Transcript for Powerhouse Politics: Cal Ripken Jr. at the All-Star Game

Welcome powerhouse politics I'm ABC news chief White House correspondent John Carl an ABC news political director Rick Klein and we are joined by one of the absolute greatest of all time mr. cal Ripken. Tied as I recall you were in the all star game with nineteen times I believe it's only Hank Aaron. Really veins and stand usual that they were All Star Games that's pretty good company. And opening I don't silo lot of ground to keep my populous area if you go to Google it and I mean it's just it's just amazing at and I want to ask you what's amazing program you're doing here. RBI revising reviving baseball in inner cities. Five million dollars to build facilities. In in America's inner cities baseball facilities but first I got askew had. Get the hormones are. You won the homer after this what's it like watching grays harbor winning at home the windy warning. You should ask that if my soul. I really does it last night and get a chance to check in on but I definitely business see the drama unfold but. If I was two pick someone it was a favorite for last night placement in the good. He somehow has the ability to rise the occasion hometown crowd lot of enthusiasm. And understood his backers who Walt Buchanan came from behind him tied it up and wanted. The extra time I think the flair for drama you know it looked like he was out of and it looked like he was totally out of it so I. Do you of course are mr. morial. You you spent your entire career. With the Baltimore Orioles. Price made it much Otto all facing free agency. Advice for those guys what does it mean to play at one time. When we're here for your entire I don't know if I can really took some of the pressures that are going on around in this. Good news so far greater I think when I played social media. These kids out it's like we're very very quickly I can relate a little bit as they fired my dad in nineteen. 88000. Creation at the end here and I thought that I was gonna play for another team. So try to prepare myself in the same time I was. Com the rumor the subject rumor being traded for of the Yankees that for the Red Sox and that was very unsettling to me so and Manning the child case. I can feel for him and it's free agent here on this plus speculations everybody seems to want him he's got to deal with out while playing. My advice to him would be just try to put that on your mind. Let your age and take care of the business side because you become the player. Com Bryce summit go to relayed a little bit in my free agent year when our contract was uncertain. Letting go into. Year one time and I couldn't keep my mind from going up and down hill when we got a few hits you see my contract negotiations. Increased there when you come to us obviously but they went away thinking about that as well as so yeah so I allowed the business side chemically then and the harder you try. I'm baseball doesn't work that way. There are times when even called up to need to keep an even stealing beauty you know role. And now prices early struggles from the he's still a great player. Was early struggles. Could be seen as an tried too hard trying to do too much toward their walking me alive I'm trying to make something happen for myself for the team. And I can truly relate to them. So you you're you're playing in Baltimore about thirty miles of the road here in Washington time that there was no team won its prime. Baltimore's kind of did that back until hometown team Brooklyn Generation Y. We can't listen to that we do know what events are being out of Washington is that special like it is for the nationals now the house. This is a place you can go any given that and that's bargains we'll Democrats Republicans and message on the people is that what it means. Yes I consider this our market he does so well in one big market. It was fun we came down DC as much as we have screwed Baltimore in the promotional circuit. And it's kind of weird kind of think this not and the Orioles territory and more. It's excitable baseball plays a lot of people probably loves words so. It's a little bit of an adjustment for me. That's gonna share that with the nationals now where we've given up to nationals with. It's that baseball places couldn't think it's a good backdrop for the offered did you. Think about what it meant he watched TV. Season. Obsess over politics and in different sort of way Cecil. Hey you know I analyze things through the end degree. But in this particular case I didn't that is except for the fact that we had seven million people. And our TV coverage went down about that the Carolinas all actresses we've seen what a little bit warmer regional team and I was really happy because. Baltimore collect small town but when you had Washington there seems like some gigantic city I was always happy and proud to. To have this as honorary. I want to ask you about some of the changes to the game one of the order things a lot of talk about mountain defensive ships and actually Scott Boras price's agent. Has brought this up into Basra that's why it's adding members loaders here. What should make another some people want. You know religion caste middle. I'm totally disagree that in the bay baseball game. I'm should build a play anywhere you want in between the white lines you can't stand in foul territory to play anywhere fair territory so if your intelligence says. This is where we play in this is that we could and should be able to do that I think you're gonna find out that the ships. Com and theirs and you start to find out don't