One blog leads to another. My entry on Cal Ripken Jr. brought alot of comments. Some took exception to my remark that Ripken was no Lou Gehrig, with one pointing out that it was well known that Gehrig kept his streak going by occasionally making a token appearance and taking the rest of the day off.

I had not heard these stories and believed that most likely Gehrig didn't even know he was close to a consecutive game record when he set it. Turns out the people who thought Gehrig made frequent cameo appearances were wrong.  (Note-Maybe not, see Moynahan's comment below).  I can live with that. But it also turns out I was wrong about Gehrig knowing about the consecutive game streak. I don't feel so good about that, because it means my streak of consecutive blogs without errors is back to one, which is also my all-time high.

Casey Stengel once said "You can look it up", so I did. I wanted to know who else played first base during Gehrig's streak, how often they played, and for how long. Also, who had the old consecutive game record before Gehrig and was it noticed at the time. Here's what I found out:

Gehrig knew about the consecutive game record. In fact, he played with the old record holder, Everett Scott, in Gehrig's rookie season. That was the year Yankee manager Miller Huggins broke Scott's streak by sitting him after he started the year hitting poorly. There was no big announcement, Huggins just called Scott over and said, "Wanninger is playing".

Scott was aware of his streak and took pride in it. It was nearly broken one season when he came down with boils. Luckily for him (as if luck and boils can be mentioned together) the game was rained out. Another time on a trip to Chicago, Scott took a train to Fort Wayne where he had a bowling alley, and was delayed by a train wreck trying to catch up to the team. He hiked across country, flagged down a car which he rented, got to Comiskey Park in the 7th inning and got into the game to keep the streak alive.

The Yankees thought enough of Scott, and enough about the streak, to invite him to be the team's guest at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis when Gehrig broke the record. So, it does appear Gehrig knew about the old mark. I was, well, something sort of the opposite of right.

Did Gehrig's backups play substantial innings after The Iron Horse put in token appearances to keep the streak alive? I don't see any evidence of that. Gehrig's backups usually played a handful of games a season, maybe twenty innings at most: The myth of Gehrig running up the streak by showing up and then coming out of the game is just that. A myth.

Here is a list of Gehrig's fill-ins:

Babe Ruth gets in a half game at first base in five seasons. He also goes to the mound as a pitcher five times with the Yankees, but that's another story for another day.

Fred Merkle. If you think you've heard the name Merkle, you probably have. As a rookie in 1908 he failed to run out a hit at the end of the game and was forced out in the "Merkle ####" that cost the Giants the pennant. Long out of the game, he somehow found his way to the Yankees for a few games in 1926 and 1927.

Cedric Durst. Durst was a solid hitter in the minors and had the misfortune of getting stuck behind George Sisler at first base in St. Louis with the Browns and Babe Ruth with the Yankees. Only played a handful of games at first with New York. He later managed the San Diego Padres of the old Pacific Coast League.

George Burns. No, not that George Burns. This one played mainly with Detroit and hit 62 doubles one year before his skills deserted him and he drifted to New York for part of a season.

Harry Rice. An outfielder, and a good one, with the old St. Louis Browns. Hit .359 one year. Only had 17 chances in his short time as Gehrig's backup.

Tony Lazzeri. The Yankees second baseman in the Ruth era and a deadly RBI producer. In 1930 he got in for one game and handled three chances without error.

Lynn Lary. Lary was a shortstop who once had a 100 RBI season with New York. He than began enjoying the nightlife a little too much, earning himself the nickname "'Broadway".

Merril Hoag. Played one game in relief of Gehrig during the streak. Never had a full season of stats, but somehow played thirteen seasons as a mostly backup outfielder. Once went six for six in a game, all singles, and was noted for having unusually small feet.

Doc Farrell. A career utility infielder who got into a couple of games in the early 30's.

Don Heffner. Only got into a few innings of one game in relief of Gehrig. Nothing special, he spent most of his career with the Browns, resurfacing for one forgettable season as manager of the Cincinnati Reds in 1966.

