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01-04-2013, 04:31 PM #13
Re: Could Sunday be more epic than Cal's 2131?
Cal Ripken Jr., in his first year of ballot eligibility, got elected to the Hall of Fame with the third highest percentage of votes of all time (behind Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan). (Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hof07/...ory?id=2725461)
That was probably very largely as a result of his 2131 achievement.
Do you think Ray Lewis will be get that kind of support on his first ballot year? I have no doubt he'll get in, but that kind of unanimous support is unlikely.
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01-04-2013, 04:32 PM #14
Re: Could Sunday be more epic than Cal's 2131?
yes, it was nationwide news, it was an old record. I'm just saying it is far more glorified in Bmore then elsewhere, as opposed to Barry Bonds' HR records which were legitimately situations where the whole country stopped to watch.
It's an attendance record. It is what it is. It's not remotely close to say Pete Rose's hit record, a record of accumulated accomplishment.
I understand there is a reason that no one else has played in that many consecutive games and all of that, and that a player isn't given the option to play that many games in a row if he isn't a superior player, but 50 years from now, Cal will NOT be in the Jeter category of shortstops, except in Baltimore.
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01-04-2013, 04:37 PM #15Regular 1st Stringer
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Re: Could Sunday be more epic than Cal's 2131?
I have to disagree with this. First, Cal Ripken had 3,100 hits, 431 home runs, was a 19 time all star, a 2 time AL MVP and a Rookie of the Year. The Home Runs may not seem like a lot, but they are probably the most of any short stop who was never tainted by steroids. If Cal Ripken had take a 100 games off over his career he still would have been one of the greatest Orioles ever to put on a uniform and a first ballot hall of famer. Ray Lewis is a bigger national figure now, but Ripken has been retired for over a decade.
The Ripken streak game was a national event because baseball had recently come off a brutal player's strike. There had been no World Series the year before and a lot of fans were down on Baseball. Ripken breaking Gerhig's record and taking that lap around the stadium went a long way towards healing those wounds that many have forgotten about.
Ray's dance and entrance is not a national event, his retirement is. People who have never been to a game at M&T don't really have a sense of how the dance has become a true Baltimore institution. We Baltimore fans will miss the entrance when Ray is gone and so I am jealous of those who will see it one last time in person. But I don't think it has the larger importance
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01-04-2013, 04:43 PM #16Legendary RSR Poster
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01-04-2013, 04:44 PM #17Regular 1st Stringer
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Re: Could Sunday be more epic than Cal's 2131?
On the flip side, there will be over 20,000 more people in the stadium so it will be a lot louder than Ripken's game
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01-04-2013, 04:45 PM #18
Re: Could Sunday be more epic than Cal's 2131?
The bolded part is actually my exact point. IN Baltimore they make it seem like Cal is defined by the streak, and that the streak is a major record. I don't find that to be the case outside of baltimore.
Brett Favre isfar more then his streak, same concept.
Ansd onto other posts... I absolutely think Ray Lewis is a first ballot HOF'er and quite possibly may be one of the leading vote getters in history.
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Re: Could Sunday be more epic than Cal's 2131?
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01-04-2013, 05:05 PM #20
Re: Could Sunday be more epic than Cal's 2131?
Will they do it Sunday? Of course not. They're all kind of busy getting ready for a playoff game.
Ray will get his ceremony next year when he goes into the Ring of Honor. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't need an SUV. It always seemed kind of dumb to me to give stuff like that to a multi-millionaire.
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01-04-2013, 05:07 PM #21
Re: Could Sunday be more epic than Cal's 2131?
I think it’s important to remember that no one, including Cal Ripken himself, knew what 2131 would become. There was a ton of spontaneity there and I’d argue that the spontaneity was far more memorable than the planned events for that evening, particularly a rather weak speech from Peter Angelos.
Do we know what will happen on Sunday? No. But given the stakes and the finality of the game, I believe it will be more epic than 2131 should the Ravens win as I expect. I guess we’ll wait and see.Follow me on Twitter @RSRLombardi
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Re: Could Sunday be more epic than Cal's 2131?
Cal is immortalized in Baltimore for being Cal. The Streak is great and awe-inspiring, both for the perseverance it shows as well as the luck (avoiding freak injuries, etc). Ripken wasn't just a Baltimore sports figure at the time, however. Up through the end of his career, he'd get standing ovations at away ballparks. He'd spend hours at away ballparks signing autographs for the fans of other teams. Opposing players would make a point of going up to talk to him. Talking with the other team after a game is fairly common in the NFL. It's not common in the MLB, then or now.
The OP makes a good argument, and he's entitled to feel that way, but this isn't as big as 2131. That was the breaking of an historic record. There's no one close to touching Gehrig now, let alone Ripken. Given the way the game is played today, it's very possible Ripken's record will never be broken.
Lewis is a transcendental figure, I'll grant you. He's become something of the Godfather of the NFL. Players on other teams look up to him and seek his advice on a frequent basis. He's friends with multiple players on every team, and at the end of a Ravens game you will invariably see him meeting and talking with players from the opposing team regardless of the outcome of the game. In that, he's like Gino Marchetti was in his day: someone everyone from the owner of his team to players on other teams respected, admired, and sought out for advice (Shula got the coaching job here in Baltimore because Rosenbloom asked Marchetti who he should hire to replace Ewbank). But this is his (probably) last home game, not a chance to break an all-time record. It'll be a great and bittersweet moment for Ravens fans, especially since Lewis is the last of the original Ravens and he's meant so much to this franchise and fan base, but it's not 2131.
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