Vi Ripken has been all over the baseball map. But never has the matriarch of Baltimore?s most famous baseball family visited Cooperstown, N.Y., home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
After spending many nights watching the Orioles in Baltimore, Vi Ripken now dedicates most of her summer nights watching the Orioles? short-season Class-A Aberdeen IronBirds at Ripken Stadium, just a few miles from her home.
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A week away from Cal Ripken Jr.?s career-culminating weekend, Vi Ripken?s plans are set. She?s looking forward to a weekend that, in her eyes is, “going to be quite interesting.”
The following is a conversation between Vi Ripken and Examiner Staff Writer Sean Welsh:
Examiner: You?re now the mother of a Hall of Famer. What does that mean to you?
Vi Ripken: The pride is the mother of a very good son. ? Of course, there is pride of people recognizing he was at the top of his game. I?ll leave that to the diehard sports enthusiasts. I?m more proud that he turned out to be a very nice man.
E: When did you first see him as a Hall of Famer?
VR: Probably the day he broke Lou Gehrig?s record. I think that was a no-brainer. I just enjoyed his accomplishments, I enjoyed watching him play. When he broke 2,131, I think the thought was there: ?Wow, he?s going to the Hall of Fame.? That?s wrong because he should be going with all his other stats. He should have been going on them. Most people think of that night.
E: Aside from Elly, you had three boys ? Cal, Billy and Fred. What was your experience raising three boys?
VR: I don?t think it was any different than any other mother that had three boys or two boys, or maybe even one boy. When you sign on for motherhood, you sign on for all those phases. I don?t think it was anything out of the ordinary.
E: What?s your greatest joy in having grandchildren?
VR: The greatest joy is looking at these kids and seeing different little things reflected in them. I can remember when you?re dad did that or just laugh at situations knowing that I went through the situations and see the parents? reactions. I love them dearly. I can see certain traits and pretty much very happy with their accomplishments. And the parents get to keep them, that?s the better thing. I?m not saying that meanly.
E: Do you still watch the Orioles?
VR: No. ? I catch a little bit on the news, but I really don?t follow them.
E: Could you have dreamed Ripken Stadium and its adjacent fields have developed the way they have?
VR: Goodness, no. Each time I go up there, I?m still amazed. I look around and I?m saying ?wow, what?s this doing sitting here.? I?m amazed by the amount of young people that come into the camps. It?s a bustling place up there. And I?m extremely happy that the public is still accepting the IronBirds. I just think that?s fabulous and I hope it goes on forever. It?s a good thing for this area ? a lot of pride.
E: What is it about short-season Class-A baseball that draws such an intense fan base?
VR: It?s the togetherness. If they were all superstars, they wouldn?t be here. It?s a learning process, like they?re going to school all over again. Only a very few make it into the big show. They?re working with them all the time and it?s a learning experience. At this point, the majority of the people recognize that. They recognize that you?re going to have more losing seasons than winning seasons. The goal is to instruct.
E: Fans seem more entranced by these Class-A players than current Orioles.
VR: I think they?re very excited when someone moves up, or they show up in an Oriole uniform. They probably go down to Camden Yards just to check on that person [that played in Aberdeen] more than to check on the whole team.
E: Considering the situation between the team and the city, how important is Ripken Stadium to Harford County?
VR: I don?t know that much about what is going on between the team and the city. I see things in the paper and I?m going, ?this is totally crazy.? A stadium is supposed to be there as a drawing, to get people into the area in my opinion, and to instill pride in the area. It wasn?t built to make money. I think Ripken Stadium has been a boom to the area. I think Aberdeen is having some financial problems prior to the stadium being built. Maybe they didn?t make the smartest moves, but it has brought interest and a lot of peopleinto the town that would never be there. It is done its job and it will all work out. Everybody gets grouchy when the purse strings start getting tighter. I think it will all work out.
E: You?re an avid golfer, are you going to golf with Cal in the Saturday tournament in Cooperstown?
VR: I believe Bill is. They can invite one person to play with them. Bill is the perfect choice. ? If I was any good, I might have been the choice.
