The Ripken Way Essays - Cal Ripken Jr., Cal Ripken Sr., Billy Ripken

The Ripken Way Essays - Cal Ripken Jr., Cal Ripken Sr., Billy Ripken The Ripken Way The first book I read this summer was a non-fiction piece written by Cal Ripken Sr., called the Ripken Way. There are many ways in which mr. Ripken posseses qualitites that are very human: he was a normal person, just like anybody else, not just an extraordinary baseball player and manager; he was married to a wife and had four children. He was a hard worker, and through out the book he has an emphasis on working hard in life in order to be successful, and lastly, he was a very unique person, in many ways. First, when most people think of Cal Ripken, they think of one of the all time great baseball players, and he was that. But, he was also just an ordinary person, with a normal life. Like most other people, he was married to a wife, and also had four children. He was just not a ball player, he was a dedicated husband and father that did the best he could to raise his kids and teach them the correct way to do things, and teach them the lessons in life. He was a busy man, because of his baseball carear, he had lots of time taken away from his family as both a baseball player and as a manager. He took advantage of any time he got to spend time with his children. An example of this was when he was managing, and ran baseball clinics. He decided to take the difficult task of not only attending these baseball clinics, but also taking his children so he could be with them. As busy as he was, he took time out of his extremely busy life to get quality time with his family, this took much sacrif ice, but it's a human traight, like any other man, not matter what he may be doing. Secondly, in the book, Cal explains how he brought up his children and enstilled the correct values inisde them in order to be successful (as well as instructing baseball players on how to improve their game while simaltaniously teaching life lessons that apply both on and off the baseball field). An example is his son, Cal Ripken jr., whom was brought up around the sport of baseball, and that was a huge advantage, but, he wasn't always the biggest athlete on the team. As a matter of fact, when he was a young high school student, he had a poor batting average, a weak arm, lacked in some basic skills, and wasn't too tall either. But, as he was raised by his father, he learned propper and neccessary life values in order to suceed in whatever he does. If his father taught him one thing, it would be to work hard and work at whatever your weak at over and over again (correctly; the right way). Cal had worked hard, the skills he lacked, he drilled correctly and repeatidly until he had got the skills he needed. He worked out more, and bulked up, and, if he had any questions, he asked them and got all of his problems straightened out if anything had confused him. Eventually when he was a senior, he had the best batting average on the team, was one of the biggest players, and had developed all the skills he had needed from all of the hard work. Lastly, Cal was a unique person, in many ways. He was a loving father and husband, and also a tough person, who makes mistakes sometimes, like everybody else. He has done things that many other men would never do. Some things he has done weren't the smartest things to do, but he felt was the right thing to do. One example that can describe this is how he reacts to getting hit by a baseball. Everybody knows (whether you're a player or not) that when you're batting, and a high speed fast ball is pitched at you, and hits you, it hurts. Cal, however, has a different view; even though he has been hit and has admitted it's painful, he was just stick to his opinion, that the ball only weighs five-and-a-quater onces, how much can it hurt? Another display of

Here are 10 Good Trees Gone Bad

Here are 10 Good Trees Gone Bad Planting the wrong tree in the wrong place is a guarantee for future tree removal. Tree removal is, at best, expensive to buy and can be very dangerous if you decide to do it yourself - plus it is back breaking work. A lot of trouble and anxiety can be avoided by planting the appropriate tree in your yard to start with. Bad Tree Characteristics All trees have good and bad characteristics. It is a rare tree that will satisfy your needs throughout its entire life span. A tree can outgrow its original purpose very quickly or grow into its intended purpose very slowly. Understanding this concept is the key to proper tree planting in your yard. Ask yourself these questions when selecting a yard tree: Do I want a trees fruit and leaves to deal with as it matures? Am I willing to plant a fast growing tree but eventually have to deal with its constantly breaking and sprouting from roots? Do I have the space for a large and spreading tree? Trees People Regret Planting Here are ten trees that many homeowners have regretted planting. Think long and hard before planting these trees in your yard.Hackberry  - Although Celtis occidentalis is an important tree in regions where alkaline soils are problematic, it is a poor substitute  when other species are options. The tree has weak wood and messy in the landscape. It grows very large and hard to manage in the landscape. Norway Maple  - Acer platanoides was introduced into North Ameria over 200 years ago and has aggressively spread taking over native maple populations. The invasive nature of the tree degrades most landscapes over time. Silver Maple  -  Acer saccharinum is a maple with some of the weakest wood of the native North American maple. It  has a very short natural life and suffers continually from breakage and disease. Mimosa   -  Albizia julibrissin  or silk tree is a warm-climate invasive exotic and was widely planted for its beautiful flower and beauty in the landscape. It is subject to a major wilt disease and very messy in the landscape. Lombardy poplar   -  Populus nigra  Ã‚  is a North American exotic with absolutely no redeeming  features according to most horticulturists. It has been planted mainly as a windbreak but is short-lived and quickly loses even that ability. Leyland cypress  -  Cupressocyparis leylandii  has been widely planted as hedges over the last three decades. It is now out of favor to plant in all but the most expansive   landscapes. Planting them too close and a major disease makes them undesirable in the urban landscape.   Pin Oak  -  Quercus palustris is actually a very beautiful tree under optimal conditions. Like Leyland cypress, the oak needs a large area in maturity and is subject sensitive  to many soil  conditions common to many yards and landscapes. Cottonwood  -  Populus deltoides   is another weak-wooded tree, messy, massive and has an overwhelming spring shedding of reproductive parts. It still is a favorite  where trees are scarce. Willow  -  Salix  spp. is a beautiful weeping tree in the right landscape, especially in wetlands and near aquatic ecosystems. For these same reasons, it does not make a desirable yard tree because of the need for space and for its destructive tendency to destroy water pipes. Black Locust  -  Robinia pseudoacacia  has a place on our native forests, and even there can become invasive. This tree of thorns really has no place in a landscape enjoyed by visitors. It is also a heavy sprouter/seeder and can quickly overtake even large landscapes.