Are you suggesting that there may have been games during the streak in which the Orioles would have been better served by Mr. Ripkin sitting out?
That's exactly what I'm implying.
Every baseball player loses his mechanics for a period. In baseball these periods usually last a couple of weeks...then the player gets in a zone where the pitch looks likes it's coming at your in slow motion...the size of a grapefruit.
There were many games that Cal Ripken...for his numbers vs. left handed pitching for example...or his pathetic slumps lasting months should have been sat down...if only to remind him that he was one guy among 25 (or 40).
But with his father and brother around and THE STREAK, things were juggled to accomodate him.
He never rode the team bus and stayed in separate hotels under the auspices that he would then not be a distraction to the rest of the guys.
How many 3rd basemen did the O's go thru during his tenure? DOZENS.
Yes, Cal Ripken served a purpose and may have "saved baseball".
All I'm saying is that for a time, he was only on the field to sell tickets...because his offense sucked.
The year before Davey Johnson finally moved him over to 3rd, his range was a comedy routine.