Sports Media Report
When Lou Gehrig halted his consecutive game streak at 2130 in May 1939, it was, as his Yankee Stadium monument reads, a record that “…should stand for all time.” The carvers didn’t know that less than 200 miles to the southwest, in Aberdeen, Md., a three year old Cal Ripken lived who would one day sire a player of similar mien, personality and popularity who would eclipse that mark.
Then on September 6, 1995, the game still reeling from a crippling work stoppage that had canceled the previous World Series for the first time since the year after Gehrig was born, Cal Ripken Jr. played in #2131, an accomplishment celebrated not just in Baltimore but throughout all of baseball. Now, 25 years later, Ripken has teamed with TOPPS to curate an exclusive set of cards commemorating the occasion and the full career of the Hall of Fame shortstop and the people that inspired him along the way.
Beginning on Sunday, fans will be able to purchase the standard set and a “Deluxe Collector’s Edition” which includes a Ripken autograph card, at Topps.com.
“Baseball cards have been a part of my family’s life for years, and I couldn’t be happier to be working with TOPPS to create this set,” said Ripken, whose father Cal Sr. coached and managed and brother Bill also played in the Majors. “I selected cards that represent special moments and people that have made my life in baseball special, and ones that I think fans will enjoy collecting.”
