Ripken Jr: Baseball can help people after pandemic like it did following 9/11
Hall of Fame shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. believes that baseball could have a role to play in getting people's lives back on track when baseball eventually returns from the COVID-19 hiatus.
The 19-time All-Star can see similarities between the ongoing pandemic crisis and the Sept. 11 attacks.
"This reminds you in a way of 9/11," Ripken said, according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports. "It shook everyone to the core. You're sitting there in disbelief. You want to do everything you can to help in any way you can.
"I think if baseball can come back, like we did back then, it can provide some healing, a distraction, and let people focus on some of the good things in life."
On Tuesday, Ripken said that he would be joining Twitter to announce that the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation and its partners will contribute $250,000 to the hunger relief campaign.
"This is such a tough time for all of us," the Orioles legend said. "But even with all of the challenges, I'm pretty optimistic. I look at the innovation. Distilleries have turned into hand-sanitizing plants. Automakers have turned into ventilator makers. People have pushed their ideas towards resources to help. Everyone is working together."
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YESTERDAY
MAY 22, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Ivan Barbashev | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jack Eichel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Pavel Dorofeyev | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Ross Colton | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brent Burns | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nazem Kadri | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nick Blankenburg | - | - | - | |
| Dylan Coghlan | - | - | - | |
| Nic Dowd | - | - | - | |
| Jack Drury | - | - | - | |
| Noah Hanifin | - | - | - | |
| Carter Hart | - | - | - | |
| Tomas Hertl | - | - | - | |
| Brett Howden | - | - | - | |
| William Karlsson | - | - | - | |
| Parker Kelly | - | - | - | |
| Keegan Kolesar | - | - | - | |
| Kaedan Korczak | - | - | - | |
| Brett Kulak | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||