Just Show Up by Cal Ripken Jr.

Harper Books.

Back in 2019, Cal Ripken Jr. penned his most recent book, Just Show Up: And Other Enduring Values from Baseball’s Iron Man, with James Dale. It’s a different book than what most people would expect from a baseball player—he wrote that book back in 1997-98: The Only Way I Know. Obviously, there are the baseball stories that fans want to hear but Ripken Jr. offers eight values for both the game and life. In writing about his values, he provides many anecdotes related to his childhood, baseball career, or work with the Ripken Baseball program as to why they work. This one is similar to his 2007 book, Get in the Game: 8 Elements of Perserverance That Make the Difference.

Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s record on September 6, 1995, but it wasn’t until he passed 1,000 consecutive games that anyone paid attention. Until then, the decision to play Ripken Jr. wasn’t in his hands but that of managers Earl Weaver, Joe Altobelli, Cal Ripken Sr., Frank Robinson, Johnny Oates, and Phil Regan. Following the record, it was up to managers Davey Johnson and Ray Miller. Ripken would voluntarily take the day off in 1998 after playing in 2,632 consecutive baseball games. It was once said that nobody could break Lou Gehrig’s record, but Ripken Jr. did. It’s unlikely to be broken—at the moment, Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson holds the longest active streak since starting it in 2021.

He shares how Joe Morgan once apologized to him for being critical of the streak. It wasn’t until an event at the Yogi Berra Museum that the Hall of Fame second baseman apologized. Morgan’s views date back to earlier comments made by Frank Robinson: “Look at Ripken—he’s going to be the best that’s ever played.” Morgan felt that Robinson’s comments implied Ripken Jr. would hit home runs and make flashy plays. He felt the streak took away from doing the “big stuff.” What Ripken Jr. told Morgan: “Joe, I played the game because each day there’s a challenge to try to win the game.” At which point, the ballplayer shares one of many anecdotes about his father.

Ripken Jr. showed up every day for work. Something could have been ailing him after the previous game but he still showed up to do his job. That’s because of the values that he was instilled with not only as a ballplayer but as a person. His father, Cal Ripken Sr., was instrumental in developing the Oriole Way. It’s no surprise that the Oriole Way and the Ripken Way are one and the same. In Just Show Up, the Baseball Hall of Famer shares anecdotes as he passes along the lessons that he was raised with or learned along the way through his work in business and as a broadcaster.

Each chapter is a different value:

• Just show up
• Success and money are not the same
• Play fair—win fair
• It’s OK to be Stubborn
• Baseball is a Game of Averages…Like Life
• Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect—Adjustment Does
• Have a Mentor, and Be One, Too
• How to Be the Quietest Person in the Room

Whether it is baseball, business, or just life in general, Just Show Up can enhance the lives of anyone who reads the book. At just over 180 pages, it’s a really quick read, too.