BALTIMORE (AP) Cal Ripken Jr. has launched a campaign to help feed
children and families across the country during the COVID-19
pandemic, coordinating a contribution of $250,000 and opening a
social media account for the first time to promote the cause.
Ripken spent his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles before
retiring in 2001. He set a record by playing in 2,632 consecutive
games and gained entry into the Hall of Fame in 2007.
His current focus is helping feed families impacted financially by
the coronavirus, but he’s also looking forward to a time when
baseball teams are back on the diamond. Ripken is encouraged by the
effort of Major League Baseball to devise a plan to start the
delayed season, suggesting that the games ”can play an important
part in the recovery of the country.”
In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Ripken
recalled how the resumption of the baseball season helped the
nation rebound from the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
”I’ve had a chance to witness the effect baseball has on getting
us part difficult times,” Ripken said. ”Post-9/11, baseball
played a really wonderful role in the national recovery. If we can
get it back, it could be a return to some normalcy that we’re all
looking for right now.”
Until that time, the Iron Man is seeking to help those in need.
The Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation has teamed with Ollie’s Bargain
Outlet and the Kevin Harvick Foundation to commit a quarter-million
dollars to the Strike Out Hunger campaign.
Ripken has kept a low profile in retirement, but opened a Twitter
account ((at)CalRipkenJr.) to spread the word about his latest
endeavor.
”I liked my privacy even though I lived a public life,” the
59-year-old Ripken said. ”When you first look at social media, you
kind of see it as an invasion of your privacy of sort. I don’t see
it that way anymore.”
For the last 19 years, the Ripken Foundation has been dedicated to
implementing youth development programs and creating parks for
at-risk youth in distressed communities. During a time when the
world is coping with a deadly virus, Ripken decided to shift the
focus toward a more pressing need.
”We have the infrastructure and the resources to help now,” he
said. ”We plan on doing it temporarily until things gets back to
normal.”
Ripken helped baseball bounce back from the stain of a players’
strike that forced the cancellation of the 1994 World Series and
caused owners to consider using replacement players the following
season. A settlement was finally reached, and Ripken’s pursuit of
Lou Gehrig’s record of 2,130 straight games in 1995 was a factor in
bringing fans back to the game.
He thought back to that time after learning that MLB is taking a
proactive approach in brainstorming ideas to get the 2020 season
under way.
”It seemed like everyone was looking for something to take them
back to the way baseball made them feel years ago,” Ripken said.
”The streak helped that a little bit. But that was a wonderful
time where we got past some of the ugliness of baseball and people
came back in a magical way.”
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