Position New, but Stance Same on The Streak

First, about these back spasms that have plagued Cal Ripken Jr. recently, prompting some to say they stem from the demands of his new position and renewing talk that he would benefit from some time off, interrupting his consecutive-game streak, which reaches 2,428 today.

“I think that’s bogus,” Baltimore Oriole General Manager Pat Gillick said, referring to the opinions that the move to third base from shortstop brought on the spasms.

“I know from our trainer that there have been other periods in other years when Cal has had the condition. It’s not new. It’s not because he’s now playing third.”

Would he benefit from some time off?

“Who knows?” Gillick said. “No one has seen him after he’s rested. It’s been 14 years. How do people know he’d benefit?

“I’ve talked to him about it, and he says that every time we have an off day or rainout he comes back feeling odd and out of rhythm.

“I mean, he’s one of those special guys who manages to play through conditions that might put another guy on the bench. He’s doing a good job at third, and he’s going to drive in 85 runs and hit 18 or more homers and that’s a very good year adjusting to a new position.”

The streak, of course, has become part of Ripken’s identity in more ways than one.

He will say it is merely a reflection of the ethic with which he was raised, but some believe it has become part of his mind-set, his personal challenge.

At this point, no one but Ripken will decide when it ends, and he may be powerless to stop it, as are others. Clearly, he continues to believe that by playing every day he can help the club win, and a spasm or two or a hitless game or two are simply part of the process.

“In a good year this happens maybe twice,” he said of the spasms. “In a bad year it might happen four or five times.

“I’m still dealing with it. It’s not something that you can just snap your finger and it goes away.”

Ripken is battling back from a six-for-52 slump in the first 13 games after the All-Star break when the spasms were most intense. He will be 37 on Aug. 24 but is hoping for an October celebration.

The Orioles end a series in Anaheim today with the best record in the American League and the second best in baseball, to the Atlanta Braves.

Ripken’s adaptation to third and the acquisition of free-agent shortstop Mike Bordick are major factors.

The Orioles bombed their way to the AL wild-card berth last year but felt they had to improve speed and defense, which led to the signings of Bordick and Eric Davis. In rebuilding the left side of the infield, it wasn’t so much a feeling that Ripken had begun to slip at short as it was a need to improve defensively on third basemen Bobby Bonilla (who later moved to the outfield and was replaced this year by Davis) and his August successor of last year, Todd Zeile.

“We’re unquestionably better defensively,” assistant general manager Kevin Malone said, adding that the improvement on defense has contributed to improved pitching (the league’s best earned-run average) and offense--or at least less pressure on the offense.

“Part of our success is that the pitchers now know they can make any pitch at any time and the ball will be caught,” Malone said.

“That confidence tends to permeate the club. The hitters, in turn, know we can win with four runs, we don’t have to score six.

“The other part of it is that Bordick, like Ripken, is a grinder. He’s out there day in and day out, and that tends to permeate the club, as well.”

Said Gillick: “We score fewer runs than last year but we play a better brand of baseball. Last year it was maul or get mauled. The maulings are down.”

Unlike the Chicago White Sox, who recently traded the heart of their pitching staff in what Malone called an “unconscionable act” by owner Jerry Reinsdorf amid a pennant race and for which he “should be held accountable,” the Orioles have tried to build on their success.

They recently acquired Geronimo Berroa and Harold Baines and hope to get Davis back when rosters expand in September.

Davis, plagued by injury and illness throughout his career, is undergoing weekly chemotherapy at UCLA after removal of a cancerous colon tumor but was in uniform in Anaheim this weekend, hitting off a tee.

The Orioles say he brought a special presence to the clubhouse with his spirit and leadership before the illness. It would be a significant bonus to have that and a healthy Davis back down the stretch.

In the meantime, much of the spotlight will remain on Ripken, who may privately believe that he should still be at shortstop but has handled the transition with typical professionalism, knowing he has left an indelible mark on his former position.

He sees it in the fleet of young shortstops who arrived last year--Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Rey Ordonez and Edgar Renteria, among them.

He sees it in Nomar Garciaparra, the Boston Red Sox shortstop who is lapping his rookie-of-the-year competition in the American League.

Garciaparra has 20 homers, 30 doubles, a .300 batting average, leads the AL in hits and multi-hit games and is the best defensive shortstop in either league.

“It’s an exciting time in the American League for shortstops,” Ripken said. “There’s a lot of good young players coming through.

“I feel good that I was part of paving the way or changing the mind-set for shortstops to be good both defensively and offensively.

“You need to be good defensively, of course, but every shortstop who comes in now also seems to have good offensive capabilities. They also play with a maturity that is amazing to me.”

Nothing, of course, is more amazing than the Ripken streak, which rolls on, uninterrupted by spasms or position change.