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Cal Ripken Jr.

Cal Ripken Jr.

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2018
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baseball0 scored

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Cal Ripken Jr.Cal Ripken Jr.

Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak is likely the most unbreakable record in sports

I agree. My longest hitting streak was 16 games. And so to think somebody could go 56 games without going 0 for 4 is amazing to me. And I think the pressure of the consecutive games hitting streak... because of the media coverage and the scrutiny, that creates more pressure. And so I think that's almost unattainable.

DiMaggio's record hasn't been seriously challenged in decades, supporting the idea of its unbreakability.
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Cal Ripken Jr.Cal Ripken Jr.

Certain players have an intangible value that isn't captured by modern sabermetrics

I think that certain players have an intangible value that's not measurable in the way that they're measuring everything nowadays. But, I mean, it's like Eddie Murray was our fourth hitter. He could be 0 for 50... But if Eddie was not in our lineup, we felt like we didn't have a good lineup. He stabilized the whole lineup.

This is a philosophical debate in sports analytics; data often fails to find evidence for 'protection,' but players and managers swear by it.
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Cal Ripken Jr.Cal Ripken Jr.

Accomplishments from the steroid era are unfairly diminished by the widespread use of PEDs

For someone that's been in it, it kind of bothers me that when they look back, said it was the steroid era. And then, therefore, it kind of takes away your accomplishments during that time frame... It makes a light of your accomplishments.

This is a subjective perspective from a Hall of Famer who played through the era.
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Cal Ripken Jr.Cal Ripken Jr.

Players should act like they've been there before and avoid bat flipping

I don't like that [bat flipping]... you were considered more of a sportsman. So your entertainment value was in the quality of your sport and how you competed... but I always felt that and maybe it's John Riggins like if you score a touchdown, you know, act like you've been there before.

The culture of baseball has moved toward 'letting the kids play,' making Ripken's view somewhat contrarian today.

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