The Tidings - Los Angeles, CA, USA - In "Men at Work," George F. Will began his celebration of baseball defense with a tale of Cal and Bill Ripken turning a rally-killing double-play while their father watched from the visitors' dugout in Toronto --- and concluded with an appropriately blue-collar ending:

"After the third out the two Ripkens ran off the field, same pace, arms held in the same position, forearms cocked slightly above parallel to the ground, eyes straight ahead, looking into the dugout. They ran past their father, the third-base coach. It was just another night on the factory floor for the Ripken men..."

Cal Ripken's induction into

WIS - Columbia, SC, USA - A couple of weeks after his induction into baseball's Hall of Fame, Cal Ripken Junior has been appointed to the roll of special envoy for the State Department.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a well-known sports fan, made the formal announcement Monday.

Rice paid tribute to Ripken's record-breaking streak of 2,632 consecutive games played, joking that she expects the Iron Man to keep up that kind of perseverance.

The former Baltimore Oriole says he hopes to promote teamwork and cross-cultural communication.

Ripken is the second "special sports envoy." Figure skating star Michelle Kwan is the other.

The job is an unpaid position for which the

About - News & Issues - New York, NY, USA - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has announced the appointment of major league baseball great Cal Ripken Jr. to be the nation's second American public diplomacy envoy. The State Department created the position of American public diplomacy envoy in 2006 in an effort to involve business, sports, academia, non-government, community and faith-based organizations in America's public diplomacy efforts. Ripken joins the first public diplomacy envoy, figure skating champion Michelle Kwan.

"Like all of our greatest sports heroes, Cal Ripken is recognized for bringing integrity to the game of baseball and by extension to all of sports," said Sec. Rice in announcing the

Bloomberg - USA - What Cal Ripken Jr. helped do for baseball after a players strike, he's now being asked to do for his country.

Ripken, inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame last month after a 21-year career with the Baltimore Orioles, was named a U.S. envoy as part of a program to help burnish America's image abroad.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Undersecretary Karen Hughes made the announcement with Ripken in Washington today, accompanied by a group of Chinese baseball coaches participating in his training camp in Aberdeen, Maryland. Ripken said he plans to travel to China this year, and to use

ABC News - USA - Sports, not politics, will be Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr.'s emphasis in his new role as a special envoy for the State Department.

"This isn't a political statement for me, necessarily," Ripken said Monday after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice formally announced his appointment. "This is about the kids and planning baseball and using baseball for good reasons."

Ripken, who set the Major League record for consecutive games played 2,632 games in a row, earning him the nickname "Iron Man" said he was ready for the task, which will take him first to China at the end of October.

The first

Terre Haute Tribune Star - Terre Haute, IN, USA - If music were played at induction ceremonies for the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, N. Y., “My Way” could have been played twice Sunday.

Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn were the main inductees and did it “their way” — the right way — in their long and distinguished careers.

News of their induction provided a welcome break from other stories appearing on sports pages these days. Controversy and alleged scandals reign in cycling, pro basketball and baseball where hints of steroid use overshadow Barry Bonds closing in on the home-run mark.

No such stories appeared when Gwynn and Ripken played the

The Chattanoogan - Chattanooga, TN, USA - Cincinnati first baseman Jeff Conine shared a few such stories of his time playing alongside Cal Ripken with the Orioles from 1999 to 2001, as well as his first two Major League seasons spent in Kansas City alongside 1999 Hall of Fame inductee George Brett.

"That's baseball," Conine said of his impressions of Ripken and Brett. "That's pure baseball, both of them. I mean, they lived, ate, slept, drank baseball. They were always focused on the game. It was a pleasure to be around."

Conine said beyond statistics and even his legendary toughness, what elevated Ripken to a higher level, as much

ESPN - USA - One fringe benefit to making the Baseball Hall of Fame is the opportunity to lobby for former teammates and peers to join the club. Ted Williams believed strongly that Dom DiMaggio should be in Cooperstown, and Mike Schmidt spoke up for Pete Rose during his induction speech.

Williams and Schmidt didn't have much of an impact, it turns out. But that doesn't prevent every new class from maintaining the tradition.

Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn, who'll enter the Hall of Fame on Sunday, weighed in with their endorsements during a news conference Saturday. When asked which players are most deserving of

ESPN - USA - Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn took their place in baseball's shrine Sunday, saluted as much for their Hall of Fame careers as their character off the field.

Commissioner Bud Selig and a record crowd came to cheer them and all that was good about the game.

A continent away, a different scene played out. Barry Bonds failed to tie the home run record, a chase tainted by his surly nature and a steroids investigation.

Ripken and Gwynn sensed that poignant counterpoint on their induction day.

"This day shouldn't be all about us," Ripken said. "Today is about celebrating the best that baseball has

San Francisco Chronicle - CA, USA - Cal Ripken Jr., baseball's "Iron Man" and heretofore the embodiment of boundless energy, is tired.

Dead tired.

He's running on adrenaline. And he's anxious.

Now that the six-plus months of hype building up to today's Hall of Fame induction are over, Ripken just wants to get through today and get some sleep.

"I guess (there is) a little anxiety that is running a little higher than it normally would run. I feel that," Ripken said Saturday at his final news conference before he officially becomes a Hall of Famer. "I also feel a sense of fatigue that I have never felt before. I think

FOX News - USA - Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn took their place in baseball's shrine Sunday, saluted as much for their Hall of Fame careers as their character off the field.

Commissioner Bud Selig and a record crowd came to cheer them and all that was good about the game.

A continent away, a different scene played out. Barry Bonds failed to tie the home run record, a chase tainted by his surly nature and a steroids investigation.

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Ripken and Gwynn sensed that poignant counterpoint on their induction day.

"This day shouldn't be all about us," Ripken said. "Today is about celebrating