Cal Ripken's Kid Left Off Roster

Uh oh, stop the presses...Billy Ripken's nephew didn't make the roster for his college baseball team.

According to The Herald, Ryan Ripken, son of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., is poised to redshirt this upcoming season for the South Carolina Gamecocks.  The team released their roster Friday, just hours before opening the season and absent...the freshman first baseman.

Young Ripken was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 20th round of last year's draft.  He opted to head to college instead of competing for a spot on a minor league roster.

Last season, as a high school senior, Ryan Ripken hit .377 and drove in 25 runs.

Orioles Draft Cal Ripken's Kid

The thing I like most about this time of year is seeing whose kid gets drafted by what team. 

And, it should come as no surprise, the Baltimore Orioles went ahead and drafted Ryan Ripken, son of Charm City hero Cal Jr. in the 20th round of this year's MLB Draft.

Sure, Ryan wasn't the first second generation ballplayer to get selected, but let's not kid ourselves, the names Lee Mazzilli and Lance McCullers aren't really setting the interwebs on fire.

You see, their offspring got drafted as well.  But, more about that younger Ripken!

The 6-foot-6 high school senior batted .377 with 25 RBIs and 20 runs scored this past season. And as a pitcher...dude went 4-1 with 2.30 ERA.

This past November, you might recall, Ryan signed his letter of intent to play baseball for the University of South Carolina.

Cal Ripken's Kid Commits to South Carolina

Do you know how hard it is to write a catchy lead to a story about a Hall of Famer's son signing a letter of intent to play collegiate baseball without including some hackneyed "like father, like son" reference?

Damn hard.

If only Gilmore (Baltimore) High School senior Ryan Ripken's dad was Billy "Uncle F***face" Ripken...I wouldn't have this problem.

Anyhoo.

The University of South Carolina Gamecocks landed one of the game's most recognizable names in baseball when the junior Ripken (NOT Cal Ripken Jr.) signed his letter of intent Monday.

The six-foot-six Ripken, a first baseman who also pitches, is a three-year starter who batted .353 as a junior.

“He’s been terrific for us and it’s a wonderful opportunity for him and I’m sure he’ll make the most of it,” Gilman's head coach Larry Sheets told the Baltimore Sun. “He had a few choice, quality schools who pursued him. Who wouldn’t want to go to school of the caliber of South Carolina?”

According to South Carolina fan site The Big Spur (was the Big Cock taken?), Ripken chose the Gamecocks over Coastal Carolina, Maryland and Wake Forest.

And if this whole baseball thing doesn't work out...the kid is also a monster on the basketball court, averaging 17.5 points and 8.5 boards a game.

"I want to prove myself in one, and that's baseball," the lanky lefty said in some random interview I dug up. "Baseball, in my opinion, is the tougher sport. It's the greater challenge for me.  And it's something I want to do."

Some online scouting websites have Ripken ranked as the top player in the state of Maryland and the tenth best at his position in the country.  Dude's also reportedly got a 3.7 GPA...not too shabby!

And, yeah, Ripken's coach Larry Sheets is the same Larry Sheets who played alongside Cal (and sometimes Billy) from 1984 to 1989 for the Baltimore Orioles.

Mike Leake isn't the First to Have Committed a Crime

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mike Leake made more headlines Monday by getting arrested than he did last season by becoming just the 13th pitcher since 1965 to skip the Minors and jump right to the big leagues.

Hhonestly, stealing $59.88 in shirts from Macy’s should overshadow anything the righty might bring to the bump…it’s just not a smart thing to do.  And c'mon, dude, six shirts?  You can't steal just one?!?

But it’s not like he’s the first cat to get caught up with the law and make a dumb mistake.

Here are ten others that made headlines by being an idiot OFF the field.

DICK WILLIAMS
According to reports, the then-future Hall of Famer was walking around his hotel naked and masturbating (alledgedly) while attending a fantasy camp in January 2000. He was arrested on an indecent-exposure charge and ending up pleading no contest. This happened within two months of the 2000 Veterans Committee Hall of Fame vote and some contend that that is what kept him out of Cooperstown until 2007.

JOSE CANSECO
I hate to say it, but it is getting harder and harder to not bring up Canseco’s name in connection to something anymore. Of course, with this list, it would be criminal to not include the “Godfather of Steroids” and the October 2008 incident where he was detained by immigration officials in San Diego after trying to bring fertility drugs in from Mexico.

