Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably seen one of Lamar Jackson’s highlights this season. The Baltimore Ravens quarterback lit the NFL world on fire for his crazy playmaking ability on the ground and his progression as a passer through the air. In all, Jackson led Baltimore to a franchise-best 14-2 record, No. 1 seed, tons of broken records and very likely an MVP award this season to become the star of both the town and the league.
Longtime Baltimore sports fans will remember a different No. 8 drawing national attention, however. Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. — baseball’s iron man — has been the face of the town’s sports accomplishments in spite of the Ravens being the far better franchise over the last 24 years. But according to Ripken himself, it’s Jackson’s time now and he’s given his blessing to make Jackson Baltimore’s new poster boy.
“It’s his time, though. He is No. 8. He’s the No. 8 in Baltimore now,” Ripken told The Athletic’s Dan Connolly.
Back in July, Jackson threw out the first pitch before an Orioles home game against the Washington Nationals. Posing in front of Ripken’s statue, Jackson tweeted out thanks to the Hall of Famer for letting him wear the No. 8 jersey. After nearly two decades since Ripken last played, he was happy to just be remembered at all, much less by another superstar.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve played, so it makes me feel good. I always think of the question I got asked all the time at the end of my career: ‘When it’s all said and done, how would you like to be remembered?’ And I said, ‘Being remembered at all is pretty cool,’” Ripken said per Connolly. “That is how I felt with Lamar. To remember me and to look at me as No. 8, I thought that was pretty cool.”
There are some striking similarities between the two athletes, outside of wearing the same number. Both players had great starts to their careers, earning league-wide recognition with the Pro Bowl and All-Star nominations. Ripken won the AL MVP award at 23 years old while Jackson is a favorite to win the NFL’s MVP award after just turning 23 years old earlier in January.
But perhaps the biggest similarity is their humility, something Jackson earned specific praise for this season in the face of both highs and lows. Count Ripken among those that were amazed at Jackson’s ability to stay humble and level-headed regardless of the situation.
“He’s real. It doesn’t seem like he gets caught up in all the buzz and all that kind of stuff,” Ripken said, according to Connolly. “Sometimes things don’t go right. Sometimes some teams play better than you. And so, I always think he handles himself well. He’s humble. But I think he knows how good he is.”
Baltimore has a great history with the No. 8 and it seems like it’s just beginning for the new guy in town. Much like the rest of the town, Ripken is excited to see what Jackson can continue to do.
“I can’t wait until next year.”
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