September 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 52

A Conversation
with Baseball's

Cal Ripken Jr. to kick off this year's
gathering of thousands of park and
recreation professionals at the 2019
NRPA Annual Conference in Baltimore.
By Cort Jones

A

s a baseball player growing up, I always had those pregame butterflies before taking the field - but they always went away the moment I began running out to
that sacred ground called shortstop, between second
and third base. That's where the action was. That's where my favorite player stood. That's where I could pretend I was Cal Ripken Jr.
Baseball taught me a lot of things - both as a fan and former
player. I learned patience waiting on a slow curveball. I learned the
importance of teamwork when practicing how to turn a double play
and how to be a team player when a teammate would take that dreaded walk back to the dugout with their head hung in disappointment
after striking out. I learned how to win humbly, lose graciously and
that until the final out is called and the lights have been shut off, there
is always an opportunity to come out on top.
Players like Cal Ripken Jr. taught me and other budding baseball players these things without ever being aware they were doing
so. Ripken - also known as baseball's " Iron Man " - is a Major
League Baseball (MLB) Hall of Famer who played his entire career
with the Baltimore Orioles. Among his many professional achievements, he is most notable for breaking Lou Gehrig's record of 2,130
consecutive games played on September 6, 1995. He retired in 2001
after 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, where he made an

50

Parks & Recreation

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September 2019 - Parks & Recreation

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