JULIO MATEO
While in the San Francisco Giants farm system, the former reliever was arrested on suspicion of forgery in 2008 when police discovered counterfeit $100 bills in his hotel room. The best part was what officer Christopher Enyart wrote in a police report…”Before officers informed him of why we were there, Julio stated that he did not know anything about fake money”. Oops.

SHAWN CHACON
The hard throwing righty was pretty much banished from the game in 2008 when he choke slammed Houston Astros general manager Ed Wade to the ground. A year later, Chacon was arrested at a bowling alley in Colorado in connection with more than $50,000 in unpaid gambling debts in Las Vegas.

DEION SANDERS
“PrimeTime” is known for plenty and thankfully, for him, few people remember the time in 1996 when he and a buddy were arrested for trespassing on property owned by the Southwest Florida International Airport. Why were the two men there? To go fishing. "The only defense I have is that I'm sorry,” Sanders said at the time, “but they were biting."

KEVIN MITCHELL
Like Canseco, you could make a whole list of dumb things that the 1989 National League MVP has done in his lifetime. In 1999, he was arrested for punching his father in mouth for not paying rent. Just last year, Mitchell was arrested for alleged misdemeanor battery at the Bonita Golf Club in California. And according to the internets…dude is listed as one of California's top delinquent taxpayers…owing a cool $5,184,641.51.

JOSE OFFERMAN
In 2007, former Major Leaguer Offerman found himself playing independent ball for the Long Island Ducks. In August of that year, the two-time All-Star got hit by a pitch and instead of calmly jogging to first base he did what anyone would do…he charged the mound with his bat and struck both the pitcher and catcher. And let’s not forget that Offerman is the same guy who also went on to punch out an umpire!

KENNY ROGERS
One of the most overblown incidents in recent memory occurred in 2005 when Rogers shoved two cameramen…knocking one of the cameras to the ground. One of the reporters resumed recording the pitcher and again, was shoved by the four-time All-Star. For whatever reason, this resulted in a 20-game suspension (Rogers served 13 games) and mandatory anger management classes for “The Gambler”.

LUIS POLONIA
I’ve purposely tried to omit sex crimes from this list, but what Polonia did in 1989 is pretty much unavoidable and inexcusable. While in Milwaukee on a road trip, the then-New York Yankee brought a 15-year-old back to his hotel room and had sex with her. The amazing thing, to me, isn’t that the 26 year-old outfielder couldn’t tell that the teenager he hooked up with couldn’t drive, but that he went on to play eleven more years in the bigs and won two rings with the Yankees.

CAL RIPKEN, JR.
Okay, okay…the squeaky clean Ripken didn’t get in trouble, but his Number 8 was once involved in a crime. In late summer 2009, four men stole a statue of the “Iron Man’s” Number 8 form outside of Camden Yards. Thing is, the underaged drunks probably would have gotten away with it too, if they weren’t nabbed for being “disorderly” and keeping the Hall of Famer’s statue in the back of their pickup.

And I hate to go back to Offerman…but while searching the YouTubes for video, I found this piece that includes two yucksters trying desperately to out clever one another when talking about the bat incident.

Talkin' Baseball with Chris Hoiles

The above photo was borrowed from www.yorkblog.com thanks!

Much was made when Cal Ripken, Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s “Iron Man” streak September 6, 1995. To this day…many say he “saved baseball”.

For the next three years, he did what he did 2632 games prior…he went to work. Last Saturday (September 19) marked the 11th anniversary of Ripken playing the last game of his historic games played streak.

Outside of Ripken himself, only four other players played in both games: Rafael Palmeiro, Brady Anderson and Chris Hoiles for the Orioles…Chili Davis suited up for the opposition (the Angels in the first game and the Yankees in the second).

I had the chance recently to talk with Hoiles, a 2006 inductee to Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.

HOVG: So, what was it like taking the field as the starting catcher for both game 2131 and 2632 of Ripken’s streak?

HOILES: It was a once in a lifetime thing. Being the starting catcher for those two dates was unbelievable. Everything leading up to that date, you knew it was something special. Watching Cal play during my time there for ten years, you appreciate him for his desire to play and his dedication to the sport to be able to do this.

