The Streak : Lou Gehrig, Cal Ripken Jr., and Baseball's Most Historic Record

“A line-drive hit of a book” about the Iron Horse and the Iron Man—two legends from two eras of baseball—and the nature of human endurance ( The Wall Street Journal ). When Cal Ripken Jr. began his career with the Baltimore Orioles at age twenty-one, he had no idea he would someday beat the historic record of playing 2,130 games in a row, a record set forty-two years before by the fabled “Iron Horse” of the New York Yankees, Lou Gehrig. Ripken went on to surpass that record by 502 games, and the baseball world was floored. Few feats in sports history have generated more acclaim. But the record spawns an array of questions. When did someone first think it was a good idea to play in so many games without taking a day off? Who owned the record before Gehrig? Whose streak—Gehrig’s or Ripken’s—was the more difficult achievement? Through probing research, meticulous analysis, and colorful parallel storytelling, The Streak delves into this impressive but controversial milestone, unraveling Gehrig’s at-times unwitting pursuit of that goal (Babe Ruth used to think Gehrig crazy for wanting to play every game), and Ripken’s fierce determination to stay in the lineup and continue to contribute whatever he could even as his skills diminished with age. So many factors contribute to the comparisons between the two men: the length of seasons, the number of teams in the major leagues, the inclusion of nonwhite players, travel, technology, medical advances, and even media are all part of the equation. This is a book that captures the deeply American appreciation—as seen in the sport itself—for a workaday mentality and that desire to be there for the game every time it called. “It tackles the allure of human endurance and the pitfalls of fame, but it is mostly a baseball book for baseball fans. It succeeds as both a thorough accounting and a love note to the game.”— The Washington Post The Fascinating Story Of Baseball's Most Legendary Iron Men, Cal Ripken Jr. And Lou Gehrig, Who Each Achieved The Coveted And Sometimes Confounding Record Of Most Consecutive Games Played. When Cal Ripken Jr. Began His Career With The Baltimore Orioles At Age Twenty-one, He Had No Idea He'd Beat The Historic Record Of Playing 2,130 Games In A Rowset By Lou Gehrig, The Fabled Iron Horse Of The New York Yankees.when Ripken Beat That Record By 502 Games, The Baseball World Was Floored. Few Feats In Sports History Have Generated More Acclaim. But The Record Spawns An Array Of Questions. Was His Streak Or Gehrig's The More Difficult Achievement? Who Owned The Record Before Gehrig? When Did Someone First Think It Was A Good Idea To Play In So Many Games Without Taking A Day Off? Through Probing Research, Meticulous Analysis, And Colorful Parallel Storytelling, The Streak Delves Into This Impressive But Controversial Milestone, Unraveling Gehrig's At Times Unwitting Pursuit Of That Goal And Ripken's Fierce Determination To Play The Game His Way. Along The Way Eisenberg Dives Deep Into The History Of The Record And Offers A Portrait Of The Pastime In Different Eras, Going Back More Than A Century. The Question Looms: Was It Harder For Ripken Or Gehrig To Play Every Day For So Long? The Length Of Seasons, The Number Of Teams In The Major Leagues, The Inclusion Of Non-white Players, Travel, Technology, And Even Media Are All Part Of The Equation. Larger Than All Of This, However, Is A Book That Captures The Deeply American Appreciation--as Seen In The Sport Itself--for That Workaday Mentality And That Desire To Be There For The Game They Love, The Job They Are Paid To Do-- Ripken : A Victory Lap -- Gehrig : The Ghost Of 2,131 -- Ironmen : First Of Their Kind -- Ripken : Blue-collar Stock -- Ironmen : Confusion -- Ironmen : Deacon -- Ripken : Influences -- Gehrig : A Famous Headache -- Gehrig : Playing Everyday -- Ripken : A Sour Year -- Gehrig : A Friend's Influence -- Ironmen : The Blessing Of Good Fortune -- Ripken : A Guiding Philosophy -- Gehrig : Playing Hurt -- Ironmen : Shenanigans -- Ripken : Toughing It Out -- Gehrig : A Tragic Turn -- Ironmen : Is It Really A Good Idea? -- Ripken : Making History -- Ironmen : The True Believer -- Ripken : A Day Off, At Last -- Ironmen : A Philosophical Change. John Eisenberg. Includes Bibliographical References (page 286) And Index. "The fascinating story of baseball's most legendary "Iron Men," Cal Ripken Jr. and Lou Gehrig, who each achieved the coveted and sometimes confounding record of most consecutive games played. When Cal Ripken Jr. began his career with the Baltimore Orioles at age twenty-one, he had no idea he'd beat the historic record of playing 2,130 games in a row set by Lou Gehrig, the fabled "Iron Horse" of the New York Yankees. When Ripken beat that record by 502 games, the baseball world was floored. Few feats in sports history have generated more acclaim. But the record spawns an array of questions. Was his streak or Gehrig's the more difficult