The date was Sept. 20, 1998.
Cal Ripken, Jr., just minutes before the Orioles took the field, removed himself from the lineup at Camden Yards to end his record consecutive-game streak at 2,632.
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The starting third baseman that night for Baltimore was Ryan Minor.
“At least you are remembered for something,” said Minor, who is not bothered with his legacy in Charm City.
After a 10-year pro career, Minor retired as a player in late March. He is now a coach for the Road Warriors, a member of the nine-team independent Atlantic League. The Atlantic League is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, though players strive to earn contracts with big league clubs.
“He is very eager. He is very knowledgeable,” Road Warriors manager Jeff Scott said of Minor. “I think he is going to be a manager someday. If I was the Orioles, I would hire him right now. But I?m not the Orioles.”
Minor, who played for the Orioles from 1998-2000, made an easy adjustment from playing to coaching.
“I lost the desire to train and get in shape and get ready,” said Minor, after throwing batting practice at an indoor cage prior to a recent game here. “When I made the decision [to retire], I knew it would be final. When I am done, I am done.”
“I met people from all over the country, and the world. Getting to the big leagues was an exciting time for me,” he added.
Even though the Road Warriors do not have a home, Minor is not bothered with living out of a suitcase and staying in hotelsall of the time. The 126-game season lasts from April 28 to Sept. 17.
“I don?t have any pressure of performing. It is not a grind,” he said. “It is surprising how quickly the game goes now. As a coach, you are always looking three, four batters ahead. You are into the game so much.”
Minor played in parts of four Major League seasons with the Orioles and Expos. He hit .177 with five homers and 27 RBI in 142 games.
He played last year in the Atlantic League with the Lancaster Barnstormers, and on a recent return trip he was greeted warmly by several members of the front office here.
“He gets us ready to play,” Road Warriors first baseman Mike Huggins, who played for Bowie in the Oriole system last season, said of Minor. “It is only going to help me if I pick his brain.”
THE MINOR FILE
Team: Road Warriors
League: Atlantic
Position: coach
Did you know? Minor met his wife, Allyson, when he played for the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds in Salisbury. The couple is expecting their first child in October, and their home is in Salisbury. Allyson is a schoolteacher … Minor hit the first homer at Clipper Magazine Stadium last year, when he played for Lancaster … Hall of Famer and former Oriole third baseman Brooks Robinson is a consultant with the Lancaster Barnstormers … Minor hit a team-high 26 homers with 99 RBI in 2005 for Lancaster … Minor played college basketball at the University of Oklahoma.
