BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE MAJORS : Ripken’s Parade Captivates Baltimore

Tens of thousands of fans, many taking long lunch breaks and some skipping work altogether, jammed downtown Baltimore on Thursday for a parade hailing Oriole shortstop Cal Ripken Jr.

Fifteen hours after breaking Lou Gehrig’s record of 2,130 consecutive games, Ripken stood waving atop a float as fans filled the sidewalks, leaned out windows and climbed on rooftops to catch a glimpse.

In Ripken’s hometown of Aberdeen, Md., some 7,000 fans turned out for an evening parade honoring him.

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Bryan Johnson of Pasadena, Md., got something better than the home run ball Ripken hit on his record-breaking night. He met Ripken.

Johnson, who turned down immediate offers of thousands of dollars for the ball, insisted on presenting the ball in person.

Ripken, however, didn’t let Johnson go away empty, giving Johnson a bat on which he wrote: “Bryan, Thank you very much for the ball. It means a lot to me. We both share the same memory. Home run on 9-6-95. Cal.”

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More than 5 million households tuned in to ESPN’s telecast of Ripken’s record-breaking game, producing a 7.5 rating and becoming the network’s most-watched event, excluding NFL games. The telecast jumped to a 11.2 rating during mid-game ceremonies honoring Ripken’s accomplishment. . . . Chicago Cub shortstop Shawon Dunston’s four-game suspension for starting a bench-clearing brawl against San Francisco on Aug. 13 was upheld by National League President Leonard Coleman. The suspension will begin today when the Cubs play host to the Giants.