BALTIMORE – Thirty years ago, Cal Ripken Jr. officially became baseball’s “Iron Man” when he broke Lou Gehrig’s streak with 2,131 consecutive games played. It almost didn’t happen. More than two years ...

A national TV audience. A cheering crowd that included the nation’s president. A 22-minute standing ovation that interrupted the game. All to watch a baseball player show up to work on Sept. 6, 1995.