Jack Saltzinger. Got into the most games as Gehrig's backup, toward the end of his career. By then, Gehrig had the consecutive game streak and in any case never played more than 6 games in a season at first for the Yankees.

Babe Dahlgren. The year before disease ended Gehrig's career, his successor Babe Dahlgren came on in six games. Dahlgren had power, but didn't last long in New York after Gehrig left the team.

There you have it. Enough trivia to settle a dozen bar bets. But sometimes it's fun just to look back at the grand old game. There's a reason they call it that, because it is. And there's a reason they called Gehrig the Iron Horse. Because he was.

Who is this Cal Ripken Jr. the sports media talked about this weekend? A regular American hero. The living embodiment of what can be achieved through hard work. An example to the youth of America. A counterweight to the evil Barry Bonds.

That Cal Ripken is partly truth, partly fiction, and wholly an invention of sportswriters and broadcasters. The contrast between Ripken and Bonds was too good to pass on so they picked it up and passed it around like a joint at a Grateful Dead concert. 'Here, take a hit of Ripken. You'll forget there ever was a Barry Bonds'.

It doesn't work like that. Barry Bonds has children that love him, a wife who is standing by him, teammates who respect and even like him, and has occasionally been seen smiling around fans. And he's also a churlish egomaniac who called Bob Costas a midget (which surely is an affront to little people everywhere), and most likely an over amped exercise freak who has been practicing better batting through chemistry.

If Bonds is good and bad in some mix of parts, why are we supposed to believe Ripken (also a member of the human race) is entirely sunshine and good feelings? The truth is Oriole fans, at least the ones who followed the team closely in the Ripken era, know him as a complicated man with alot more Barry Bonds in him than the media would ever let on.

Start with the positives. Ripken played baseball hard and played it smart. He was among the best fielders at two different positions (shortstop and third base), and a steady 19 HR and 95 RBI run producer. Twenty one seasons, 3184 hits, 431 HR, and 1305 RBI. Twice an MVP, once a world champion. A winner and a baseball mind you would gladly turn over a team to as manager.

You'll notice I didn't say anything about Ripken breaking Gehrig's consecutive game streak. To the media, it's evidence of the noble working man's ethic that propelled Ripken to greatness. But at the time, it was a source of controversy among O's fans.

In an age of jet travel players need time off, especially players late in their career. Ripken wouldn't take a day, and some argue he hurt both the team and his stats as a result. In 1992 he slumped to 14 HR and a .251 average. After a slight power rebound in 93 (a second straight .250 season), he snapped back with a .315 average in 94' but only 13 HR.

Earlier this year Ripken told the author of a book on Gehrig "Yes, I respected him. But I was never obsessed with him or his streak." He claimed that taking a day off would have "dishonored the game". It seems, at best, disingenuous and at worst egotistical. Say this clearly and without fear of contradiction. Cal Ripken was no Lou Gehrig on the baseball field. Not even close.

Although Ripken is now considered as much an Baltimore icon as the Robinson's, Brooks and Franks, and often goes on at great length about the Oriole traditions this didn't stop him from threatening to leave town during his contract negotiations.

In the clubhouse, Cal was respected but by all accounts never particularly liked. He didn't go out of his way to interact with his teammates and pressed for perks, such as separate lodging in a different hotel from the rest of the team. Reporters who dared even mildly question his pursuit of Gehrig's record were frozen out afterwards.

In retirement Ripken has bought two minor league teams, speaks often with feeling about his children, and promotes youth baseball. He is reflective about his career, his values, and place in the game. He is, for good and bad, the same Cal Ripken of twenty-one Baltimore summers.

Bloggers make value judgements, but we're not alone. Writers and broadcasters do as well. And often we all get it wrong when it comes to athletes. Like a sports version of an inspect collector we want to classify each new athlete as good or bad, from the family "good guy" or the phylum "horsus posterious".

