Young O's bring their irons and hit the links with the Iron Man
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SAN DIEGO -- During a recent off-day for the Orioles, Jackson Holliday, Gunnar Henderson and Colton Cowser shared a dream experience. The trio of young stars participated in an activity featuring a special guest that adults who grew up in Baltimore -- or anywhere in Maryland, or even as diehard baseball fans elsewhere -- would have likely paid a considerable amount of money to be part of.
On Aug. 20, Holliday, Henderson and Cowser went to Burning Tree Club in Bethesda, Md., and were treated to a round of golf with Cal Ripken Jr.
“I mean, it’s hard to describe, because not every day you can just go out there and go play golf with a Hall of Famer,” Henderson said.
No, most people cannot. Especially a Baseball Hall of Famer as widely revered as Ripken, the Havre de Grace, Md., native who spent his entire 21-year MLB career in Baltimore and played in 2,632 consecutive games from 1982-98, an AL/NL record.
So, what was it like for the youngsters -- the 21-year-old Holliday, the 24-year-old Henderson and the 25-year-old Cowser -- to spend time on the greens with the Iron Man?
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“It was good. I got to ride in a cart with him,” Cowser said with a smile. “That was a really cool experience. It’s one of those things where I told my dad [Dale] that I got to play golf with him, and my dad thought it was the coolest thing ever, just because his generation, watching Cal play -- it’s something that I don’t realize carries as much weight as it does, because I wasn’t born yet.
“But I know who he is and know how great of a ballplayer he was.”
The legacy of Ripken (who is now 65) carries forward through events such as the one planned for Saturday night at Camden Yards. Prior to the Orioles’ game vs. the Dodgers, there will be a special celebration for the 30-year anniversary of Ripken playing in his 2,131st consecutive game on Sept. 6, 1995, breaking Lou Gehrig’s record.
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Many thought Gehrig’s mark would stand forever. Now, Ripken’s record feels even more unbreakable, given how rare it has become for big leaguers to play an entire 162-game season.
“It’s one of the most prolific records that will probably never be broken. Ever. I can’t imagine,” Holliday said. “It blows my mind, honestly, that he could play so many games in a row, and the durability that you have to have to do so is pretty incredible.”
Ripken is a legend, but he doesn’t present himself as one, always having a personable demeanor. He’s been back around the Orioles more often over the past two years -- since becoming a partner in the David Rubenstein-led ownership group in January 2024 -- and he’s often seated behind home plate at Camden Yards. He’s also been willing to spend time with O’s players in a multitude of ways.
During Spring Training, Ripken showed up at the Orioles’ complex in Sarasota, Fla., and shared baseball tips.
“Really cool to have him around, be able to talk to him,” Holliday said. “I talked to him in Spring Training a little bit about situational stuff on defense and the way he approached certain situations, which was really cool to hear.”
For Henderson, it’s beneficial because he’s now Baltimore’s franchise shortstop -- a role Ripken held for nearly all of his first 16 seasons, before then shifting to third base.
“He came out there and worked with me a little bit. I feel like that’s helped me a lot on the communication side of things and just kind of how he operated out there and some of the footwork as well,” Henderson said. “He’s one of the best shortstops to ever do it, and I can’t thank him enough for everything he’s helped me with and just honestly being willing to talk to the guys, because I feel like that’s pretty rare for a guy of his stature to be around and be available.”
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As it turns out, Ripken isn’t too bad at golf, either, even though he didn’t have much time to play before retiring following the 2001 season.
“He was pretty solid,” Holliday said. “I mean, he could hang. He was pretty good.”
“He can still drive it a good ways,” Henderson added. “He’s got a good swing.”
But it was clear which member of the foursome may have been a notch below the others.
“I’m the worst,” Cowser said. “There were a couple times whenever [Ripken and I] were riding in the same cart that we were about 200 yards apart. But yeah, it was a lot of fun.”