Iron Man

one of my all-time favorite baseball players was honored by being voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame his first year on the ballot. he did so, overwhelmingly, with the third-highest percentage (98.53) in the history of the voting. so many argue that his career stats were not so impressive, barring consecutive games played, that he should be considered worthy of Hall of Fame recognition. i will concede that there are others whose batting averages & fielding percentages echo much higher numbers than Cal Ripken Jr yielded. but i also feel there is something to said for honoring the long term commitment, dedication & the collective sum of the "smaller accomplishments" that equaled the career of one of MLB's iconic players. sometimes noteworthy achievements do not happen in a single season or in one aspect of the game, but instead, over the course of two decades & thousands of games. there are players who will earn their way into this presitgious hall on careers half the length of Ripken's -- and rightfully so -- but players of his caliber & tenure need to be honored as well, in their own right. i am happy to see that he has been awarded this great baseball honor the first time he was eligible. it was this man's playing, in addition to being "raised Red Sox," that fostered my love of baseball & the enjoyment i still find in it today. congratulations, Cal, on an honor well-deserved. i can't wait to one day revisit Cooperstown & see your plaque hanging there among so many others of baseball's finest. i only wish that two other deserving individuals had received their due as well -- one, who may or may not have been driven to partake of certain substances, fueled by media focus on huge power production, but regardless, may have been one of the saving graces that revived baseball after a destructive strike that drove away & disillusioned so many fans; and one of the most fearsome hitters in Red Sox history, pre-Papi-and-Manny, who has somehow been denied, yet again, after thirteen years of appearing on the ballot. may they both, one day, be honored in the Hall, alongside so many other talented athletes.