This week Cal Ripken became a Hall of Famer, and for a weekend was cast as a white knight in untarnished armor doing battle against an impending victory for the forces of steroids. That it isn't the whole truth doesn't take away from the Oriole star's legend. Ripken, the writers say, isn't Bonds. But Bonds isn't Ripken either.  And that's not entirely a bad thing.

In the interest of full disclosure I am a diehard Orioles fan. The first thing I remember seeing on TV as a child was an Orioles game. Actually, it was a Ballentine Beer commercial with a singing clam during an Orioles game. And, before you ask, it was a cartoon clam. (The real singing clams rarely make public appearances.)

I'm not that deep. The only classic philosophy I've devoted much study to is the school that says not to give away outs, always build your team around three run homeruns, play solid defense, and get quality starts. This I learned from baseball's Socrates, Earl Weaver. You can definitely say that I'm an Orioles fan, even with all the pain and suffering of recent years.

Now comes the news that Cal Ripken will be up for the Hall of Fame in 2007. Given my love for the O's you'd think I'd be on a soapbox singing his praises and demanding first ballot admission to Cooperstown. But I've got mixed emotions. Some of them baseball related, some of them personal.

Ripken's work ethic is well known. It is what Ripken prided himself in, the signature he will leave on the game. His dad was a coach on the great Oriole teams lead by the Robinsons, Frank and Brooks. Ripken picked up on the traditions of Oriole baseball and wrapped himself in them in much the same way some people wrap themselves in the flag politically.

But was he really the living embodiment of he Oriole way? An heir to the Robinsons by virtue of what he did on the field or because he claimed it as his birthright? The answer isn't easy. Ripken was a moody teamate to some, and sought publicity in a way none of the old Orioles would have imagined or tolerated. Then there was "the streak".

I will say it up front. Ripken probably hurt the Orioles by staying in the lineup fpr 2,632 straight games. Was it a symbol of Ripken's lengendary work ethic? Yes. Was it difficult? Certainly. But unlike Lou Gehrig Ripken was not essential to the lineup and his eroding skills later in his career should, by rights, have taken resulted in some days off. The streak wasn't about the Orioles, wasn't just about putting W's by the name Baltimore in the standings, and didn't always make the team better. It drove Cal Ripken, maybe kept him in the game longer, but it was not an unalloyed good.

So, is Ripken Hall of Fame worthy? Is his career a product of brilliance, longevity, or both? And are there other factors speaking for or against his candidacy?

Let's start with hitting. Ripken hit .276 with 431 HR and 1695 RBI. So far so good, definite HoF stat line there. But it came over 21 seasons, raising the question-what did a normal Cal Ripken season look like? Try 20-80-.260. Throw in 55 walks and a couple of MVP years and that's what you've got. A power hitting shortstop who played a long time. Add points for longevity, for being a Baltimore icon, and for how hard he played the game. A Hall of Famer? Probably. A first round shoe in? Not likely.

Then you look at his fielding and the view changes. The question you have to ask is, was Ripken a hitting shortstop or a shortstop who hit? Looking at his career stats I was surprised to find the answer was the later.

In 14 seasons as a 6'4" shortstop Ripken had 12 years with 100 or more double plays. His fielding average was a solid .979 and his range factor, (putouts+assists+errors)/game, was considerably above the league average. And here is the kicker. His fielding average at short was better than Ozzie Smith's. Smith only had 5 seasons with 100 double plays. And Ripken averaged roughly the same number of errors per season as the Hall of Famer who widely acclaimed the greatest fielding shortstop of his era, if not of all time. Smith had more range, but Ripken was better at turning the double play, the gold standard for middle infielders.

Examined in that light, you're no longer talking about just a hitter with marginal Hall of Fame credentials. You are also discussing a great shortstop, one of the best of his era. Put the two together and you have one of the top five of all time at his position. And, reservations or not, the idea of first ballot election is not so far fetched.

So here's to Cal Ripken. He was not the greatest Oriole of them all. But he was pretty darn good. And, just maybe, Hall of Fame first ballot worthy.