European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 08, 1995, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Riri in Prini \1 or in w i i %7 v .1 to. W i  a. A v.  ". Byros Newhan the los Angeles times Baltimore Call it a Victory Lap. Call it an unprecedented response to a remarkable Victory of will and ability durability and determination. It May never have been his goal As he has frequently said but Cal Ripken or became baseball s All time Iron Man wednesday night appearing in his 213ist consecutive game to pass Lou Gehrig and break a record Many consid ered unbreakable he did it technically when the game in which he also homered his third Home run of the three game series and the decisive run As the Baltimore orioles Defeated the California Angels 4-2 be came official after the top of the fifth inning -./, Aas the banners on the to Ware House behind the right Field bleachers at Camden Yards were updated from 2,130 to 2,131, fireworks erupted and balloons and streamers soared into the air. " and a crowd of 46,272, including presi Dent Clinton and vice president Algore showered Ripken in a deafening and sustained Salute that would interrupt the game for 22 minutes and 15 seconds. While teammates hoisted camcorders i was t going to miss this Kodak moment said Bobby Bonilla and the re Lief corps sprinted from the bullpen to join the Celebration Ripken repeatedly emerged from the dugout to replays showed eight curtain Calls to wave tothe crowd and tap his heart replying to the crowd s love in kind. He took off his uniform shirt and gave it to wife Kelly sitting near the dugout As a Keepsake. He hoisted his 2-year-old son Ryan into his arms arid kissed his 5 year old daughter Rachel the Ripke children had thrown out the ceremonial first Ball. He waved to his parents in an upstairs Box. The stars and stripes ports september 8,1995 Page 40 then when the crowd refused to desist teammates coerced a reluctant rip Ken to take that Victory Lap pushing him on a triumphant tour of the Airt track Cir cling the stadium. He slapped the hands of fans he hugged umpires. He embraced Rod Carew and Chili Davis and Shook hands with Many of the California Angels standing in front of their dugout and applauding. V a later after the game was Over a Long Field ceremony ended with Ripken calling Baltimore fans the Best in baseball and thanking fans everywhere for cheering him through an unbelievable  he said he was humbled and overwhelmed to have his named linked with the great and courageous Lou Gehrig and he said that he owed thanks to four people in particular parents Cal of. And Vij Ripken for their inspiration and Mvi Fatiori wife Kelly for her support and former team mate Eddie Murray for teaching me How to play the game Day in and dayout.". Vav -. A  the ceremony in which former see Ripken on Page 36 Cal Ripken or. Acknowledges the crowd s ovation after no. 2,131 became official. Baseball s newest Iron Man Cey to be fhe ask by David Ginsburg Baltimore a Lou Gehrig s seemingly unbreakable record did t even make it out of the Cen Tury. Cal Ripken is now baseball s Iron Man and once again the men who play the game say the feat will never be equalled. Ripken played in his 2,131st consecutive game wednesday night and there s no sign that the amazing Streak will end any time soon. Somehow some Way the seemingly invincible shortstop has gone More than 13seasons without suffering an injury serious enough to put him on the Baltimore orioles Bench. It takes More than simply avoiding injuries to com pile such a Streak. In Ripken s Case he s been Lucky and Good. The players Are More into the Streak than the fans Are because we know what it takes to put it together Baltimore third baseman Jeff Manto said. Sure stay ing healthy is part of it. But the most incredible part was that he was Good enough to play every Day. For the past 2,131 games the lineup has been better with Cal Ripken in  Ripken has gone through several batting slumps Dur wednesday s other baseball on Page 37 Ning the Streak. He tried several different stances 1992, few of which worked. But manager Johnny Gates kept Ripken in the lineup anyway in part because he still was. A threat at the plate and because he was the Best infielder on the team. Cal never took the easy Way out. If he had a slump he played through it. If he was Hurt he played through it teammate Rafael Palmeiro said. Through it All Ripken showed up ready to play. And play he did game after game after game. It s untouchable Baltimore outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds said. This is Cal Ripken s record and it will always be Cal Ripken s  Haven t we heard this before that s what they were saying in 1939, when Gehrig pulled himself from the new York Yankees lineup. Gehrig held the record for 56 years. Then along came Ripken who figured As Long As he was coming to the Ballpark he might As Well play. He s carried that philosophy with him for 2,131 games and Nowlie s the proud owner of one Heck of a Streak. _ l it will never be broken California outfielder Tim Salmon said. I still can t believe that s Ripken out there every Day because there Are so Many things that can happen in the course of a  " Baltimore Rookie Mark Smith missed a few games last week after he. Got his Finger Cut in a hotel air conditioner. A few Days before that orioles outfielder Curtis Goodwin split open his Finger trying to Lay Down a bunt. Anything can happen. Ripken has had his share of aches and pains but nothing has been severe enough to cause him to ask for a Day off. To play with Cal and know him you can see that he is not of the Norm. He s not a Normal person physically and mentally Rene Gonzales a former teammate who now plays with the Angels. He does everything he s supposed to every single  the next time someone mounts an assault on the consecutive games record they la have a bigger number to Chase. Will it be 2,500? three thousand hopefully i la know when it s time for me not to play Ripken said. I enjoy playing and As Long As i can contribute to the team i la keep doing  0 "246850 000504