Cal Ripken Jr

Baltimore Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. admitted Friday that he'd "answer the phone" if the Washington Nationals reached out to him about their managerial vacancy this offseason.

Lou Gehrig's record stood for a half-century, and it felt like it had been there forever.

Cal Ripken Jr.'s record has stood for 20 years, and it feels like...wait, has it really been 20 years since that fabulous night when he passed Gehrig by playing in his 2,131st consecutive game?

"It seems like yesterday in one way," Ripken said. "And then there's the realization that it's been 20 years."

Earlier today, Bleacher Report had an exclusive opportunity to speak with 19-time American League All-Star and Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr.

Aside from Ripken's broadcasting work, the former iron man is working with Transitions adaptive lenses, spreading awareness about eyesight problems and encouraging parents to remain diligent with testing their children.

Cal Ripken Jr. joins Behind the Mic just as MLB holds one of its most celebrated events in New York City, the 2013 MLB All-Star Game. While Cal was obviously in town for the game, he was also in town because he's been working on providing children in need with eye exams and new eyeglasses fitted with Transitions lenses while teaching the kids life lessons through baseball.

One of the great characteristics about the game of baseball is that families enjoy it together, whether a father taking his son to his first big league game, or fathers, sons and brothers sharing baseball on the diamond.

A father's pride.  A son's rise to stardom in his father's footsteps.  Brothers bonding on the diamond.  These timeless themes have captivated baseball fans for generations.

Here now is a ranking of the greatest baseball families ever.

The 1980's cannot be thirty years in the past already, can they?

Surely there's been some mistake; say it ain't so, Peter Ueberroth.  Please tell me Cheers and The Cosby Show are still atop the ratings, Bruce Springsteen is still The Boss, and Major League Baseball still has 26 teams, four divisions, no interleague play and no wild card.  Or if you can't say all that, at least pretend for the sake of argument.

by Matt Webb

The Home Run Derby is a yearly event that captivates the nation like few others. People are naturally attracted to the long ball, and seeing the sluggers duke it out to see who is the game's biggest bopper is a great thrill.

The first incarnation was a television show in the 1960's that showed the best hitters of the day competing for cash prizes by seeing who could hit the most big flies. Hank Aaron was the most successful, winning six straight competitions, and Mickey Mantle also won a few.

Yesterday we did the All-Time National League All-Star Game Starting Lineup, based on which players had the most All-Star Game starts, by position.

Today, we look at the American League team.

Begin Slideshow

The San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies face off this weekend in a match-up featuring a bewildering assortment of player related in some way to other players, including Will Venable, Tony Gwynn Jr., Jayson Werth, Scott and Jerry Hairston, and Padres coach Glenn Hoffman.

Nevertheless, with Ken Griffey Jr., announcing his retirement on Wednesday, the era of Major League sons truly comes to a close.