Eighteen Teams Competed in the 17th Annual Cal Ripken World Series in Aberdeen, MD

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ABERDEEN, MD – The 17th annual Cal Ripken World Series was held in Aberdeen, MD where 18 teams competed for the championship. The event was held on July 29, 2016 and took place at The Ripken Experience Aberdeen Powered By Under Armour youth baseball complex, 873 Long Dr, Aberdeen, MD 21001. Source: The Baltimore Sun ... Read More

Cal Ripken Jr to Appear For ‘Squeeze Play’ Book Signing at Amway Center in Orlando

ORLANDO, FL — Baltimore Orioles Hall of Famer, Cal Ripken Jr., will appear along with the Washington Wizards on Friday, March 14th, at Amway Center in Orlando. The Florida League and Orlando Magic have partnered to provide Florida League fans a unique game night opportunity. Fans can purchase their own ticket package that includes entry to the game, a copy of the book “Squeeze Play”, and an exclusive signing of the book with Cal Ripken Jr.

Photo shows retired Baltimore Orioles shortstop and Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. in January 2014 speaking with Adam Schein about A-Rod controversy.

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Cal Ripken Jr Has “Itch” to Return to Baseball

BALTIMORE, MD – Cal Ripken Jr, the former Baltimore Orioles Hall of Famer, recently made headlines when he said he had an “itch” to return to the game. This lead to speculation that Ripken might be interested in joining the team’s management in some capacity. Cal Ripken, Jr. is a popular speaker says PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency.

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Tiger Woods Earns $1B Tops Michael Jordan As Highest Paid Athlete

Tiger Woods earns $1B becoming highest paid athlete

Forbes reported last week that Tiger Woods became the first athlete to earn $1 billion in career earnings from endorsements, prize winnings, golf course design and appearance fees. Woods reportedly earns $30 million a year from Nike and receives $10 million per project for his golf design work. He also just won $10 million last week for winning the FedEx Cup title.

The crazy part is that Woods in only 33 years old and has many years of competitive golf, endorsements and golf course design ahead of him. It’s not a stretch to say that he’ll likely make well in excess of $2 billion by the time his career ends. It’s estimated that he has now earned more than NBA great Michael Jordan ($800 million) and retired Formula One driver Michael Shumacher ($700 million). ... Read More

Jim Rice, Rickey Henderson Inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame

With the recent induction of Jim Rice and Ricky Henderson into the Baseball Hall of Fame, it’s timely to look ahead at candidates for the next couple of classes.

A player must be retired for a minimum of five years to be eligible for the Hall of Fame. In order to be elected, a player must be mentioned on at least 75% of the ballots.

Next year, eligible players include Roberto Alomar, Kevin Appier, Andy Ashby, Ellis Burks, Andres Galarraga, Pat Hentgen, Mike Jackson, Eric Karros, Ray Lankford, Barry Larkin, Edgar Martinez, Fred McGriff, Shane Reynolds, Robin Ventura, and Todd Zeile. ... Read More

Baseball All Star Games Favorite Moments

Of all the All-Star games, I enjoy watching baseball’s version the best. I’ve been fortunate to attend eight of the Mid-Summer Classics. It’s very exciting to see all of the current stars on the field at once.

Nothing will compare to last year’s All Star game in New York, which will go down in history as one of the all-time greats. First of all, anytime you have a big event in New York, it’s going to be special. Secondly, the night was filled with tributes to Yankee Stadium, which was being closed at season’s end to make room for the new ballpark next door. Lastly, the game was an absolute classic with the American League defeating the National League, 4-3, in 15 innings. The game took 4 hours, 50 minutes and was the longest All-Star Game in history.

Commissioner Bud Selig and Major League Baseball have attempted to make the game relevant by giving home-field advantage during the World Series to the winning league. Back in the day, the game was full of intensity and it really meant something to the winning players. Over time, the game’s importance diminished as it became more of a show than a game. You hear a lot of debate as to whether this is good or not. Personally, I think it would be more fair to give the team with the best record home-field advantage but I don’t have much of an issue since it’s brought a bit of intensity back to the game.

A few of my favorite moments from previous All-Star games…

1) In 1970, Pete Rose, playing at home in Cincinnati, attempted to score but had to get past catcher Ray Fosse. The ensuing collision not only helped solidify Rose’s reputation as “Charlie Hustle”, it had the unfortunate consequence of injuring Fosse’s shoulder. Rose was called safe at home and the National League won the thriller, 5 -4. Fosse went onto play nine more seasons but was never the same.

2) In 2001, Cal Ripken Jr. played in the last of his 19 All-Star games. The game was basically a Cal Ripken lovefest. In the third inning, Ripken made his first plate appearance and was greeted with a standing ovation. Ripken then homered off the first pitch from Chan Ho Park and ended up with All Star MVP honors.

3)  In 1999, baseball honored the All-Century Team prior to the game at Fenway Park, with such greats on-hand as Mike Schmidt, Brooks Robinson, Bob Gibson and Johnny Bench. However, the highlight of the evening occurred when the great Ted Williams was driven out to home plate and threw out the first pitch with the help of Tony Gwynn.

Will this year’s game produce any classic moments? I can’t guarantee that. However, St. Louis is rolling out the red carpet and, at the very least, I’m sure the pre-game ceremony will produce a goose-bump moment or two. Plus, Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is having one of the greatest years in the history of baseball, so I assume he’s going to be a big part of the game and broadcast.

PFP Sports and Celebrity Booking Agency is a speakers bureau and top booking agent for sports stars, athlete appearances, endorsements and celebrities. For more information call 800.966.1380