On this date in 1996, Cal Ripken had one of his nearest - and goofiest - brushes with disaster in the midst of his record-setting streak of 2,632 consecutive games played. The setting was Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium for the 67th All-Star Game. The American Leaguers were leaving the field after a team photo. White Sox closer Roberto Hernandez slipped on an unsteady platform and flung his arms out in an attempt to steady himself. In the process, innocent bystander Cal was bashed flush on the nose by Hernandez's forearm. The Iron Man
suffered a bloodied and broken nose, but had it set and plugged with cotton and didn't even miss batting practice. Ripken demonstrated a self-deprecating sense of humor, telling reporters that his proboscis
"was never straight...But it's straighter than it was half an hour ago." He played into the seventh inning in that night's Midsummer Classic but went 0-for-3 as
the National League won 6-0. Let that be a lesson for us all: beware of
flying forearms.
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