Hundreds of students took time from end-of-year exams and classes to get life lessons from two baseball Hall of Famers at Cobleskill-Richmondville High School on Friday.
Phil Niekro and Cal Ripken Jr. spent an hour telling 500 students that hard work, integrity and family support are keys to success in any field.
The two stars appeared courtesy of the Hall of Fame's "Be A Superior Example" program. "BASE" is an outreach effort in conjunction with the Hall's 75th anniversary this year.
Niekro, now 75, started with the Milwaukee Braves in 1964, moved with the Braves to Atlanta and later pitched with the Yankees, Indians and Blue Jays before retiring in 1987. Best known for his knuckleball, Niekro won 318 games and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997.
Ripken, 53, was a shortstop who played his entire career with Baltimore and broke Lou Gehrig's record of 2,130 consecutive games played, long thought to be never surpassed.
What did it take to get to the pinnacle of their profession? Both men credited their families.
"I had a great connection with my family. . .a lot of love," said Niekro, who grew up in a tiny Ohio town.
"We did everything as a family. They guided me." Their guidance "and a little bit of luck" made him a successful major leaguer.
Ripken said the same, pointing to the influence of his father, a major league coach and manager, and his brother, also a major leaguer.
"Being taught the right way is so important," Ripken said.
Looking back, Ripken added, maybe he took it for granted while playing for his dad and alongside his brother.
"Maybe I didn't realize how valuable that time was," he said. "Don't ever under estimate the power of family."
Niekro's brother, Joe, was also a successful major league pitcher. They grew up together, slept in the same bed and were best friends, Phil said.
They pitched against each other nine times, with Joe winning the match-ups 5-4. Joe also hit his only home run off. . .
"Guess who?" Phil said, to laughter from the audience.
But Joe died suddenly several years ago. Before the brothers parted, they told each other "I love you."
"Those were the last words he said to me, 'I love you,' " Phil said. "Tell people who are close to you that you love them. When you're leaving, you don't know what will happen the next day or next week."
Hard work is another element. Ripken noted that playing on TV in front of a national audience, "is your test.
"You have to prepare for it. If you haven't prepared, you won't succeed."
Niekro talked about going to spring training and seeing 300 young, eager players in camp.
"Somebody wanted my job. I realized I could be replaced, so I had to get my you-know-what in gear," he said.
Both men talked about sportsmanship, overcoming adversity, fitness, building character and the ability to direct your life.
"You all have the power to make yourself better," Ripken said, referring to nutrition and fitness. "You just have to make that decision."
And Niekro, on handling adversity:
"You can't control what happens to you, but you can control how you react to what happens to you. If you lose, realize you weren't defeated. Use negative moments to be a motivator for you."
The two former players touched on drugs, with Niekro recalling that teammates who smoked grass were soon out of the majors. Ripken noted a recent poll that showed 99 percent of young kids say doing drugs is wrong.
"That's a good thing," he said. "They've made a moral decision."
Friday's session wasn't entirely serious. Ripken and Niekro shared baseball stories and kidded one another at times.
In one exchange, Niekro remarked how occasionally he was hit hard as a pitcher.
"He hit a homer off me," Niekro said, jabbing a finger at Ripken.
"I hit a homer off you?" Ripken asked.
"Why not?" was the reply. "Everyone else did."
The Hall of Famers' visit was coordinated by Gayle Westervelt and Dale Wotherspoon at Cobleskill-Richmondville. From the Hall of Fame, putting the visit together were Brad Horn, vice president of Communication and Education at the Hall, and Richard Payne, former C-R teacher, who's in the Hall's education department.
Mr. Horn served as the emcee.