22B
Wednesday, August 16, 1995
---
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Ripken one of few able to fill Gehrig's shoes
By Jim Litke The Associated Press
More than one sportswriter touched off a ruckus the past few days by suggesting Cal Ripken sit himself down rather than play consecutive game No. 2,131 — the one that would break Lou Gehrig's ironman mark.
Maybe that's to be expected. But a month before the beat comes into focus, it's clear sportswriters aren't the only people with cold feet and
overheated imaginations.
The sooner the better, their reasoning probably goes, even better if the Yankees happen to gain an advantage on the very same play. It's at a time like this that the rest of us are reminded what a tough town
It turns out that New York manager Buck Showalter has a couple of letters from "fans" suggesting that he do something to take the optional part out of the equation. That is, they want Ripken nudged out of the lineup before he gets by Gehrig.
"The feeling in the Yankee organization for Lou Gehrig goes way beyond that for a guy who just happened to play here," Showalter said. "As for the letters, I get my share. I'm sure every manager gets his share of," and here he draws the word out, "un-U-s-u-al ones. Most of them are guys getting on me, saying I shouldn't be pulling for him to break Gehrig's record.
New York can be.
"But I've got to tell you, if somebody has to break it, it ought to be a
guy who doesn't suffer from the 'disease-of-I' or the 'look-at-me mentality' so many guys today have."
Exactly. Which is why if anybody should break Gehrig's record, it's Ripken.
Ripken brings dignity, steadfastness and ease to a business woefully lacking them all. Those qualities are not the residue of the streak; they are the reason it exists.
And if anything, the focus on his durability has obscured what an accomplished player Ripken is:
Rookie of the Year, two MVP awards and two Gold Gloves. He has been the starting AL shortstop in 12 consecutive All-Star games.
But like Gehrig, Ripken is more than the sum of those parts. How much more is evident at the autograph sessions Ripken stages, unannounced and unconditional, which have become a kind of pilgrimage for the faithful.
Fans form single-file lines after games stretching along the concourse of stadiums for section after
section. They wait for Ripken's signature, to say thanks and be thanked by a man whose devotion to the game leaves them awed. And it's not only fans.
It was the same admiration heard the other day in the voice of first baseman Don Mattingly, who has given the Yankees years of proud service in the same job Gehrig once held.
"From the things I've heard about Gehrig," Mattingly said. "I think he'd be proud of a guy like Cal."
Long bout with cancer takes its toll on Mantle
The Associated Press
DALLAS — Blond, handsome, graceful and muscular with power from both sides of the plate. The Mick was the perfect heir to Joe DiMaggio in center field at Yankee Stadium.
Millions idolized No. 7, and he rewarded his faithful with 536 home runs, eighth on baseball's career list. He was three-time MVP in the American League, won the Triple Crown in 1956 and won four AL home run titles, accomplishing many of his feats despite gimpy knees.
Mantle was the driving force on Yankees teams that won 12 AL pennants and seven World Series. His 18 home runs in World Series play is a record that still stands.
Born in Oklahoma and named for his father's favorite ball player — Hall of Famer Mickey Cochrane — Mantle never lost the soft twang or easy smile that made him popular throughout his career and beyond. Mantle retired at age 37 after the 1968 season.
It was his life outside the game,
however that he came to lament.
"Nobody was gifted with more physical talent," former teammate Tony Kubek said. "He could dominate any area of the game."
however, that he came to antenance.
A fixture on the Manhattan nightclub scene with Yankee teammates Whitey Ford and Billy Martin, Mantle acknowledged his lifetime of drinking in a first-person article for Sports Illustrated magazine in April 1994.
He described seeing his doctor and learning the outcome of liver tests a few months before being admitted to the Betty Ford Clinic.
"The doctor called me into his office and said, 'Mickey, your liver is still working, but it has healed itself so many times that before long you're just going to have one big scab for a liver. Eventually, you'll need a new liver."
Mantle said he would start some mornings with the "breakfast of champions" — a big glass filled with a shot of brandy, some Kahlua and cream.
"Billy Martin and I used to drink them all the time, and I named the drink after us," he said. "Sometimes when I was in New York ... and Billy and I were together, we would stop into my restaurant around 10 in the morning and the bartender would dump all the ingredients into a blender. After one drink, I was off and running. ... Unless I had a business engagement, I'd often keep drinking until I couldn't drink anymore."
Mantle was the only male member of his family to meet 41.
His father died at that age from Hodgkin's disease, a lymphatic cancer; his grandfather died at 40 with the same aliment, as did an uncle. One of Mantle's sons, Billy, also had a long struggle with the disease, then died of a heart attack last year at age 36.
Mickey Mantle
Highlights in the career of baseball's most powerful switch-hitter:
Born
Oct. 20, 1931,
In Spavinaw, Okla.
