Cal Ripken Jr. may be a Hall of Fame baseball player, but to Don Morrison, he?s still just “Calvin.” Morrison coached the former Orioles great for his first three years at Aberdeen High School, but he never believed the then-diminutive freshman would one day be enshrined in Cooperstown.
“He was 5-6, 128 pounds, and he only got two hits all year as a freshman,” said Morrison, now the spokesman for Harford County Public Schools. “But, because his dad [Cal Ripken Sr.] coached up and down the Orioles system he had to chance to work with infielders like Doug DeCinces and Mark Belanger every summer. By the time he got to us, his technique was so far advanced of anyone his age.”
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Morrison said Ripken has been a major force in raising Harford County?s profile through his baseball accomplishments and business endeavors that pump millions of dollars into the local economy. Ripken?s crown jewel is the Ripken Baseball Complex, which features a state-of-the-art 6,000-seat stadium used by the Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds. There are several adjacent youth-sized fields, which are home to the Cal Ripken World Series, a tournament featuring the top teams of 11- and 12-year-olds from around the world.
“With all of the athletes tied to steroids and selfish acts today, who wouldn?t want Calvin to be their favorite son?” Morrison said. “He is a modern-day Brooks Robinson.”
Bob Slagle was also a teacher at Aberdeen when Ripken was a student. Slagle remembers how he unsuccessfully tried to recruit Ripken for the basketball and lacrosse teams. Still, Slagle never envisioned the high school kid, who was only 6 feet, 170 pounds as a senior, as a major-leaguer who would play in a record 2,632 consecutive games.
“Cal was bound and determined to succeed and prove people wrong that he was too small in high school,” Slagle said. “He had all theintangibles, but he didn?t grow into his body until later in life.”
However, Slagle, who is the commissioner of the Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference, also said he?s impressed that despite all of Ripken?s wealth and fame, the kid from Havre de Grace never forgets where he came from, as he mentions his hometown in nearly every public speech.
“Anytime a home-grown product from a smaller community does well, the whole community takes pride in him,” Slagle said. “Even today, Cal is a fun-loving person and is never standoffish despite his stature in the community. Every team wishes they had a player with the traits and desire of Cal.”
