Quote and Overview
"But if you never stop learning, you can usually handle what comes along and adapt to the change."
Professional baseball player Cal Ripken, Jr. tells his story in his 2008 book Get in the Game. The anthology features an excerpt from this book, the chapter “Love What You Do,” which illustrates Ripken’s experiences with adversity. Ripken writes about turning a long streak of losses into a supportive team and a successful career, offering advice at the end of the chapter in his “Eight Ripken Principles” he encourages readers to follow. Finance major Ryan Beckwith ‘19 provides the introduction for this excerpt.
Cal Ripken
Cal Ripken is known for his 21 year Major League Baseball career. He played 2,632 consecutive games while earning two MVP awards and a World Series championship. Since Ripken retired in 2001, he has devoted his time to business endeavors and philanthropic work. He is also the chairman and CEO of Ripken Baseball in which he established with his brother, also a former MLB player. Ripken Baseball owns multiple minor league baseball teams and runs youth camps and clinics.
Discussion Questions
1. Ripken says that it's easy to go to work when you love what you do. What does he mean by this?
2. Why do you think the author chose to explain his thoughts in numbered points like this?
3. Cal Ripken is known for loving baseball and using the sport to get through hard times. What are you passionate about that keeps you resilient?
In-Class Activities
1. Split students into 8 groups (or 4 depending on class size). Give each group a different rule from the passage that they can analyze and relate back to their lives.
2. Have students write their own 8 rules on how they stay resilient and then have a class discussion about any trends that are present.
