Cal Ripken Jr.’s streak embodied a classic American value: Perseverance

For months, Spiro Alafassos had floated an idea during planning meetings for Cal Ripken Jr.’s big day, only to have those closest to the Orioles icon rebuff it.

Wouldn’t it be great if Ripken did a lap around Camden Yards? Alafassos, then the manager of ballpark entertainment and special events, would say in the buildup to history. And the answer, without fail, was something along the lines of: “That’s never going to happen.”