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Ripken, Gwynn set for Hall of Fame induction
2007-07-29
Cal Ripken Jr and Tony Gwynn star in a feel-good Baseball Hall of Fame induction on Sunday. A record number of Hall of Famers, 53 of the 61 living members, are expected to attend and officials say a record crowd of more than 50,000 fans could turn out to honor Orioles star Ripken and Gwynn of the Padres. "The feedback I'm getting is that we did things the right way. We played on one team. And we were pretty good players, to boot," Gwynn told a news conference on Saturday. "I'm a Padre and I always will be and I'm pretty proud of the fact that everything I did, I did in one uniform." Ripken came up in the organization in which his father, Cal Ripken Sr, was a coach and manager, and for whom his younger brother, Billy, also played. "I was lucky that I was drafted by the team I wanted to be drafted by," Ripken said. Ripken, a power-hitting shortstop/third baseman and twice AL MVP who broke Lou Gehrig's Iron Man record by playing 2,632 consecutive games, had 21 seasons with Baltimore. WONDERFUL CELEBRATION Gwynn, an eight-times batting champion who retired with a .338 career average, played all his 20 seasons with San Diego. "This is a wonderful celebration of baseball and it's not about us," Ripken said. "Each and every year it happens, it's about baseball and I think the fans recognize that." Both Gwynn and Ripken retired after the 2001 season and were elected in their first year of eligibility by the Baseball Writers Association. Shunned by the voters was Mark McGwire, who shattered Roger Maris's single season home run record of 61 set in 1961 by belting 70 in 1998. McGwire is suspected of having used performance-enhancing drugs, a similar suspicion clouds Barry Bonds, who is within one homer of tying Hank Aaron's career home run mark of 755. Ripken said baseball would overcome any fallout from the so-called steroids age. "There are moments that we have to deal with, some are controversial," he told reporters when asked about Bonds. "The steroid cloud, in many ways you can turn it around and it is a good thing. It is out there and being dealt with. The integrity of the game is strong enough we can get past that, if you can focus on the good things in baseball." Ripken, informed that his plaque among the 280 hung in the Hall would try to capture the sparkle in his eye, was pleased. "The smile on your face when you're on the baseball field, that's what I want people to remember," said Ripken. Gwynn was told that his likeness was inspired by an early photograph of his Padres days. "Oh no," groaned Gwynn. "Bad Afro, bad mustache. That's scary, man. "But I love it. I still love it. Forty-seven years of age and I still love the game."
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