Streak Miscellany

News and notes from Cal Ripken Jr.’s pursuit of Lou Gehrig’s mark for consecutive games played:

Three members of the Angels--second baseman Rex Hudler, utility player Rene Gonzales and third-base Coach Rick Burleson--are among the 30 second basemen who have played with Ripken during his streak.

Gonzales, a former Cal State Los Angeles shortstop, wore No. 8 throughout his career but switched to No. 88 when he was traded from Montreal to Baltimore before the 1987 season.

“Cal is the reason for a lot of things in my career,” Gonzales said with a chuckle. “My number, the fact that I’m a utility player. . . . All I wanted to do is play shortstop in the big leagues, but I had to move all over the place when I got here.”

Gonzales was an Oriole until 1990 and developed a close friendship with Ripken. He played the 1992 and ’93 seasons with the Angels and 1994 in the Cleveland organization.

Gonzales, who signed a minor league contract with the Angels this spring, was planning to be on hand when Ripken broke Gehrig’s record, but since he was called up by the Angels in July, he gets to be in the opposing dugout.

“It’s great, an extra bonus,” Gonzales said. “Cal is a great friend, and I learned a lot by watching him play, on and off the field.”

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On sale at Camden Yards are items to commemorate Ripken’s streak--programs, special baseballs and T-shirts.

But Hudler is starting his own memorabilia collection.

“Everything I wear will be sealed in the same bag with the game sweat of today and tomorrow,” Hudler said. “Wrist bands, batting gloves . . . just for Cal. He’s the higher man of baseball, a modern-day gladiator.”

Scouts thought Hudler would be that kind of player in 1978. Hudler, a utility player during his career, was drafted ahead of Ripken that year, the 18th pick in the first round by the New York Yankees. The future Oriole shortstop was a second-round pick, 48th overall.

“I told Cal that before a game last year and he said, ‘No way,’ ” Hudler said. “I said, ‘Check the book.’ He was flustered. He said, ‘Yeah, but you never reached your full potential.’ I told him, ‘Hey, they thought the Wonder Dog was a better athlete than you at the time.’ ”

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Hudler idolizes Ripken. He said he’ll be in tears tonight when the banners on the B&O; warehouse beyond right field, displaying the number of consecutive games Ripken has played, turn to 2,131.

And he will be forever grateful for the advice Ripken gave him in 1987, when Hudler struggled over a way to propose to his eventual wife.

“He suggested I rent a tall ship, take her out, propose to her, and if she said no, throw her overboard,” Hudler said. “I went with it, and she said yes. I told Cal the next day, and he told me how he proposed to his wife [Kelly].

“He took her into this mansion he bought, and he had strung up a line of lights in the bushes outside that read, ‘WILL YOU MARRY ME?’ That’s pretty cool.”

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Most Angel players used their ticket allotment--six a game--on relatives who traveled to Baltimore for this historic series, but requests easily outnumbered tickets.

“Guys call and say, ‘Remember me? I let you cheat off me in the third grade,’ ” catcher Jorge Fabregas said.