HOVG: In Ripken’s run to surpassing Gehrig’s record…he delivered at the plate as well. He could have mailed it in, but he went deep three consecutive nights. Was he that amped up or did he just get good pitches to hit?

HOILES: I think it was a matter of both, being amped up and getting good pitches. That’s the way he approached each and every game. He prepared himself for those games, just like he did for any other games.

HOVG: When you joined the Orioles full-time in 1991, Ripken was already well on his way to a Hall of Fame career…but so were some other teammates of yours. Let me throw some names your way and you let me know what your thoughts are of them. I’m a HUGE Baines guy, so, first off…Harold Baines. Hall of Famer?

HOILES: Harold Baines, I feel should be in the Hall of Fame. His numbers compare or are better than a lot of guys that are already in. Being able to do what he did at the DH position, speaks for itself. Very hard thing to do and he excelled at it.

HOVG: After Jorge Posada’s 183 games behind the dish…you caught Mike Mussina more than anyone else out there at 175. What are your thoughts on “Moose” as a pitcher and a potential Hall of Famer?

HOILES: I enjoyed catching “Moose” as long as I did. He is a guy that just knew how to pitch, and later in his career he showed that by having to adjust to what he couldn’t do when he was younger. He won 20 games in his last year! He had an arsenal of pitches that he could throw at any time and throw them for strikes. I think he should be a strong candidate for the Hall of Fame.

HOVG: Rafael Palmeiro…does he still have a chance at Cooperstown or is his steroid suspension going to lead to him being made an example of?

HOILES: I don't know about Raffy. He really screwed up through the whole process. I think the numbers would get him in, but I don't know if he will get in.

HOVG: And since I mentioned Palmeiro…I’ve gotta ask about Brady Anderson. Is a guy like Brady a victim of all the steroid talk because of his 1996 season or is it warranted?

HOILES: Brady was a good hitter. I don't think we would have been able to do what we did as a team without Brady in the leadoff spot. I don't know if he did steroids or not, but he had a great year in 96, and I don't think he ever hit over 20 homers in a season again, but sometimes players just have that one great year and that’s it.

HOVG: You had some success against Randy Johnson. What are your thoughts on the recent 300 game winner?

HOILES: Randy Johnson is a future Hall of Famer. A first ballot inductee I think. He was very intimidating on the mound and had nasty stuff. I don't know how I had so much success off of him, but I saw the ball very well off of him.

HOVG: Is there a certain at bat that sticks out in your mind?

HOILES: One at bat that sticks out is…one game I got a hit off of him in my first at bat and drove in two guys. The next at bat, first pitch, he drilled me in the back of my front leg. The at bat after that, I hit a long home run to left center field of old King Dome.

HOVG: And if that wasn’t big enough…you kinda became known for some big ones while with Baltimore. In 1998, you became only the ninth player to hit two grand slams in one game. Walk me through that. It has to be a thrill.

HOILES: Well, the two grand slam game was special to me, because I went from playing every day to part-time with Lenny Webster. I hadn't played in a few days, and that was my first start in a while. Plus it was in Cleveland, where I have a lot of friends and family come to because of where I grew up. The first one was a 2-0 count split finger from Charles Nagy and the second was a 3-2 fastball from Ron Villone. Very special night, especially after it was all over and I found out that I was only the ninth person to do it. Three of the nine were Orioles and I was the first catcher to do it.

HOVG: Two year prior (May 17, 1996), you ended a pretty crazy game with what some call the “ultimest” grand slam. Full count, two outs, base loaded…down three. What was that like?

HOILES: It was an awesome feeling, knowing that the game was on the line when I came to bat. Nothing like it.

HOVG: On a serious note, you’ve recently resigned from your post as manager of the York Revolution. You led them to the playoffs last season and were the only manager the young franchise ever knew...will we see you again as a manager or coach?

HOILES: I don't know if you will see me on the field again or not. I enjoyed my time in York and enjoyed the manager’s post, but I just don't know right now. I enjoy the game and I enjoy helping young men get better, whether at the major league level or the minor leagues.

HOVG: Tell me about your latest venture. What’s keeping you busy?

