Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen isn?t named only for Cal. It?s named for an entire family.
And at the head of that family is Vi Ripken. The mother of three sons, Cal, Billy and Fred, and a daughter, Elly, Vi said she?ll experience an array of emotions when Cal is inducted into the Hall of Fame, especially when her late husband, Cal Sr., is mentioned.
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“I?ve probably thought about that more than anything. I know there?s going to be tears, and not only from me. That part I wish Icould skip,” Vi said. “I feel certain that [Cal] will bring up his father [in his speech], and that makes me happy that he thinks enough of his father to do that.”
Vi has been the head of the Ripken clan since 1999, when Cal Sr., a former Orioles manager, died at age 63 from lung cancer.
Cal and Billy spent seven seasons as teammates in Baltimore, with Billy at second and Cal at shortstop. Now, Cal and Billy are co-owners of the Aberdeen IronBirds, one of the Orioles? Single-A affiliates, and Ripken Baseball, which oversees all of the brothers? business and philanthropic endeavors.
“It?s a really cool thing. We were able to come together as a baseball family and work together in a number of ways,” Cal said of his relationship with Bill. “[As a] doubleplay combination we were close and together on a daily basis. It?s great to get back together with him in a business structure, because there is a chemistry. I like being around him.”
Cal is now learning to parent in a high-profile family, just like Vi did years ago. He and his wife, Kelly, have a pair of teenagers ? Rachel, 17, and Ryan, 14.
“We have different challenges being a public sort of family, and the last name presents challenges in itself,” Cal said. “I think they?ve maintained good perspective so far. They?re grounded kids, and I?ve enjoyed seeing them grow. And this is just the beginning.”
Ryan, at nearly 6-feet, enters eighth grade by challenging his dad on the basketball court. And Rachel, who 12 years ago wiped away her father?s kisses on national television, has reached her senior year in high school.
