Fans young and old celebrated their hometown hero?s upcoming induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday in Bel Air.
Despite playing his last professional game six years ago, Cal Ripken Jr. returned in typical fashion.
Ripken encouraged Little League players to follow their dreams and expressing his fondness for the area he grew up to a crowd estimated to be at least 3,000 people. Then he signed autographs for fans for about 30 minutes, just as he did after games when he played for the Baltimore Orioles.
Harford County Executive David Craig had officially announced June 19 as Cal Ripken Jr. Day in Harford.
Ripken, 46, said he injured his knee playing basketball Monday, but “There was no way I was going to miss coming out here today.”
“I?m proud to say he?s from Harford County, just like I?m proud to say I?m from Harford County,” said Kim Gibbons, 32. She came out with her 8-year-old son?s Hickory Hornets travel baseball team, which paraded in front of Ripken down Main Street, while Ripken rode and waved to the crowd in an old-fashioned Chevrolet Corvette convertible with his mother, Violet.
“Keep your dreams, keep working hard,” Ripken told kids. “There aren?t shortcuts, where you can snap your fingers and get to the big leagues.”
But Gibbons admitted she came for herself as well.
“It was awesome. They loved it,” she said. “As a little kid, that?s who I watched. He was our hero.”
And 85-year-old Francis Martz made her way out from Havre de Grace despite the 90-degree temperature.
“I?m very glad I came,” she said. “It?s one of those things you have to see.”
The event included a dunking machine, a moon bounce, snack and snow cone stands and a life-size Ripken cutout for people to put their face into and take pictures. The celebration kicked off Ripken?s Single-A Minor League Aberdeen Ironbirds season that night.
“Today is one of these moments when you can really go back and look to what you came from,” Ripken said. “I had a dream to become a professional baseball player, so I can tell you kids out here today: Dreams do come true.”
