Customer Reviews

Get in the Game: 8 Elements of Perseverance That Make the Difference

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I am not now nor have I ever been a baseball fan. It just never appealed to me. But Cal Ripken has been heralded as the nicest guy in baseball and the sub-title ("8 elements of perseverance that make a difference" was definitely attractive, so I read the book.

I'm glad I did.

Ripken interweaves a literal history of baseball into his core message of how persevverance plays out in a ball game and life. It's an interesting, informative approach. I can see why Ripken has succeeded in his motivational speaking career as he did is his baseball career: life literally starts anew each day for this guy. Yesterday's msitakes and regrets are left behind. One of the most fascinating parts of the book for me are Ripken's descriptions of team work in baseball and how it works. Frankly, because I've never been a fan, I didn't realize just how much cooperation and coordination is required on the field.

Overall, a very worthwhile read and uplifting.

Jerry

This is an excellent book by one of our modern-day greats: Cal Ripken, Jr. A native of Aberdeen, Maryland, he spent his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles. He broke a record that many said would stand forever, and this book parallels the former holder of that feat, Lou Gehrig, with a treasure trove of quotes about the latter's life. In a sense, we learn as much about the character and perseverance of Mr. Gehrig as we do about Mr. Ripken.

One early quote set the tone for the entire book:

"I just played because I loved the game, and because I had been taught certain principles that prevented me from backing away from anything."

Mr. Ripken chronicled his youth, the special relationship with his father, Cal, Sr., and then explained in concise fashion his eight principles for perseverance. Some themes related directly to baseball, while others are about life itself.

Here are the eight elements:

Right Values
Strong Will to Succeed
Love What You Do
Preparation
Anticipation
Trusting Relationships
Life Management
The Courage of Your Convictions

This is a very entertaining and informative book. Thank you for the opportunity to review it.

What a Book!! One those great books you have to read over & over again.
Not just a book for sports people, a book for every one who wants to get somewhere in their life.

Cal Ripken (who is one of the greatest baseball players to every play the game)is someone who has become a successful business entrepenuer and someone who is in high demand on the speaking circuit. In this book, Cal does a great job of sharing his insight and approach to not only baseball but how he lives his life and conducts his business. Whether your a baseball fan or not, you will find this book to be entertaining and full of valuable information that will help you become better at being a baseball player, teammate, co-worker, parent, or spouse.

I'm a big fan of Cal Ripken, Jr. I was at Camden Yards on the night that he broke Gehrig's streak, and that's a lifetime highlight for me. And as impressive as his streak and other baseball credentials are, I'm even more impressed with the character of the man. Ripken exemplifies just about everything that is right about sports. I've got nothing but respect for him.

Having acknowledged my admiration for Ripken, "Get in the Game" was a rather unremarkable book for me. Essentially, it was filled with a collection of overused sports cliches and generic platitudes. Some of Ripken's baseball stories were moderately interesting, and he certainly took the high road in trying to portray every named individual as positively as possible. But even the stories were just a little bland and lacked punch. It just never grabbed me in any memorable way and seemed like rather lifeless principles that I've heard a million times before, communicated in more engaging ways.

I know that other reviewers loved the book, and I suppose it might be decent if you've never considered that values are important or that excellence depends on a strong will to succeed. But I don't think I finished this book with any new thoughts or fresh inspiration. I still think the world of Ripken and didn't encounter anything objectionable in the book, but I'd steer folks towards dozens of other books that were more helpful, meaningful, and compelling to me than this one.

Quick question: Is the name Cap Ripken, Jr. familiar to you?

If so, you'll definitely want to read his latest, GET IN THE GAME:
8 ELEMENTS OF PERSEVERANCE THAT MAKE THE
DIFFERENCE . . . and even if the name is not familiar with
you, this is a book that you'll want to read and share
with youngsters.

Ripken is the Hall of Fame baseball player who broke Lou
Gehrig's record for most consecutive games played . . . throughout
the book, Ripken gives credit to Gehrig for inspiring him:

* Lou Gehrig and I are tied together with a consecutive-games
streak. The most important trait I have in common, I believe, was a
hard-work ethic. Lou once copied down three maxims that had
to do with hard work. He tried to live by them:

1. Strive and succeed.
2. Early to bed, early to rise.
3. Labor conquers everything.

Ripken also seemed to live by these, along with the following belief:

* In order to be successful and persevere in anything, it all starts with
the right values. You do the hard work. You do it with excellence.
You are honest, sincere, and you give it your all.

For instance, Ripken did that every day in practice. He always
fielded ground balls longer than anybody else, even after he
had many years of success in the major leagues.

I was touched by the fact that Ripken also gave much credit
for his success to his father: Carl Ripken, Sr. . . . even when
it came to shoveling snow, as a child, he was never allowed
to just get by . . . the snow had to be shoveled in just
the right way; i.e., so the entire sidewalk was done (and
not just a narrow path for walking).

The author contends that:

* I just played because I loved the game.

Wouldn't that be great if we all could find something that we
loved in a similar fashion . . . and then applied Ripken's
principles (many of them applicable to any situation)?

I actually got to hear the CD version of GET IN THE GAME,
which made it even more enjoyable for me--given the fact that Ripken
was the narrator . . . his sincerity came through with every word.

This book provides extremely useful guidelines in dealing with situations we all eventually run into in our lives. While alluding to baseball related examples, it does not simply dwell solely on recounting Mr. Ripken's impressive baseball accomplishments or relate amusing/interesting anecdotes. Instead it gives thought-provoking insights into two all too fast-disappearing basic axioms in our country's psyche: "practice makes perfect," and "do unto others." I highly recommend this book for everyone, especially young people still in their formative years. In fact, it presents an excellent opportunity for parents to reconnect with their child(ren) by reading it aloud and together, with discussion centering on each of the eight elements as they are completed.

Really enjoyed the book. Great stories, excellent points on persevering. Cal Ripkin is a real hero and family man. There are not too many like him in the sports arena. This book would make a great gift for guys in particular who love sports of any kind and especially baseball.

Ripkin's book opened the door to me not only for baseball but for ways to deal with work. What he has to say throughout this book (I got the audiobook and he was the reader) is all about one's approach to work. It's ultimately about self-respect.

This baseball player does not just say you've got to love your work. His work had glamour and prestige. Instead he relates everything he did, including his record for consecutive games played, to the values he lived by while in professional baseball.

To discuss values sounds hackneyed perhaps. But Cal Ripken actually does this well and makes a long-term impression. I found him entirely believable and genuine. He shows in this book how one individual can persevere and become a model for countless others.

Before listening to this book, I didn't understand professional baseball. Now I view it as a profession where success is impossible without an incredible work ethic, team spirit and ability to deal with setbacks. Ballplayers have a large set of possible setbacks including injury, management making changes beyond their control, dealing with losing streaks and a grueling schedule that imbalances other aspects of life.

Talent is not enough although it's necessary. Strong and good values are needed. It makes me want to go to a game just to feel the atmosphere and celebrate the players' professionalism.

I am not a sports fan but I did enjoy this book. I enjoyed the memoir-like stories woven in to illustrate the "elements of perseverance" by Ripken. While I cannot disagree with any of the elements that Ripken cites, I did notice that nothing was particularly new or revolutionary. Most of his points seem very much common sense and didn't necessarily give me a new or insightful perspective. That said, I would recommend this book - if for nothing more than the personal narrative.