Baseball great Cal Ripken Jr. spoke to more than 600 baseball fans in Memorial Gymnasium last night, sharing anecdotes from his childhood and baseball career before taking audience questions for more than 20 minutes.
Ripken, who holds Major League Baseball's records for consecutive games played and home runs by a shortstop, was joined by his younger brother, former major league second baseman Billy Ripken, as the featured guest at Virginia baseball's 2004 Step Up to the Plate! event.
"We're trying to help out baseball on all levels," Ripken said on his decision to come to Charlottesville. "It was a big factor that I knew about the University, knew about its reputation."
Tickets for The Step Up to the Plate! event, the baseball team's annual fundraiser, ran for $75 apiece. The event also featured silent and live auctions that included Virginia athletics memorabilia, an autographed Cal Ripken Jr. jersey and a baseball signed by Hall of Famers Willie Mays, Duke Snyder and Mickey Mantle. The auction items were donated by "friends and appreciators" of the Virginia baseball program, according to co-event coordinators Kelly Rothwell and Marilyn Wright.
Virginia Athletic Director Craig Littlepage donned a Cavalier baseball cap while presenting new head coach Brian O'Conner to the audience. After brief remarks, O'Conner introduced Ripken to a standing ovation. Many fans sported Orioles regalia in honor of Ripken's 21 years with the Baltimore organization.
Ripken entered the minor league at 18 and was drafted by the Orioles in 1978.
"I went straight from high school to pro ball, so sometimes you wonder what it would have been like to go to college," Ripken said. "I've always been someone who had a zest for learning, and my curiosity sometimes gets the better of me."
Ripken got a taste of the college baseball experience yesterday afternoon when he met with the Cavalier squad at Davenport Field after receiving a tour of the facility.
"I think the fences are way too far away," Ripken said of Davenport Field. "Someone must have built that from a pitcher's perspective. I'm glad I'm not standing there trying to hit a home run."
Ripken stressed the offensive aspect of college baseball, as well as the enthusiasm and school spirit of the student-athletes.
"When you're drafted in the minor leauges, you have kids with dreams," Ripken said. "The dreams seem to be a little more intense in college because you're playing for the school and you're also playing to better your position to have a chance to be drafted someday, or you're just playing for the love of the game."
Ripken and his brother entertained the audience at the event with stories of boxing in the bedroom they shared as children and playing backyard baseball with their father, major league player and manager Cal Ripken, Sr. The two ballplayers also offered advice to young athletes, but disagreed on the durability of Cal Ripken's major league record of 2,632 consecutive games played.
While the elder Ripken claimed that his benchmark would inevitability be broken, Billy defended his former playmate.
"That is a freak right there," Billy Ripken said of his brother. "No one has what he has. That record will never fall."
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