Congrats to Cal Ripken

[resqgeek]

Cal Ripken's election to the Baseball Hall of Fame is anything but surprising. After all, he did break Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played. But only two other members of the Hall of Fame have ever received a higher percentage of votes in their elections: Tom Seaver (in 1992) and Nolan Ryan (in 1999). Cal received 98.5% of the available votes, a nearly unanimous election. And it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Cal Ripken might not have been the most talented baseball player of his time and he certainly wasn't the most powerful. What he was was reliable. He played in 2,632 consecutive games in a career that spanned 21 seasons and a total of 3,0001 games. He had an incredible work ethic, and understood that the fans were important to the game. He stayed at the ballpark long after the game to sign autographs for anyone who wanted one. He was humble and quiet, traits that are far to rare among professional athletes. Today, he spends his retirement working with youth baseball and the minor league teams he owns, helping to promote the game he loves.

See Thomas Boswell's column from today's Washington Post.