Ambassador Ripken

[Stinky The Clown]

This guy's career is getting more and more significant. We can bemoan the asterisked records, the juicing, the unseemly underground dog fighting activities, the suspensions upon indictment, and all the rest that is the world of professional sports today. And then there's Cal. The guy is squeaky clean and always has been.

Today he was appointed to the role of US Sports Envoy under the State Department. A volunteer position, the job carries no salary, but his expenses will be met.

Personally, I don't begrudge him an appointment to this administration's state department. I've watched Cal since he came up to the majors way back when and he never, ever gave a clue as to his political leanings and I suspect this appointment is about as apolitical as this administration can get.

More here at the link, including a clip of the teevee coverage. Watch how comfortable Cal is with the little kid asking for his autograph.

http://wjz.com/seenon/local_story_224132007.html

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. what country does he work in?

why would a diplomat offer a signature?

[SoxFan]

2. Sounds like a "goodwill ambassador" gig

Sort of a roving spokesman for the US in the international athletic community, where we frankly need a lot of p.r. help ( the IOC deep-sixed baseball as a medal event mainly to spite the US, despite the fact that Cuba and Japan have kicked our ass recently).

[Stinky The Clown]

3. huh?

:shrug:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. ahhhh. he plays a kid's game for real.

i see. never liked that past"its"time. always thought it was boring, far more boring than sin. Sin can be pretty interesting.

so a guy who holds a stick in his hands, aims at a ball, runs around, wears ugly clothing, chews, spits, and catchs balls - this is the new idea of diplomacy? Coool. That is on par as Condi Rice.

[BestCenter]

7. Remember Nixon and China and table tennis?

Diplomacy comes in all forms and features. Don't knock the most inconsequential aspects of human life- diplomacy may be contingent upon that, as well.

[Gman]

5. Just goes to show that baseball is the one constant in this country

...The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time."

--Terence Mann

You don't have to be a Democrat or Republic or liberal or conservative to love baseball. If you love baseball, it's probably the only thing you have in common with Bush. Politics aside and talking only baseball, you could find you both have a lot to talk about.

[hootinholler]

6. Cal has always been a class act! n/t