Fame Is the Name of Ripken’s Game

With Cal Ripken’s announcement of his imminent retirement, the baseball world mourned. The career of a truly legendary professional baseball player is coming to an end. The most painful aspect of his retirement is that he is of a dying breed of which professional athlete is not an oxymoron. This time, the sportswriters should go easy on the fans when Ripken is announced as the starting American League third baseman at this season’s All-Star game. Surely, Troy Glaus will make the team as a reserve and possibly start next season.

Kurt Hagihara

North Hollywood

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To the Hall of Fame voters of the Baseball Writers Assn. of America:

Now that Cal Ripken has announced his intention to retire, I think it’s a good time to consider doing something that has never been done before: the unanimous first-ballot election of a player to the Hall of Fame.

I’ve heard some writers (anonymously, of course) quoted as saying that they never vote for a player in his first year of eligibility. That’s just not acceptable. Your job is to vote on the merits, and not to promote some ridiculous personal agenda. When Ripken is up for election in five years, and Tony Gwynn probably soon thereafter, if any of you insist on not voting for either one of these men, at least have the courage to identify yourself publicly and try to justify your decision.

Andrew M. Weiss

Studio City