Art by Tim Carroll

Most players go an entire major league career without ever being a member of their league’s annual All-Star team.  The subject of my next piece was a member 19 TIMES.  One of the most beloved (and collected) players in our generation – Cal Ripken Jr. is best known for showing up – ready to play – in every single game for 17 straight seasons.  When his unbelievable streak had ended, Ripken had played in a Major League Baseball record 2,632 consecutive games.  Considering that players go through bumps and bruises, sickness, funerals, and slumps, it is unthinkable that a person could be so lucky – and SO GOOD – that he could be penciled into the lineup for that long without missing a single game.  Hence, the nickname, “IRON MAN”.  Ripken, Jr. didn’t just show up and play.  He had a flare for the dramatic. When Ripken tied Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games, he hit a home run in the same game.  How can you top that, you may ask?  Easy.  You go and hit one the very next day when you BREAK the record, which is exactly what Cal Ripken did.  Ripken’s first baseball card – a 1982 Topps, features Cal along with two other Oriole rookies:  Bob Bonner and Jeff Schneider.  Topps decided later in the season that Ripken should be the subject of a card all by himself – so they included him in their follow-up issue:  1982 Topps Traded.  This card was much harder to track down than the regular early-season issue.  While it is not his true rookie card (it is considered an “extended” rookie, or XRC), it is certainly the card that all Ripken collectors drool over.  I think the overall beauty of the card is striking, with contrasts of bright blue skies and pampered green baseball grass.  Red and Orange decorate the bottom border, and all the bright colors together give it a semi-rainbow appearance.  It is a gorgeous card, and one I am very proud to have re-created.

 

For this one I used:

 

(646) 1988 Topps Commons

(115) 1989 Topps Commons

(73) 1990 Donruss Commons

(22) 1991 Score Commons

(214) 1987 Topps Commons

(12) Glue Sticks

 

(1,070) TOTAL CARDS

 

39.5 TOTAL HOURS OF TIME

 

 

 

My Ripken 1982 Topps Traded looks like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

A closer view:

 

 

 

 

 

 

It began with a sketch:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then I started cutting and pasting.........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Special thanks to Mr. Sam Horn for supplying the infield dirt in the background:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Background almost complete:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now for some detail...........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1990 Donruss gave me the Red and the Orange:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One final view:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is one of the most requested pieces I have had.  I took off a few days from the "Holy Grail" project to do this one (kind of ironic since Cal would have never taken a day off!), but now it is time to get back to the Bronko Nagurski.  Don't forget to add me as a friend on FACEBOOK, and become a fan of timcarrollart there as well!  Check my "CONTACTS" link to the left to get you there!