Yankee through and through
and through
Signed with the N.Y. Yankees in 1949, played outfield (mostly center field) and 1st base for the club for all 18 of his major league years (1951-68)
Most Valuable Player
■ Won the award in 1956, 1957, 1962
■ Won Triple Crown in 1956 by leading the league in homers (52), RBI (130), and batting average .(.353)
■ Won Gold Glove in 1962
■ Lead AL in home runs in 1958-56, '58, '60
Injury-ridden career
- Suffered from a chronic bone Infection in legs, knees and shoulder that required operations, a broken left foot
Hall of Famer
Inducted into the
Football Hall of
 fame in his first year of
 eligibility in 1974
Hall of Famer
His medals from
12 appearances:
□ 18 home runs
□ 19 scored runs
□ 123 total bases
□ 40 RBI
□ 43 walks
□ 54 strikeouts
World Series
Career
numbers
Games: 2,401
Dating avg.: 298
Name: 1,677
Niks: 2,415
Doublets: 344
Triples: 72
Hammers: 536
Hawks: 1,509
Knight-Ridder Tribune
Healthy glow places Indians back in swing
The Associated Press
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians played so well the first three months of the season, it was easy to overlook that they never had all the pieces in place.
Now that they do, the results have been almost scary.
For four games this month,
Aug. 9 through Aug. 12, the Indians fielded the starting lineup they had projected when they first gathered for spring training.
That lineup, from Kenny Lofton leading off to Sandy Alomar batting ninth, produced some awesome numbers, including:
— Forty-two runs, an average of more than 10 a game.
— Sixty-two hits, an average of more than 15 a game.
— Four straight wins.
Although the California Angels have scored more runs than the Indians so far, Cleveland hitting instructor Charlie Manuel isn't sure that would be the case had the Indians been healthy all along.
"California has a lot of hitting," Manuel said. "If we had Kenny Lofton, Sandy Alomar and Eddie Murray all season, I've got to think we'd be right there with them or ahead of them.
"We've played well without them all in there. It's good to have them all this time of year, and especially in September and October."
The Indians played without Alomar until late June. Shortly after he returned, they lost Murray, their designated hitter, to
broken ribs for most of July.
Lofton then strained a muscle in his rib cage and missed the second half of July.
The injuries left the Indians with some glaring holes in a lineup that now seems to have none. Filling in while Lofton was hurt, for example, were Ruben Amaro (.179) and Wayne Kirby (.187). Tony Pena (.232) took over for Alomar.
The lineup the Indians used for four straight wins last week had no such weaknesses.
"We've got everybody healthy, and we're ready to roll," said Carlos Baerga, who leads the American League with 124 hits. "It makes a lot of difference having everybody here.
"Kenny's our key. When he gets on base, we win. Eddie Murray is a solid veteran, and when Albert Belle gets on base, Eddie's going to bring him in. This is one of the best lineups in baseball. When we have Kenny in there, and Eddie Murray and Sandy Alomar, I don't think there is any weakness in our lineup."
Even so, the Indians face one obstacle. When the opposing team starts a left-handed pitcher, it helps neutralize left-handed hitters Jim Thome and Paul Sorrento and switch-hitters Murray and Omar Vizquel, who are better from the left side.
"Anybody who's left-handed can pitch against this team," Dennis Martinez said. "Any left-hander seems to become Sandy Koufax against us."
- Bausch & Lomb Ray-Ban® Killer Loop™ Diamondhard Glass Polarized xrays ORBS Sports Series™ ACTIV™ Predator™ Classic Metals™
* Serenget Driver's Revo
Exclusively at Britches
928 Massachusetts·Lawrence·843-0611
Downtown
843 Massachusetts
Bell
BIKE AMERICA
$499.95
Welcome Back Sale!
23rd & Louisiana (Behind Schlotzsky's) • 842-7822
Diamond Back Ascent
- Full Double Butted Chromoly Frame & Fork
- Free Bell Pheonix Helmet with Bike
- Shimano STX Groupo SRT 600 Grip Shifters
- A-Headset Threadless Stem
- Hurry Prices Good on In Stock Bikes Only!
ASK ABOUT WEEKLY GROUP RIDES!
OF Free U-Lock with any bike purchase over $300 Not Valid with sale bikes or other offers
$50OFF
Raliegh HARO Redline BARRAUDA Answer Profile Ritchey Balance
Fitness Evaluations!
Now 24 Hours A Day! Introducing This Fall
- BodyFat - Measurements
Total Fitness Athletic Center
Why We Are The Best! • Treadmills • Stair Machines • Bikes • Nordic Tracks
- Complete Selecterized Machine and Free Weight Area - Aerobic Classes
- Free Nursery • Self Defense Classes • Tanning Beds • Jacuzzi • Saunas
- Complete Locker Facilities - Personal Training and Program Development
- Towel Service - Health/Beverage Bar
2108 West 27th Suite C
832-0818
---