Just Show Up

The man who went to work for 2,632 straight games, “Iron Man” Cal Ripken Jr.—nineteen-time All-Star and World Series–winning legend—draws on lessons he learned on and off the field, and shares his values and principles for the game of life.On September 6, 1995, Cal Ripken Jr. played his 2,131st consecutive game in Major League Baseball, breaking Lou Gehrig’s Iron Man streak (he would go on to play another 501 consecutive games) and capping a career that included helping to deliver the 1983 World Series victory to his beloved Baltimore. Ripken is a baseball legend, and the son of revered coach Cal Ripken Sr.—but legends aren’t born; they’re made. Ripken Jr.’s keynotes were his consistency, hard work, and loyalty—in more than twenty years as a major leaguer, he only ever played for the Orioles. There were successes and failures, but beyond it all was the old-fashioned sense of doing what was right, every single day.Since his retirement, Ripken has parlayed his fame into a successful post-baseball career as a television analyst, youth baseball entrepreneur, and author. In Just Show Up, he uses all these experiences to create a vision for a better life. His core values remain age-old: “Have a mentor, and be one, too”; “Success and money are not the same”; and “Play fair—win fair.” Sprinkled throughout are firsthand accounts of his legendary father; fellow superstar baseball players and the games they played; what it was like to keep the streak alive; what it meant to bring the World Series to Baltimore; and simple yet poignant takeaways for anyone trying to forge a successful life in these often chaotic times.Drawing on sports, business, and a life well lived, Just Show Up is an insider account of a baseball legacy and our national pastime lore, filled on every page with the grounding, invaluable wisdom our time needs.