The Ironman: Cal Ripken a Positive Impact On and Off the Field This Decade

Oct. 6, 2001—A historical moment for all of us to remember.

That was Cal Ripken's final game as a Baltimore Oriole, a man who will always be remembered for his hard work ethic, as well as the blood, sweat, and tears he put on the line each and every night.

Ripken holds one of the more hallow records in baseball, one that will not face the worry of being tarnished by a steroid user. His record of playing 2,632 consecutive games will never be broken by a single player, as the game has changed for the worse.

The passion for the game by the players today isn't the same. The only thing the players care about is when they get their paycheck, not playing for the game, and looking to get any day off available or an injury they face where they can take a break.

I never had to worry about this when watching Ripken. Ripken played all of his 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, and even though I wasnt here to see all of them, it was an exciting moment whenever I was able to see him play.

Cal wasn't the greatest player statistically, not even joining the 500 home runs club like most of the players these days. Instead, from his rookie career to the last game he ever wore the Orange and Black, he has opened the path to the new generation who can follow in his footsteps and be like him, whether Derek Jeter who is a smaller shadow of him (only player I like on the Yankees), or the kids who love to play the game of baseball today, and have the dreams of someday playing in the major leagues.

Yet, Ripken is still not out of the spotlight after eight years removed from his retirement. Ripken's goal these days is once again, dedicating his time to kids from ages 5-12.

Ripken has ran baseball clinics for kids all of all changes in many parts of the U.S., including making trips to China and Japan, to continue having baseball as a world-wide sport.

After his retirement in 2001, the same year The Babe Ruth Baseball Association, a known baseball organization around the world, changed the name of the "Bambino" League, to Cal Ripken Baseball.

Cal Ripken Baseball consists of 6-12 year olds, and just like little league, there are leagues in the U.S., and internationally.

The most exciting time of the Ripken Baseball season is the Cal Ripken World Series. Just like the Little League World Series, the Cal Ripken consists of the teams from the U.S., and the International teams.

I was lucky enough to play in The Cal Ripken League, and was on a few all-star teams (unfortunately, we didn't make it to the World Series). Yet, the last two years I have made the trip to The Cal Ripken World Series to see some of the world's best compete.

This past year I walked into Cal's brother, Bil Ripken who runs the show with Cal as well as partaking in play by play, Ripken style.

When I asked Bill where Cal was, he said he was "hiding in his own headquarters, so he wouldn't take the excitement away from the kids who worked so hard to get here." This was something that touched me very much.

This was brought up as Cal Ripken has affected many kids lives with baseball, and using his money he earned while playing to benefit others who love the game as much as he does.

In the country, we have had our economy issues, as well in baseball where the controversy has been around steroids.

It's time to put the focus on someone like Cal Ripken, a man who we know for sure played the game the right way, but most importantly someone we know we can look up to during these rough times and hopefully make a positive impact for our future.

Matt Miselis is a writer for bleacherreport.com