I must disagree with the recent editorial that insinuated that Cal Ripken’s 2,131st consecutive game was not worthy of the honor of “Baseball’s Most Memorable Moment.”
First of all, you argue that it, among other top-10 moments, was not even a “moment.” You contend that Ripken’s record-breaking game was the culmination of a milestone, rather than an individual “moment.” Let me be the first to point out that that is what the essence of a moment is. The apex of a milestone is the precise moment at which the milestone goes down in history. Thus, the entire milestone is driven towards that precise moment. This moment is what is special and is what people will remember. That is what us fans of baseball voted for. Quite frankly, no one will remember the other 2,631 consecutive games that Ripken played. Ripken’s 2,632 consecutive games was his milestone, but that one, on Sept. 6, 1995, was his moment.
Furthermore, let me speak from a different perspective. I was at Cal Ripken’s 2,131st consecutive game on Sept. 6, 1995. I sat on the Club Level behind left field and was glued to my chair for the entire game. I didn’t even get up to get a hot dog. That game and that night was one of the most memorable moments of my life. I cannot even begin to describe the sheer electricity of the crowd and the sense of awe throughout the stadium at what this moment meant for baseball. The culmination of this moment was when Cal Ripken took a lap around the stadium, shaking every fan’s hand that he could reach, while receiving a standing ovation from the entire crowd, including President Clinton himself. This was truly a moment to remember, both for myself and for the fans of baseball.
Let me conclude by saying that there are only a few men in the history of baseball that exemplify the American tradition, embody the values of our National Pastime and touch Americans in a way that no other sports figure has. The men I have in mind are Lou Gehrig and Cal Ripken. A few others come close, such as Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Nolan Ryan, but no one else comes close to embodying the spirit of the game like Gehrig and Ripken. They lived by the basic creed of baseball: work hard, play everyday, love the fans and do your best. That’s all these men did, and the nation loved them for it. Quite frankly, the only other moment that would even come close to Ripken’s 2,131st consecutive game is Gehrig’s farewell speech, which is immortalized and revered in the history of baseball.
Cal Ripken was loved by an entire nation and it is no secret that his breaking of Gehrig’s record in 1995, the year after baseball’s devastating strike, literally saved the game. Just think about this: Cal Ripken is the only opposition player that I have ever seen cheered at Fenway Park. Now what does that tell you about Ripken’s place in the hearts of baseball’s fans?
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