Cal Ripken Jr. And The Hobby

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by packs

It was personality too though. I can still hear Gwynn’s voice. Everybody loved that guy. I don’t remember anything about Cal Ripken except he was bald and a few years ago his mother was bizarrely kidnapped.

He was the All American boy who would stay at the park for hours signing autographs. Hugely popular in Baltimore.

Both played for only one team. They made the Hall together. Lots of comparisons.

[packs]

Not that popular apparently. Aaron Judge’s isn’t only popular in New York. He’s a phenomenon. And Gwynn is probably going to be the most recognizable Padres player for the entirety of their franchise, in addition to having the NL batting title named after him. He’s an immortal in ways Ripken won’t be.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by packs

Not that popular apparently. Aaron Judge’s isn’t only popular in New York. He’s a phenomenon. And Gwynn is probably going to be the most recognizable Padres player for the entirety of their franchise, in addition to having the NL batting title named after him. He’s an immortal in ways Ripken won’t be.

IMO you are underestimating Cal, I bet his cards all things equal sell for more than Gwynn's. Breaking Gehrig's record was HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE. Did Gwynn get a chapter in George F. Will's book? Maybe he did, but I only remember the one on Cal.

[Peter_Spaeth]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/...seball-history

Yup. 25 Gwynn, 13 Ripken.

13. Cal Ripken Jr.
14 OF 26
The heart and soul of the Baltimore Orioles for more than two decades, Cal Ripken Jr. put together a remarkable career that included a Rookie of the Year award, two American League MVP awards and 19 consecutive All-Star appearances.

Oh, and he broke what many considered to be the most unbreakable record in all of sports, Lou Gehrig's streak of 2,130 consecutive games played.

But it was the way that Ripken went about doing things that endeared him to his fellow players and fans alike.

Said Joe Torre:

Cal (Ripken Jr.) is a bridge, maybe the last bridge, back to the way the game was played. Hitting home runs and all that other good stuff is not enough. It's how you handle yourself in all the good times and bad times that matters. That's what Cal showed us. Being a star is not enough. He showed us how to be more.

[packs]

Why don’t you offer your opinion on the state of his place in the hobby then? Why do you think his cards are cheap?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by packs

Why don’t you offer your opinion on the state of his place in the hobby then? Why do you think his cards are cheap?

They aren't cheap compared to his contemporaries. Everything from that era is cheap compared to certain modern issues. Just a matter of who is in the market, and the supply.

[packs]

I’m considering reasons he might still be considered cheap despite his accomplishments. If you think he’s priced correctly we’re talking about different things.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by packs

Why don’t you offer your opinion on the state of his place in the hobby then? Why do you think his cards are cheap?

Because they like all other cards of the HOFers of that era are so over produced every collector could own several. Huge supply with small demand.

[packs]

You're probably right. Most of the big regular Topps issue rookies from the 80s are priced similarly as PSA 10's. The exception is Rickey Henderson. He outsells I think any other regular issue Topps from the decade. Condition sensitive though.

Mattingly Donruss in a 10 is also a killer card from the time.

The Tiffany cards are probably the best cards you could have invested in from the 80s.

Griffey's Upper Deck I think is one that popularity of the player overcame. There's a million of those too but it's pretty pricey anyway if you're a 10 guy.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

IMO you are underestimating Cal, I bet his cards all things equal sell for more than Gwynn's. Breaking Gehrig's record was HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE. Did Gwynn get a chapter in George F. Will's book? Maybe he did, but I only remember the one on Cal.

The actual breaking was huge. I remember the lead up to it being him getting a lot of crap for playing bad and NOT taking the much needed time off.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by bnorth

The actual breaking was huge. I remember the lead up to it being him getting a lot of crap for playing bad and NOT taking the much needed time off.

Yes, then again I think anyone with a chance to break one of baseball's most iconic and long considered unbreakable records would have done whatever it took. At the time, I thought it would have been tremendously classy to tie it then sit one out. Not realistic I guess.

[G1911]

My hot take of the day is that Tony Gwynn is a closer comparison to Cal Ripken Jr. than Tony Fernandez.