CAL
RIPKEN, JR. BESTOWED HIGHEST HONOR
BY BABE RUTH LEAGUE, INC.
Baltimore,
MD, July 6, 1999: Babe Ruth League,
Inc. announced today the renaming
of its youth baseball division from
the Bambino Division to the Cal Ripken
Baseball Division. At a press conference
held at Oriole Park at Camden Yards,
Ronald Tellefsen, President &
CEO of Babe Ruth League, addressed
representatives from Major League
baseball, the Baltimore Orioles, Babe
Ruth League, corporate sponsors and
the Ripken family, "Babe Ruth
League, Inc. takes great pride in
naming its 12 & Under Division
- Cal Ripken Baseball. Cal Ripken,
Jr. and Babe Ruth League share a common
vision - to provide every youngster
the opportunity to play baseball and
have fun. Teaching them to play the
game "The Ripken Way" will
assure us of these goals."
Babe Ruth League, founded in 1951,
currently ranks as the premier amateur
baseball and softball program in the
world. From its first 10-team league
in Hamilton Township, New Jersey,
Babe Ruth League, Inc. has increased
steadily to its present combined size
of over 874,000 players, on some 44,200
teams, more than 6,700 leagues. The
newly named Cal Ripken Division of
4 to 12 year olds is Babe Ruth's largest
group consisting of over 471,000 players.
The
Baltimore Orioles 3rd Baseman, a graduate
of the Babe Ruth program, attributes
this honor to his late father, Cal
Ripken, Sr., and his mother Vi, who
was in attendance, "My dad taught
me not only the fundamentals of the
game, but also the importance of playing
"The Ripken Way" …My
mother was always there for me- making
the wins a little sweeter and the
losses a little easier to take."
Sandy
Alderson, Executive Vice-President
of Baseball Operations for Major League
Baseball, praised Babe Ruth League
for their support of the game, "We
are proud to work hand-in-hand with
Babe Ruth League Baseball. Major League
baseball considers them an integral
part in growing the sport of baseball
and developing ballplayers of the
future."
The Cal Ripken Division officially
began play in 2000. |
