Ripken

Yet Ripken will always be known primarily for just one number -- 2,632. That's how many consecutive games he played from 1982 to 1998, a streak that assured him lasting notoriety before he began flirting with such round numbers as 400 and 3,000.

"I don't know that he can add to the legacy that he already has. He's on almost all of the all-time lists," Orioles manager Mike Hargrove said. "I don't think at this point in his career, anything he does or doesn't do will make or break his legacy. That's already been established. He's obviously going into the Hall of Fame, and I would be surprised if it wasn't on the first ballot. I think it's very deserved."

For the most part, members of the exclusive 3,000-hit club have three important traits -- consistency at the plate, endurance and longevity. If you're going to average 150 hits over 20 seasons, you've got to be in the lineup almost every day.

"I don't get caught up in enormity of the number 3,000," Ripken said. "It was always important for me to go out and play the game as best I could and to have some success. I'm proud of the fact that I've been able to be productive for a long period of time. That's what it means to me."

Long before he was a baseball player, Ripken was a baseball fan. He knows that when milestones are reached, the joy of the occasion extends far beyond the feelings of the record-breaker. Ripken was touched last year by the fanfare surrounding Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs when each recorded his 3,000th hit.

"It's a magical number, no doubt," Ripken said. "I saw Gwynn and Boggs do it, and I think everyone gets involved in the celebration. I see it as a celebration of baseball, not necessarily the individual accomplishment. It's a means of comparing players from era to era."

That's exactly how Ripken viewed the hoopla on Sept. 5, 1995, when he broke Lou Gehrig's record of playing in 2,130 games.

"It was a celebration for baseball, not me. I just happened to be the person that was of focus at that moment," he said.

On that night at Camden Yards, his father was there to share the moment. Cal Ripken Sr. died during spring training in 1999.

"Moments like this give me an opportunity to look back at my career," Ripken said shortly after his 3,000th hit. "And my dad was a big part of it."

With his dad as the Orioles' third base coach, Ripken got his first hit as a 20-year-old rookie on Aug. 16, 1981, off Dennis Lamp of the Chicago White Sox. He went 5-for-39 that year, but his production picked up considerably the following season when he became the Orioles' regular shortstop.

He got his 1,000th hit on June 16, 1987, off Rich Bordi of the New York Yankees and No. 2,000 on July 10, 1993, off Wilson Alvarez of the Chicago White Sox.

From May 30, 1982, to Sept. 19, 1998, Ripken didn't miss a game. That's one reason he was able to reach the 3,000-mark despite having only two 200-hit seasons.

"When you play that many games straight, you're going to get a lot of hits," said teammate Will Clark. "He was out there every day. That's why they call him the Iron Man."

Some people call Ripken the finest player to wear an Oriole uniform. In this era of free agency, Ripken is a rarity in that he has spent his entire career with one team.

"I always put a level on importance in playing in Baltimore because I'm from here. I always wanted to be an Oriole," he said. "I guess I'm lucky in that respect."