken Jr.
- “Gentlemen, we stink. The whole teams needs to spend the All-Star break in the hospital. The few guys who are healthy aren’t hitting. Except the kid [Cal Ripken]. Do you know the kid hasn’t missed an infield practice all year? Now he’s going to the All-Star Game. Everyone is dying, and he’s saying, ‘Well, I guess I’ll go out and play another nine innings.’ Doesn’t anything affect this kid?”
- The Orioles traveled to Japan in 1984.
- The plane ride was 17 hours.
- “In life, when you get the opportunity, you have to take it. You never know if that opportunity will ever come again.”
- Billy Ripken joined the Orioles for the 1988 giving Cal Jr. a chance to play with his brother under his father’s management.
- Morganna Roberts was an exotic dancer from Columbus, OH who was known as the “Kissing Bandit”. She would go to games, run out on the fields, and kiss her selected hero.
- Morgan kissed Cal Ripken Jr. on May 2nd, 1987.
- When Billy joined the team on July 11th, it was the first time a manager had 2 sons on the team.
- September 14th, 1987 was the day Cal Jr.’s consecutive innings streak ended.
- Cal Jr. married Kelly Geer in Towson United Methodist Church on Friday November 13, 1987.
- Cal Sr. was the best man at his wedding.
- Cal Jr. and Kelly honeymooned in Europe.
- Cal Sr. Was fired April 12th, 1988.
- Cal Sr.’s record as Orioles skipper was 68-101.
- Hall of Famer Frank Robinson succeeded him.
- Cal Sr. was fired 6 games in to what was supposed to be a rebuild season.
- The Orioles lost 21 straight games to start the 1988 season.
- President Reagan would call them daily to encourage them during their slump.
- Kelly Ripken is an avid reader who was a member of the Baltimore Reads book club.
- Cal Sr. was brought back for the 1989 season.
- Cal Jr. signed a new contract in 1988.
- He was ejected by Drew Coble in a situation that highlighted his anger and competitiveness.
- Rachel Marie Ripken was born November 22nd, 1989.
- She was Cal Jr.’s pride and joy, and shifted his priorities.
- “I’d rather have the opportunity to fail, than not have the opportunity.” - John Elway.
- Cal Jr. suffered from mental health issues in 1990.
- "The more you fail, the more you search, the farther away you get, the more doubts creep in. The mental part is worse than the physical. You start to feel alone, as if you're the only one who has ever gone through it."
- Cal Jr. played 95 straight errorless games.
- Frank Robinson was relieved in May 1990.
- Despite years of rough seasons, Cal Jr. always put up solid individual statistics.
- The Orioles played their final game at Memorial Stadium in 1991.
- Cal Jr. was the final batter, and grounded into a double play at 5:07p.
- Prior to the MVP awarding, Cal Jr. received a perfect score from the Elias Sports Bureau.
- Don Mattingly in the 1986-1987 season was the only other person to ever achieve a perfect score.
- Cal Jr. was the first AL MVP from a losing team.
- Oriole Park at Camden Yards was built with Cal Ripken Jr. in mind.
- He signed a $30.5 million contract to stay in Baltimore.
- He won a second Golden Glove in 1992.
- In 1993, Cal Jr. was the only Ripken in an Orioles uniform.
- The Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies began play in 1993.
- Billy joined the Texas Rangers.
- Cal Jr. was envious of Ken Griffey Jr. having his father on Seattle’s staff
- Ryan Calvin Ripken was born July 26th, 1993.
- The 1994 World Series was cancelled due to a players strike. The first time since 1904.
- The Baltimore City Council introduced a bill that would fine MLB $1,000 for each game played with strikebreakers at Camden Yards.
- The strike ended after 232 days.
- One must not deny the function of parents, teachers and religious leaders as role models for children.
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Overall, good book. Usually for a biography I would recommend it, but I'll only recommend this one to Ripken or Orioles fans, because it only covers up to 1995 (Cal Jr. played through the 2001 season). The book was published before the record-breaking 2,131st game even occurred, so it cannot document it.
Recommended only for Ripken or Oriole fans due to being released in the midst of his career.
On to Book #132: Deadly Pursuit by Robert V. Cox.
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Need to catch up? See previous blog post: Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.
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