HOILES: I also have started a new company with my business partner Adam Gladstone called "The Hoiles-Gladstone Group" or HGG. Our website was launched recently and is a great way to keep in touch with us on all our events. We are combining professional athletes from all sports with the sports fan. We have our first event October 21-25, a bow hunting trip to Northeast Pennsylvania including Ben McDonald, Will Clark, Jamie Walker and myself. We are looking to get 16 paying customers to join us. We have a Cajun chef cooking all the meals.

Chris Hoiles was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1986 and made his way to Baltimore via a 1988 trade. He was a career .262 hitter with 151 home runs…his career slugging percentage (.467) is the ninth best in Orioles history.

If anyone is interested in joining the gang on their hunting trip…all the information is available at their website. Hoiles says that if someone is the first one to sign up…he might even be able to throw a discount their way. And if you do end up going on the HGG hunting trip…drop The Hall a line at hallofverygood@yahoo.com.

No McGwire...No Shock

The Hall of Fame voting came and went and remarkably…Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn made it while Mark McGwire did not. No surprises, right? Not from this guy. It's a shame that lost in the "did he" or "didn't he" do steroids debate, the hypocrisy of the Hall of Fame voters is going virtually unnoticed. Say what? Okay…pay attention. There are baseball writers out there who intentionally left their ballots blank to protest the "Steroid Era" and, more specifically, McGwire.

Let me get this straight… writers are protesting Major League Baseball's "Steroid Era" (post 1994) by NOT voting in McGwire, BUT…they are overwhelmingly (almost unanimously) voting in Ripken and Gwynn?!? I'm not saying Ripken and Gwynn used steroids (Hell, I'm not saying McGwire did or didn't), but weren't all three of them on their first ballot this year? I mean, doesn't that mean that they ALL retired in 2001? Doesn't that mean that all three of them played during the "Steroid Era"?

You following me?

If you're going to make McGwire the poster boy for steroids (and let's be honest…whatever dude was taking wasn't banned by baseball and therefore LEGAL in the sport), you've got to punish his brothers as well.

Let's look at Ripken's numbers post 1994. His .276 Batting Average is EXACTLY on par with his career average. His home runs, RBI and hits…all down. Clearly he showed the signs of decline after ending "the streak". Should he have hung it up after 2000 when he got his 3000 hit? Maybe...but why not stick it out another year and get the accolades. I used to be on the fence with Ripken…after looking at his numbers, I'm a fan.

Anthony Keith Gwynn on the other hand…let's look at his numbers post 1994. The .353 Batting Average is higher than his career .338…BUT his .371 between 1994 and 1997 (the same time that McGwire's numbers started to balloon is what puzzles me. Gwynn ended up with a paltry 135 home runs over his career…of course he hit 69 (more than half) of them between 1994 and 1999.

Let me put that into perspective…if I can.

Between 1994 and 2001, Tony Gwynn hit 51% of his career home runs. Mark McGwire belted 60% of his career bombs in that same period. I'm not saying Gwynn's numbers were inflated due to steroids…but his RBI totals of 90 and 119 in 1995 and 1997 do make you wonder considering his career best prior to that was 72.

Here's my point. If the Hall of Fame voters are going to leave Mark McGwire out of the Hall of Fame because of his alleged steroid abuse in the 1990s…they need to look at the stats of some of the players they are enshrining. Again, I'm not saying that anyone did or didn't juice up…I'm just suggesting the playing field be level. Are McGwire's numbers Hall worthy? Outside of some mammoth home runs and magical moments…probably not. Take into consideration that he was a twelve time all-star and you might have a case.

I look at it this way…subtract his home runs and you've got an oft-injured guy who hit .263 with 1626 hits, 1414 RBI and a mere 252 doubles. Compare those numbers to some guys who will NEVER make the Hall (Albert Belle for one) and all you can say is...UGLY.

So come on, baseball writers, quit hiding behind the "Steroid Era" bullshit…ESPECIALLY when you are going to be hypocrites and allow two others that played during the SAME EXACT TIME into the Hall with the third and seventh highest percentages EVER! I'd wager a majority of the guys bashing McGwire also jerked him off as he and Sammy Sosa were chasing Roger Maris. You got egg on your face, fellas, but no one did ANYTHING wrong. The ball and the players were juiced and YOU rode it all the way to the bank and loved it.

Admit it.

Next year...get it right and let in Goose, Hawk and Rice.