Ironclad Legacy: Cal Ripken Jr. Reflects on His Early Autographs and Growing Up in Baseball

Simply stated, Cal Ripken Jr. ranks near the top of any short list of the greatest and most impactful baseball players to ever step foot on the diamond. A revolutionary shortstop and a game changer in many ways, Ripken ushered in the era of the large shortstop – big, powerful and agile athletes that could field the incredibly difficult position and hit for power at the plate. Without him, we may have never seen larger athletes like Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra and future generations attempt to play middle infield at the highest level. The Hall of Famer’s career…