Ripken Unreal but How About This Student?

Cal Ripken Jr. doesn’t have to wait until later in the season to set a consecutive game record. Even though the Baltimore shortstop will play his 2,077th consecutive game today, leaving him 53 shy of Lou Gehrig’s record, Ripken will set another one Tuesday.

When Ripken starts for the American League All-Stars, it will be his 12th consecutive All-Star start, a record for shortstops. Previously, he shared the record with Ozzie Smith.

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Add records: While Ripken’s record extends over 13 years, Marre Cummings of Watts has established one even longer. In 14 years, the 18-year-old senior at King-Drew Medical Magnet did not miss a single day of school, from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

Move over, Cal.

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Trivia time: What extra significance was there about the first night game played in New York City on June 15, 1938?

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Why not?: Cleveland Indian third baseman Jim Thome wasn’t the least bit angry about being snubbed for Tuesday’s All-Star game. After all, you couldn’t just send the entire Cleveland team to represent the American League.

Or could you?

“Hey, we’d beat them if we did that,” said Thome, arguably the best AL third baseman. “Now, you know I’m just joking, but you know what? I think we’d do OK.”

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We knew it: Anyone who has shown up at 5:30 a.m. at Rancho Park and had to wait for a starting time can understand this: California leads the nation in golfers, with 2,782,000, according to the National Golf Foundation.

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To bunt or blast: The Florida Marlins’ Gary Sheffield has the speed to bunt his way on base often, but he admits he doesn’t like the idea.

“It depends on a guy’s ego,” he told Craig Barnes of the Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Sun-Sentinel. “If I bunted, I would be wondering if it was a pitch I could have hit out of the park.”

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No homers there: Ah, those British writers. Columnist Ian Stirrup of the London Daily Star writes of Wimbledon and tennis:

“It has never failed to amaze me how the country virtually grinds to a halt during Wimbledon fortnight. While you’re riveted to the screen [watching tennis] I’ll be in a bar somewhere they haven’t got a telly.

“There’s more chance of Pamela Anderson giving me a love bite on my bun than a British player winning the men’s or women’s title. Or even a British man winning the women’s title.”

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Not giving up: Ernie Irvan the driver is still trying to come back from injuries suffered last year at Michigan. But Irvan the owner already has returned to victory lane. It was Irvan’s truck that Joe Ruttman won with at Bristol, Tenn., a week ago.

“What a proud moment,” Irvan said. “It feels great to be a truck owner, but Ernie Irvan isn’t done as a driver, either. I’m not down for the count. I’ll be back.”

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Little difference: Cub coach Max Oliveras got an autographed baseball from the Dodgers’ Hideo Nomo.

“I really can’t read it,” he said of the Japanese signature, “but then again, I couldn’t read Willie Mays’ signature, either.”

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Trivia answer: Johnny VanderMeer of the Cincinnati Reds threw the second of his two consecutive no-hitters against the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field.

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Quotebook: Tennis’ John McEnroe, on golf: “Is golf really a sport in all honesty? I thought in a sport you had to run at some point.”