Anyone who believes, as I do, that Cal Ripken saved baseball and is the ultimate in dedication and devotion to the game, can check in here. I was there in Cooperstown last month and I was proud of Cal, his team and family and all of his fans as we celebrated Cal's and Tony's achievements. God Bless Cal ! (I had to start a thread for Cal after seeing another thread bashing him !)
Thanks Rob and Thanks Tiny! It's very surreal going to Cooperstown, like walking through town and expecting to see Andy and Barney directing traffic! I grew up worshipping my Senators and Frank Howard and baseball was everything to me and I believe Cal represented that belief in the game that all of us have that grew up worshipping baseball! Kind of like the feeling you get hearing James Earl Jones talk about baseball in the 'Field of Dreams'! Now I know that all of us have become cynical with alot of today's professional athletes but Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn , I believe, gave all of us a chance to be kids again and look up to our 'heroes'!
Crunch,
With all due respect (to both you and Ripken), most deserving in your lifetime? Setting aside all of the over rated, Costner banging his wife, was the streak good or bad for the team, was he selfish, do you really believe that?
HOF is bad ass, I grew up about 90 minutes from there and would go every couple years. The town itself is great and there is a great pizza place on the main street. I was always amazed by some of the stats on the plaques, just mindboggling numbers on some guys.
With all due respect (to both you and Ripken), most deserving in your lifetime? Setting aside all of the over rated, Costner banging his wife, was the streak good or bad for the team, was he selfish, do you really believe that?
HOF is bad ass, I grew up about 90 minutes from there and would go every couple years. The town itself is great and there is a great pizza place on the main street. I was always amazed by some of the stats on the plaques, just mindboggling numbers on some guys.
Obviously, we can all agree to disagree about Cal and his streak. I will admit that I was a big fan of Cal and the Orioles after we lost our team in Washington. That being said, to me, and this is all personal, I respect all ballplayers, even my son and his teammates on his little league team, and once again, to me, Cal epitomized what I would want my son to grow up to be. He was great on the field and even better off of the diamond. I have never experienced the same type of adoration for any other ballplayer (Kirby Puckett came close ) and if you could have felt the love present for Cal, not only at Cooperstown. But anywhere leading up to his induction. That special feeling is why I say that he is the most deserving member of the hall in my lifetime.
P.S. I ate at several steakhouses while in Cooperstown, but alas, I missed the pizza. I plan on returning in the fall and will look for that pie that you mentioned. Hopefully next time, I'll have recovered the money I lost at Saratoga - but that is another story!
She was hot AND free pouring. She was very nice and by the time the night was over, we were all like family at the bar. All in all, a great weekend, got back to the hotel and watched 'The Natural' with my son who had never seen it. Reminds me of my favorite line from a song,"I wish didn't know now, what I didn't know then.":toast:
