"After playing 10 years at Memorial Stadium, I didn't like the idea of a new ballpark and I wasn't initially excited about Camden Yards," Ripken said. "That changed the minute I stepped onto the field. The way the ballpark was built right into the landscape of the city made it feel like it had been there forever. It really set the standard of all the other parks that have come since then and is such a source of pride for our city."