achievement? Who owned the record before Gehrig? When did someone first think it was a good idea to play in so many games without taking a day off? Through probing research, meticulous analysis, and colorful parallel storytelling, The Streak delves into this impressive but controversial milestone, unraveling Gehrig's at times unwitting pursuit of that goal and Ripken's fierce determination to play the game his way. Along the way Eisenberg dives deep into the history of the record and offers a portrait of the pastime in different eras, going back more than a century. The question looms: Was it harder for Ripken or Gehrig to play every day for so long? The length of seasons, the number of teams in the major leagues, the inclusion of non-white players, travel, technology, and even media are all part of the equation. Larger than all of this, however, is a book that captures the deeply American appreciation--as seen in the sport itself--for that workaday mentality and that desire to be there for the game they love, the job they are paid to do"-- When Cal Ripken Jr. began his career with the Baltimore Orioles he had no idea he'd beat the historic record of playing 2,130 games in a row set by Lou Gehrig, the fabled "Iron Horse" of the New York Yankees. When Ripken beat that record by 502 games, the baseball world was floored. Through probing research, meticulous analysis, and colorful parallel storytelling, Eisenberg unravels Gehrig's at times unwitting pursuit of that goal and Ripken's fierce determination to play the game his way. The fascinating story ofbaseballs most legendary Iron Men, Cal Ripken Jr. and Lou Gehrig, who each achieved the coveted and sometimes confoundingrecord ofmost consecutive games played When Cal Ripken Jr. began his career with the Baltimore Orioles at age twenty-one, he had no idea hed beat the historic record of 2,130 games played in a rowset by Lou Gehrig, the fabled Iron Horse of the New York Yankees.WhenRipken beat that record by 502 games, the baseball world was floored.Few feats in sports history have generated more acclaim. But the record that Ripken now owns, quite possibly forever, spawns an array of questions. Was his streak or Gehrigs the more difficult achievement? Who owned the record before Gehrig? When did someone first think it was a good idea to play in so many games without taking a day off?Through probing research, meticulous analysis, and colorful parallel storytelling, The Streak delves into thisimpressive but controversial milestone, unraveling Gehrigs at times unwitting pursuit of that goal and Ripkens fierce determination to play the game his way, which resulted in his seizing of the record decades later.Along the way Eisenberg dives deep into the history of the record and offers a portrait of the pastime in different eras, going back more than a century. The question looms: Was it harder for Ripken or Gehrig to play every day for so long?The length of seasons, the number of teams in the major leagues, the inclusion of non-white players, travel, technology, and even media are all part of the equation. Larger than all of this, however,is abook that capturesthe deeply American appreciationas seen in the sport itself, its players, and its fansfor that workaday mentality and that desire to bethere for the gamethey love, the job they are paid to do. "The fascinating story of baseball's legendary "Ironmen," two players from different eras who each achieved the coveted and sometimes confounding record of most consecutive games played. When Cal Ripken Jr. began his career with the Baltimore Orioles at age twenty-one, he had no idea he would someday beat the historic record of playing 2,130 games in a row, a record set fifty-six years before by the fabled "Iron Horse" of the New York Yankees, Lou Gehrig. Ripken went on to surpass that record by 502 games, and the baseball world was floored. Few feats in sports history have generated more acclaim. But the record spawns an array of questions. When did someone first think it was a good idea to play in so many games without taking a day off? Who owned the record before Gehrig? Whose streak--Gehrig's or Ripken's--was the more difficult achievement? Through probing research, meticulous analysis, and colorful parallel storytelling, The Streak delves into this impressive but controversial milestone, unraveling Gehrig's at times unwitting pursuit of that goal (Babe Ruth used to think Gehrig crazy for wanting to play every game) and Ripken's fierce determination to stay in the lineup and continue to contribute whatever he could even as his skills diminished with age. The question looms: How do these streaks compare? There were so many factors: the length of seasons, the number of teams in the major leagues, the inclusion of non-white players, travel, technology, medical advances, and even media are all part of the equation. This is a book that captures the deeply American appreciation--as seen in the sport itself--for a workaday mentality and that desire to be there