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No.221 SIM音読用英文

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Ripken Has New Career after Baseball
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Cal Ripken earned the nickname "Iron Man"

for his record number of consecutive games - spanning 16 seasons -

an achievement that still stands unbroken.

Ripken has stayed close to baseball

since his retirement

from the Baltimore Orioles.

The former infielder owns two minor league baseball teams -

one in Maryland and the other in Georgia.

His company, Ripken Baseball, is made up

of business ventures, youth organizations, and charity work -

which includes giving underprivileged children
the chance to play baseball.

As the State Department's Special Sports Envoy,

Ripken recently taught youths in China

how to play baseball.

During the weeklong clinic,

the kids learned how to catch and hit.

They also found out

about some unique American baseball traditions,

such as chewing gum or collecting baseball cards.

Ripken spoke to VOA about his goals as envoy.

"A special envoy almost is looked (like) upon

as an ambassador of sorts,

and you are using sports to kind of share your experiences

to maybe build a bridge,

open up a level of conversation

and just exchange things through sport.

My expectations are no more than trying to share experiences

and bring a smile to someone's face,

kind of have them understand the magic."

During his baseball career,

Ripken was as competitive

as he was committed.

He rarely struck out

and played in every game he could -

usually in the position of shortstop.

He also had memorable performances

in important games.

One was when he hit the go-ahead home run in a game

where he broke the former New York Yankees star Lou Gehrig's
56-year-old record

for consecutive games played.

Ripken's wife, Kelly, sees a different side of her husband.

"He's still the little kid playing baseball."

Ripken, who still has nine months left in his appointment as sports
envoy,

does not know where he will visit next.

But he has received invitations

to hold youth camps in other nations.


Tony Budny, VOA News.
by danueno | 2007-12-05 15:13 | SIM音読用英文


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