Game Of Baseball

SAN FRANCISCO -- After learning his 2,131st consecutive game had been voted as Major League Baseball's most memorable moment last night, Cal Ripken said, "It blows me away." Ripken was at Pacific Bell Park for the ceremony before Game 4 of the World Series, and the fans greeted him warmly. The reception wasn't nearly as loud, however, as the cheers for Pete Rose, whose 4,192nd hit was voted as baseball's sixth-most memorable moment. Hank Aaron's 715th career home run, the one that broke Babe Ruth's record, was voted as the second-most memorable moment.

I can honestly say that writing an advice column was not something I envisioned doing. That being said, I am very excited about it and look forward to hearing from parents, coaches and young athletes each week. Since retiring from baseball after the 2001 season, I have focused a lot of my energy on youth sports and growing the game of baseball at the grassroots level. This has energized me more than I would have imagined. I am very passionate about it. Just like many of you, I am a dad. My daughter, Rachel, will be 16 next month, and my son, Ryan, is 12. I coach each of their basketball teams and pay very close attention to Ryan's baseball team.

For today and only today, the best seats in the house might be the ones as far as possible from the playing field. The vice president is taking the mound for the ceremonial first pitch at the Washington Nationals' home opener. If his pitching aim is anything like his hunting aim, you might want to mill around the concourse until the Nationals take the field. Safety first, you know? Pedro Martinez on the hill is one thing; Dick Cheney, something different altogether. In fact, suggested promotion today: First 5,000 fans receive orange hunting vests.

When the Orioles shock the world and reach the World Series this October, we'll look back on April 7 as a watershed day in club history. We will all remember it as the day the O's - in unison - let us know they were mad as hell and not going to accept the ridiculously low expectations that have been ascribed to them by the supposed experts in the media. It started when reliever Jamie Walker angrily called out a local writer before the game for repeating the spring mantra that the Orioles will probably have one of the worst records in team history.

Call it baseball's version of the circle of life. Orioles manager Dave Trembley looks across the field at the Los Angeles Angels and sees the kind of team that he would like his team to be. Angels manager Mike Scioscia looks across the field at the Orioles and sees one of the organizations that was a model for what his team has become. "They have balance in every conceivable area," said Trembley. "They have every component you would want. When somebody gets hurt, they can bring somebody up from the minor leagues and not miss a beat."

Another year, another series of moves on Ravens radio.For a third straight season, the cast of characters is being changed on Ravens broadcasts on WJFK (1300 AM) and WLIF (101.9 FM), with the biggest shift coming among the game announcers themselves, where former analyst/sideline reporter Bruce Cunningham has been taken out of the mix on game days.Also, Tony Harris, news anchor at channels 45 and 54, will be host of the team's Sunday pre-game show, with Stan "The Fan" Charles, last year's pre-game and post-game host, taking over just the post-game program.

It was supposed to be baseball's big coming-out party, the moment when all the gloom, doom and despair that has surrounded the national pastime was to melt away, and the game was to start on its long journey back.Instead, last night's All-Star telecast on ABC came off like a convention for Roto-geeks, with numbers and strategy tossed about freely, but with little passion or amusement."We're having fun. That's what All-Star games are all about," said Frank Thomas, the Chicago White Sox first baseman, after hitting a two-run homer in the fourth.

THE SUN'S annual Major League Baseball preview section appears in today's editions. It remains part of the annual rite of passage for many Orioles fans who can't wait for the regular season to begin. But when thousands of spectators stream into Camden Yards tomorrow for the season opener against Oakland, many will feel a sense of trepidation - not only about the Orioles' chances in the powerful American League East, but also about the character of the team and the game of baseball itself.

The owners and players who make millions off the game of baseball are starting to sweat. Attendance during the first two weeks of the strike-shortened season is down -- way down at some ballparks. Teams are cutting ticket prices and using giveaways to lure fans back.But the geniuses who run baseball don't get it. The national pastime is past its prime, and the only way to save it is to create a new generation of fans among the kids who have learned to prefer basketball, football and even hockey.

Cal Ripken Jr.'s career speaks for itself. The 3,184 hits. The 431 home runs. The two American League Most Valuable Player awards. The historic string of 2,632 consecutive games played that initially assured his place among the immortals. It will all be on the bronze plaque soon to be cast for display in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. It's going to be hard to fit much else on that plaque, but I hope there still is room to mention what I believe was the most significant achievement of Ripken's amazing career.