work as well as the grisly thought that they seem to be. Something that people had some success in doing and ultimately did. I. My example would be Joseph Maddon of Tampa Bay they shifted more than anybody in the beginning and now you look economic ship. Less than anyone will be having so I think your analytical sort. About it's not the exact way to play the game so I think it's an overreaction to say. More people want soggy infield and you have options as a hitter it's just and that is I don't think the shift is it's a cause or. We're some of the rule changes to speed the game but into the war the kind of bothers me honestly is the intentionally walked you don't have to throw the court Beatrice. This is a more the first thing about me because I'm thinking that's kind of an amateur is to speed up the but as you watch it even more. You know how many times do you mess that up politically appointed on judge Amin that doesn't offend me. Clark seems to offend me a little bit I'm completely leveled San Diego school pitch him. I think we appreciate the game like a minor leagues and increased the com but the baseball's. It's complicated thing Atlantic. And I think put too much emphasis on speeding up some of them. George will's proposed banning velcro. Just accident if you believe you can we're batting gloves through from the beginning did you they didn't do about that all. Well 51 critical of the viewing both sides of advantage to good control the one of the focuses of this. Program provided baseball cities'. Focusing on the back there's only a few African American kids. Playing baseball these days you see it in the numbers that Italy's what's behind that thinking how you turn around with programs like distant. Generating interest in the. I don't know what good causes. Why certain people play the excellent and he seems like becoming more world sport attracting. Talent from all over the place. You know in our program. We'll look at finding big league players were looking helping kids and we decided to build. Fields to create. Outdoor classroom concept that we'll find a big leaguer everyone but mom we used to do that one regular time and thanks to Dan group 1001. We now can five million dollar donation five million dollars in they pledged to build up which gives us the ability to leverage that raise other funds and that with the sort of plan. I'm a big picture and that and mobile cargo program. That we have the Pope problematic part able that was great history and I would say and have been MLB is what their program is exposed sport. You know to people that can't always play the sport that's a good thing for them but to us that's worrying about sending him in the right direction and make him. It people like contribute to society and and he could become a and that's them in the right direction so. I think our our agendas are a little bit different what we're not trying to find big league player trying to. It's it's it's a great it's a great for them it's a great salt of Washington Nationals had an academy which which is exactly like that they're not trying to. All baseball it's it's about it's about helping kids so I know you have to go but I've got to. Kind of hometown questions for you first of all. I was down at the fan fest and you see all the be awards you have to be Hank Aaron award for the best offensive player. You've got the you got your various awards it's that'll Jackie Robinson Clemente award you've got awards named for various players who were dominant rock crew. A Tony Gwynn awards for batting average. We have the gold global. Your Baltimore allowed to say arguably the greatest defensive player of all time. Brooks Robinson. So I'm trying to get something lovely you know lobby and watched what do you lobby what do you what he put it about the idea of renaming the gold glove award the books out and implement. I get yeah. For sure what can I wouldn't of these when he was my hero Roman Tom he was amazing at third base. Burned every one of those gold gloves and so there's someone that's deserving of that. That may mean and awards him. OK we're we we started a little flavor and it starts right here and in any reliant my final votes on question really hometown question here is. When the mad when the that's looking for manager years ago I'm in hiring Matt Williams you were under consideration you thought about you decided not good. We can get you here in a Nazi uniform managing this team is the next manager of. While I not been flattered it's we're. Clubs have been part about doing and for some reason other than workout in the phase of your life. And now sort of make differences so I don't know that's passed me by. I'm still have a little bit left in my tax often. Thought about I retired from baseball went to a new area business and you can apply your principles. Logic to those my business but you help. In the the big league season my whole life understanding. That part of the game I would need less help if that the position of experience bonuses and so biggest development. Themselves. So socially who's really make any really I you know I've got friends are with the lures and overwhelmingly public conversation like that customers were don't know that but yet he wanted to present we get a little bit like no you know that I know of anywhere inside the prince Reza. Yeah governor. And it all right cal Ripken Jr. one of the greatest baseball players of all time of the great guy thinking particularly president journalistic all right thank you for watching the power of politics.

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