Cal Ripken Jr.

Cal Ripken Jr. ( )

"The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example."(Benjamin Disraeli). Cal Ripken Jr. is portrayed perfectly into the type of hero that is described. "Longtime manager Joe Torre said, 'Cal is a bridge, maybe the last bridge, back to the way the game was played. Hitting home runs and all that other stuff is not enough. It's how you handle yourself in all the good times and bad times that matters. That's what Cal showed us. Being a star is not enough. He showed us how to be more.'"(Cal Ripken, Jr. Baseball Hall of Fame). Cal expresses dedication through his accomplishments but also sets a good example through his great work ethic and positive attitude. To add on he also possesses humility a trait that should be owned. Throughout Cal Ripken Jr.'s long and prominent career he has accomplished many things while displaying dedication and hard work but also not letting his ego take over at the same time.

Ripken working hard to dive and catch the ball

Ripken has achieved many accomplishments through his hard work. He shows his hard throughout his career: "He played hard, he played to win, and he played in every game. On May 30, 1982, Ripken began 'the streak'- the longest stretch of consecutive games played by anyone in baseball history (2,632), and in the process earned the moniker 'Iron Man.'"("Cal Ripken, Jr, Baseball). Cal displays his hard work by playing in a long streak of games and receiving a nickname for his work ethic. His decision to be a hard worker instead of being inconsistent is shown clearly. Cal's hard work is presented at a young age too: "In high school Ripken made the varsity (a school's main team which is usually made up of upperclassmen) baseball team as a freshman. Ripken played in the Mickey Mantle World Series in Texas in 1977 and won the Harford County batting title with an amazing .492 batting average (the percent of time a baseball player gets a hit) his senior year."("Ripken Jr., Cal"). Ripken shares his good work ethic through his high school career. Instead of being lazy during his teenage years he was productive with baseball. Cal Ripken Jr. expresses he is a hard worker through his whole baseball career.

Cal receiving an award graciously ()

Cal's accolades may have made him famous but he has stayed humble through all of them. Cal expresses his humbleness after receiving his first year of accomplishments: "In his first year in the major leagues--for which he was named Rookie of the Year by a 24 to 4 vote...In 1983, he helped lead the Orioles to the World Championship and won the American League Most Valuable Player Award by batting.318 with 27 home runs and 102 runs batted in....Success did not alter either his aspirations or character. 'I just want to be recognized for baseball,' he told Sports Illustrated. 'I want to be known as a good ballplayer.... I'd like it if there were some 8-year-old kid out there now imitating my batting stance. That's what I always did.'"("Cal Ripken Jr."Newsmakers). Cal shows his great attitude after his first year in the majors. Instead of letting his accomplishments get to his head Cal doesn't change due to him being very humble. Ripken is described as a humble player by, "Longtime manager Joe Torre said, 'Cal is a bridge, maybe the last bridge, back to the way the game was played. Hitting home runs and all that other good stuff is not enough. It's how you handle yourself in all the good times and bad times that matters. That's what Cal showed us. Being a star is not enough. He showed us how to be more.'"(Cal Ripken Jr. Baseball) Cal is presented in a great way by someone who has been in the league for a longtime. Instead of being depicted as a hot shot he is known to be very humble through any situation.  Cal Ripken Jr. displays how humble he is throughout his career and by others.

Cal expresses his heroic traits of  humbleness, hard work, and dedication through his successful career. However, Cal Ripken Jr. serves as an inspiration because of his dedication to the game. Ripken presents his dedication very clearly when he was in the minor leagues: "He continued to develop in Rochester, with a batting average of .288 and twenty-three home runs, before being called up to the major leagues in August of 1981." ("Ripken Jr., Cal"). His dedication is displayed through his development in minors which leads him landing in the big leagues. Cal inspires others by showing with dedication you can make it anywhere. Ripken shows dedication through his focus as a young adult, "Entering his teen years, Ripken began to study his father's minor league teams with great seriousness." He presents his dedication by studying others so that he can improve. He inspires others by showing what dedication is at a young age. Cal Ripken Jr. displays many traits that heroes should own throughout his life as a baseball player.

Works Cited

"Cal Ripken, Jr." Baseball Hall of Fame. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

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"Cal Ripken, Jr." Cal Ripken, Jr. (Biography Today) (2010): 1. Biography Reference Center. Web.

27 Mar. 2015.

"Cal Ripken, Jr." Newsmakers. Detroit: Gale, 1986. Biography in Context. Web. 25 Mar. 2015.

"Ripken Jr., Cal." UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography. Ed. Laura B. Tyle. Vol. 9. Detroit: UXL,