Market ripe for Ripken

Charlotte Business Journal - Charlotte, NC, USA - He's pitched hot dogs, cable TV, hotels and trucks. He's an author and a frontman for a charity, a baseball stadium and a youth world series.

But somehow Cal Ripken Jr. -- six years after he left the baseball diamond -- doesn't seem to suffer from overexposure. The fans and sponsors can't seem to get enough of him.

In fact, the Cal mania sweeping Baltimore and the nation over his Hall of Fame induction is only going to make him -- and everyone connected with him and his brand -- more money. Though some inductees might see a momentary blip in their valuation after the ceremony, experts expect Ripken's star to keep rising.