Baltimore's Best
Count me among the lucky one's in Baltimore. Watching Ray Lewis lay down the law in the season opener against the Jets was a vivid reminder that sports fans in our town have had a front row seat to watch two of the greatest competitors in sports history. Ray and Cal Ripken Jr. have to be in the argument when it comes to the games all-time gamers.
They aren't the first to bless Baltimore sports fans with their burning desire to exceed. John Unitas and Frank Robinson were doing it for the home team in the '50's and '60's.
One is already a first ballot Hall of Famer the other will be, if he ever retires. The trophies attest to their greatness with MVP, Pro Bowl, All-Star, Rookie of the Year and Super Bowl honors piled up in their homes.
These two are similar in so many ways and such opposites in others. Ray Lewis dancing and strutting his way into the hearts of Baltimore sports fans, pounding his chest after a bone-jaring tackle as if to scream "look at me and my defense".
Cal wouldn't be caught dead dancing in the work-place, he was more comfortable drinking milk and hiding all that emotion that we all knew was there. His legendary victory lap on 2,131 night (he was literally pushed by his teammates) was almost as shocking as him breaking Gehrig's record that supposedly would never be broken.
Cal's career was fueled by his fathers hard-ball influence, Ray's road to greatness was driven by a "I'll show him" for the father who wasn't there. Their backgrounds and DNA may be different but when it comes to greatness Ray Lewis and Cal Ripken Jr. are twin brothers, and it all points to one word P-A-S-S-I-O-N.
Why is Ray Lewis playing at a Pro Bowl level in year 15 ripping into the likes of Dustin Keller like he's still 25? As Ray would put it, bottom line, it's passion! He loves the game, and maybe more important, everything that goes into it.
The countless hours of off-season conditioning, the practices that extend from sweltering summer days in Westminster to freezing workouts in December, and all that time studying video of opponents, getting the edge that allows him to make a 4th and one game saving tackle in San Diego.
Ripken wasn't much different, he may not have been as talented physically as Ray but Junior was every bit as tough as #52. Cal had that same passion, the burning desire to be the best he could be. Other players have won more championships and compiled some better stats, but I don't believe anybody played harder than these two Baltimore Superstars.
The Ripken-Lewis combo has brought Baltimore a World Series trophy and a Super Bowl title. For nearly 30 uninterrupted years we've had one or the other to cheer for. Cal and Ray shared 6 seasons from 1996 through 2001. Whatever you paid for your tickets these guys made sure you got your monies worth!
