| Show I BREEZ THROUGH r SPORTS f. f r r. r I I. I f By Eric Bresee Columnist The time is right he said as he sat sat in the dugout watching his team warm wann The time lime is right he told his hise e manager before taking his first day off offin in 16 years The time lime is right he thought as ashe ashe ashe he allowed Ryan Minor to take his position third base Just when you thought the 1998 baseball season had made enough history history his his- tory out jumps Cal Jr with the record-making record err record-breaking record decision Sunday night decision to sit out his first game since May 30 1982 ended his consecutive games played streak at 2632 games longer than previous record holder Lou Ixu Gehrig No matter what kind of career Minor goes on to have he will always be remembered as the man who took Cals Cal's place for a day dayI I I went down to the dugout and grabbed Ryan Orioles Manager Ray Miller said and and took him into the little little little lit lit- tle restroom and said Ryan Cals Cal's not going to be playing tonight Youre You're going to play third so get yourself ready And he looked at me and said Does Docs he know However one cant can't help but think may become the next Wally Pip You remember Wally Pip dont don't you Of course you dont Wally Pip took a a a- aday day oil oiT and Gehrig took his place in the line Cal is one of the good guys in baseball baseball baseball base base- ball but his unselfish decision has cast casta a shadow on the baseball world Now the player with the longest active games played streak steak is none other than Chicago White Sox outfielder outfielder out out- fielder Albert Belle The same guy who threw a baseball baseball baseball base base- ball at a photographer for taking his picture is taking the place of one of the class acts of the major leagues The same Albert Belle who was fined tined for tearing into Hannah Storm after a 1996 World Series game is now the leagues Iron Man The same guy who cracked Fernando Fernando Fernando Fer Fer- nando Vinas Vina's forearm and has been suspended as many times limes as Dennis Rodman is now the leagues league's example of durability Belle said Im pretty sure Ill I'll play until we clinch or if Id I'd get gel sus sus- Those arc the only two iwo reasons reasons reaf rea rea- f sons not nol to lo play Clinch what whal Al AI A berth in the increasingly popular Betty Belly Crocker Off Bake-Off competition Or how about aboul a spot in that thai comical National Bull r Riders Red Neck Rodeos Rodeos' Id I'd bet on the latter breaking the streak than clinching breaking it |
