Ripken: Cal on Cal

A photographic tribute to the Baltimore Orioles' legendary shortstop celebrates the remarkable achievements of Ripken's baseball career and documents his family life, his community work, and his personal beliefs. $100,000 ad/promo.

If baseball is ever to recover its strike-weary fan base, it needs more players with the dedication of Baltimore Oriole shortstop Cal Ripken, who recently broke Lou Gehrig's seemingly unbreakable consecutive-games-played streak. Here, in the oversize pictorial-autobiography format familiar from Michael Jordan's Rare Air (1993), we view Ripken in training, at home with the family, at games, in the locker room, and on the field. Ripken's first-person text is self-effacing and modest yet revealing. For example, he says one of his real pleasures in the game has been watching the personal growth of the Boston Red Sox clubhouse boy, who is now pursuing a master's degree. The full-color photographs by Walter Iooss Jr.--well known for his work with Sports Illustrated are remarkable for their clarity and sensitivity to the moment. Not many baseball fans missed Ripken's record-breaking performance; this is a wonderful tribute to the man, the streak, and the game itself. Wes Lukowsky