After the disillusioning 1994 strike, Baltimore Oriole Cal Ripken made baseball seem like the all-American sport again when he played his 2131st consecutive game, breaking Lou Gehrig"s record, on September 6, 1995. His surprisingly introspective autobiography reveals him as an old-fashioned guy who believes in the work ethic and doesn"t mince words when assessing the state of contemporary baseball, which in his estimate is driven more by financial considerations than dedication to craft. Ripken"s love of family comes across as strongly as his love of baseball.