Baseball Iron Man Cal Ripken to hold clinics in Czech Republic

Legendary Baseball Iron Man Cal Ripken Junior will hold 2 youth clinics in Czech Republic: on Saturday, April 21, in Prague and on Sunday, April 22, in Pilsen.
Ripken his portrayed in the cover picture by Ted Mathias for AFPGetty Images.

The Czech Baseball Association has worked on the project since meeting US Ambassador in Prague Steve King in December. Ripken’s trip is considered part of the Sport Diplomacy Month of April, as the US Embassy celebrates 100 years of Czech American relations.
Michal Sedláček, a baseball enthusiast with the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, helped the most in securing and organizing Ripken’s visit. Valuable contacts by Jan Bagin (Prague Eagles) were also instrumental.

Cal Edwin Ripken Junior was born in 1960 and made his debut in Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1981 for the Baltimore Orioles. He was the starting shortstop for the team that won the 1983 World Series.
He was named the Iron Man after he played 2,632 consecutive games, breaking Lou Gehrig’s record (2,130; Gehrig was nicknamed the Iron Horse by the press) that had stood for 56 years. Cal Ripken entered the Orioles line up on 30 May 1982, broke Gehrig’s record on 6 September 1995 and had his first off day on 20 September 1998.