The Only Way I Know

There aren't many Americans who didn't feel a lump in their throat watching Cal Ripken, Jr. take a historic jog around the bases on the evening of September 6, 1995—the night he smashed Lou Gehrig's record number of 2,130 consecutively played games. But, as "the hardest working man in baseball" will tell you, he was just doing his job. And now he tells you just how he does it, why he does it, and how it makes him feel.

With the candor and grace that have endeared him to fans everywhere, Cal Ripken, Jr. tells the story of his journey to the major leagues: of his early childhood and life with a baseball manager for a father; his stint in the minors, working his way up from the Rookie Leagues to Triple-A; and finally to the permanent call from Baltimore where he began the drive to an All-Star career. Cal talks with warmth of his mentors and teammates, and with honesty of the Orioles' roller-coaster ride from the pennant to a lamentable 0-21 start in the eighties. He reveals his innermost thoughts on the game, and leads us through his strategies at the plate and on the field. Best of all, Cal reveals what makes him tick: his commitment to the game, to his family, to his career, and to the team. In this rich and rewarding memoir, we find out why he's credited with putting the "great" back into America's greatest game: it's the only way he knows.

Cal Ripken is baseball’s all-time Iron Man. He retired from baseball in October 2001 after twenty-one seasons with the Baltimore Orioles. His name appears in the record books repeatedly, most notably as one of only eight players in history to achieve 400 home runs and 3,000 hits. In 1995, Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played (2,130) and voluntarily ended his streak in 1998 after playing 2,632 consecutive games. Although he finished his career at third base, he is best known for redefining the position of shortstop, and in January 2007 he was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

As the President & CEO of the Ripken Baseball Group, Cal is committed to growing the game of baseball at the grassroots level. Ripken Baseball has built and operates The Aberdeen Project, a baseball complex consisting of Ripken Stadium, home to the minor league Aberdeen IronBirds, and the Ripken Youth Baseball Academy. It also owns the Class A Augusta (GA) GreenJackets and has recently opened The Ripken Experience, a youth complex in Myrtle Beach, SC. Cal is also founder of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, which brings baseball to disadvantaged youth across the country, refurbishes fields, and donates baseball equipment to public schools. He lives in Maryland with his wife, Kelly, and their children, Rachel and Ryan.

Mike Bryan has written or collaborated on many books, including Cal Ripken’s bestselling autobiographyThe Only Way I Know, Uneasy Rider, and The Afterword, a novel.