Wealth of Knowledge

At a time when Wikipedia entries are a go-to source for reliable information and a doctor's visit consists of a consulting with WebMD.com, passing down knowledge from generation to generation seems like a thing of the past. Yet most times, an old fashioned talking-to is still the best way to teach and to learn. Remember when Dad excused you from dinner for a little refresher on manners? He certainly didn't tell you go type "table etiquette" into Google and return once you've learned your lesson. If Dad works in the business world, he also relays knowledge on related topics such as balancing a checkbook. Or if Dad is a carpenter, he can teach you things like the importance of safety from first-hand experience. These are all pretty common things. But not everybody has a dad that spent his longest years as a Major League Baseball manager, and not everybody grew up spending time with Dad every day at the ballpark. And that's precisely why Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. affectionately refers to his dad, Cal Sr., as "The Encyclopedia" - in baseball terms. Now, the Ripken Baseball organization is sharing its family's encyclopedia. "I think the big thing for me personally is that every kid didn't have The Baseball Encyclopedia like I did, so how did they learn? How do other coaches readily get the information that we had?" Ripken Jr. said, rhetorically. "If we ever had a baseball question, just think about it. We went directly to Dad, and there's also 25 other people on the roster to ask about pitching advice, catching advice, outfield play - we had that resource, and that's incredibly unique." So Ripken Jr., the former Baltimore Orioles shortstop who holds the record for consecutive MLB games played, and his fellow Major League veteran brother, Bill, have built Ripken Baseball - an incredibly comprehensive baseball encyclopedia in so many ways. The impact ranges from traveling coaching clinics, like the one held this past January at Westfield High School, all the way to youth baseball tournaments, instructional DVDs and a large product line. Central Indiana should feel lucky - the Ripkens only do about two clinics per year around the country. "As part of our post-playing career, we want to pass on and improve the game of baseball for all kids," Ripken Jr. said during a lunch-break interview the day of the clinic, Jan. 19. "The best way to pass that on is these camps and clinics, which we used to do directly with the kids. We learned as we went along, if we share the information with coaches, they can have the impact with even more kids. It really is a sharing of information." Several local coaches attended the clinic, ranging from Little League all the way through high school and college - all just interested in soaking in some baseball tidbits from one of the best ever. Josh Bowling is going into his first season as a varsity assistant at Arsenal Tech. Halfway through the clinic, one thing in particular stood out from watching Cal. "Everything just looks smooth and easy," Bowling said. "He can just get up there and do whatever, and it's going to look exactly the way it's supposed to look. As a coach, it's the repetition of the drills in practice that will make the most difference in a game." And Bowling touches on one of the main points throughout the clinic, which is the importance of repetition in relation to baseball fundamentals. It's nothing most coaches haven't heard before, but it just means a little bit more coming from a guy like Ripken Jr. "I hope what separates us (as a clinic) is that we have a deeper understanding of the relationship between the fundamentals and the highest level of play," Ripken Jr. said. "Hopefully we can communicate the realness and the possibilities for kids to become better or coaches to become better. There's a tendency for people to think of us as more savvy or more technical because of our stature within the game, but we want to make the connection all the way down to youth leagues. Through our experience, we are credible and we're real with it, so we're able to communicate that." Steve Thais agrees with that assessment. Thais is the JV coach at Heritage Christian and also the head coach of a junior RBI team locally, which stands for Reviving Baseball Inner-city. "They keep it simple, but they know what they're doing," Thais said. "I've been around baseball all my life, but you always can learn something from someone else. Like Cal said, it's sharing. It's awesome to get that attention and be able to watch a Hall of Famer." Bill Ripken is especially adamant about the simplicity of the game. During the clinic, he's about as real as you can get - relating everything to a personal situation and showing how solutions can be quite basic. You'd think he was the author of "Baseball for Dummies." "Once the ball is released, whether a 10-year-old throws a pitch or a 25-year-old, the game is then immediately the same. I think some people lose sight of the fact that baseball is a game where you catch and throw," Bill explained. "During the infield drills at the clinic, I always ask people who holds the record for consecutive errorless games as a shortstop in the Big Leagues. Some people will say (Cal). He used to, but Mike Bordick holds the record. Mike Bordick didn't do anything great, but he caught the ball and threw the ball where he was supposed to every single time." While it helps that Cal and Bill carry name recognition for being successful players at the highest level, one main reason the focus of the clinic is geared toward coaches is that the Ripkens are able to relate to every level within the sport. They've been there, done that and know what it takes at each step along the way. Sure, they're revered for their status, but these guys don't forget what life is like outside the Major Leagues. "Most people think that for players like us, we all made it to the Big Leagues after dominant high school careers. We were good players in high school, but in many cases we weren't the most dominant in high school - I know I wasn't," Ripken Jr. said. "I played varsity as a freshman, but I didn't have much size and had some challenges competing against older players. I thought high school was the first bigger challenge, when I could tell that it was also about developing." And so Ripken Baseball continues developing as well, meeting new challenges and coaches with new questions at each stop along the way - all in the shadow of the late Cal Sr. For Bill, Dad is right there with them. "I think it has been kind of a tribute to Dad as far as carrying on the game," Bill said. "Everything we do with our lives is still baseball. We just don't have to go in the batter's box and face The Big Unit (Randy Johnson) - which isn't necessarily a bad thing." No, that's probably not a bad thing. But it is another entry in the encyclopedia. Quick Hits with Cal and Bill Ripken Last time you came to Indy? Cal: I came for Peyton (Manning's) bowling event a few years ago. Bill: I played here in the minors; we called it "The Prison" (the old Bush Stadium). What audio is playing in the car? Bill: The 1970s hits on XM Radio; Cal listens to books on tape. Cal: Sometimes books on tape, yeah, but I'm mostly a talk radio guy. XM 175 - the MLB channel. Favorite baseball movie? Bill: "A League of Their Own" Cal: Kind of a tie between "Bull Durham" and "The Natural," but I'll say "Bull Durham" Favorite MLB stadium to hit in? Bill: They blew it up - The Kingdome in Seattle Cal: The Minneapolis Metrodome Best friend in the business? Bill: Cal Cal: Brady Anderson Estimated times you've jogged from the dugout to the infield? Cal: (Laughs). Let's see, 162 times nine times...I can't make an estimation on that.