Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn still awestruck about Hall of Fame

USA Today - USA - On the day before the biggest moment of their baseball lives, Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn were still trying to fathom it all.

"I think it's a bit nerve-wracking, but it's a beautiful thing," Ripken said Saturday as he contemplated his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. "It's a celebration of baseball. It's a wonderful time. But I guess there's just a little anxiety. It's running a little bit higher than usual. I feel that, and I also feel a sense of fatigue that I've never felt before. I'll sleep for three weeks after this is all over."

Gwynn was feeling a little calmer.

"I was nervous for six and a half months, and then getting here and meeting the guys, a calmness has come over me," Gwynn added. "I'd like to keep it until tomorrow afternoon. It is unbelievable. This place is truly unbelievable."

According to Brad Horn, director of communications for the Hall of Fame, at least 200 buses were scheduled to arrive in town, mostly from Maryland. And Gwynn said four chartered flights were slated to make the trip east from San Diego for the ceremony.