for the game every time it called"-- Jacket flap "The fascinating story of baseball's most legendary "Iron Men," Cal Ripken Jr. and Lou Gehrig, who each achieved the coveted and sometimes confounding record of most consecutive games played. When Cal Ripken Jr. began his career with the Baltimore Orioles at age twenty-one, he had no idea he'd beat the historic record of playing 2,130 games in a rowset by Lou Gehrig, the fabled "Iron Horse" of the New York Yankees. When Ripken beat that record by 502 games, the baseball world was floored. Few feats in sports history have generated more acclaim. But the record spawns an array of questions. Was his streak or Gehrig's the more difficult achievement? Who owned the record before Gehrig? When did someone first think it was a good idea to play in so many games without taking a day off? Through probing research, meticulous analysis, and colorful parallel storytelling, The Streak delves into this impressive but controversial milestone, unraveling Gehrig's at times unwitting pursuit of that goal and Ripken's fierce determination to play the game his way. Along the way Eisenberg dives deep into the history of the record and offers a portrait of the pastime in different eras, going back more than a century. The question looms: Was it harder for Ripken or Gehrig to play every day for so long? The length of seasons, the number of teams in the major leagues, the inclusion of non-white players, travel, technology, and even media are all part of the equation. Larger than all of this, however, is a book that captures the deeply American appreciation--as seen in the sport itself--for that workaday mentality and that desire to be there for the game they love, the job they are paid to do"-- Provided by publisher The fascinating story of baseball's legendary "Ironmen," two players from different eras who each achieved the coveted and sometimes confounding record of most consecutive games played When Cal Ripken Jr. began his career with the Baltimore Orioles at age twenty-one, he had no idea he would someday beat the historic record of playing 2,130 games in a row, a record set forty-two years before by the fabled "Iron Horse" of the New York Yankees, Lou Gehrig. Ripken went on to surpass that record by 502 games, and the baseball world was floored. Few feats in sports history have generated more acclaim. But the record spawns an array of questions. When did someone first think it was a good idea to play in so many games without taking a day off? Who owned the record before Gehrig? Whose streak--Gehrig's or Ripken's--was the more difficult achievement? Through probing research, meticulous analysis, and colorful parallel storytelling, The Streak delves into this impressive but controversial milestone, unraveling Gehrig's at-times unwitting pursuit of that goal (Babe Ruth used to think Gehrig crazy for wanting to play every game), and Ripken's fierce determination to stay in the lineup and continue to contribute whatever he could even as his skills diminished with age. The question looms: How do these streaks compare? There were so many factors: the length of seasons, the number of teams in the major leagues, the inclusion of nonwhite players, travel, technology, medical advances, and even media are all part of the equation. This is a book that captures the deeply American appreciation--as seen in the sport itself--for a workaday mentality and that desire to be there for the game every time it called The fascinating story of baseball's most legendary "Iron Men," Cal Ripken Jr. and Lou Gehrig, who each achieved the coveted and sometimes confounding record of most consecutive games played When Cal Ripken Jr. began his career with the Baltimore Orioles at age twenty-one, he had no idea he'd beat the historic record of 2,130 games played in a row set by Lou Gehrig, the fabled "Iron Horse" of the New York Yankees. When Ripken beat that record by 502 games, the baseball world was floored. Few feats in sports history have generated more acclaim. But the record that Ripken now owns, quite possibly forever, spawns an array of questions. Was his streak or Gehrig's the more difficult achievement? Who owned the record before Gehrig? When did someone first think it was a good idea to play in so many games without taking a day off? Through probing research, meticulous analysis, and colorful parallel storytelling, The Streak delves into this impressive but... Ripken : a victory lap Gehrig : the ghost of 2,131 Ironmen : first of their kind Ripken : blue-collar stock Ironmen : confusion Ironmen : deacon Ripken : influences Gehrig : a famous headache Gehrig : playing every day Ripken : a sour year Gehrig : a friend's influence Ironmen : the blessing of good fortune Ripken : a guiding philosophy Gehrig : playing hurt Ironmen : shenanigans Ripken : toughing it out Gehrig : a tragic turn Ironmen : is it really a good idea? Ripken : making history Ironmen : the true believer Ripken : a day off, at last Ironmen : a philosophical change.