Bob Dole: “my mother had a phrase she used to repeat. "Can't never could do anything," she told us. I have tried to live by those…”

“my mother had a phrase she used to repeat. "Can't never could do anything," she told us. I have tried to live by those words throughout my life, and I want to pay tribute today to someone else who doesn't know how to say "can't." For over half a century, baseball experts have said that one record that could never be broken was the great Lou Gehrig's record of playing in 2,130 consecutive games. As all baseball fans know, that record was tied last night, and will be broken tonight by Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr. In every game played by the Orioles since May 30, 1982, Cal Ripken has taken the field and done his job with dedication and with excellence. No doubt about it, as a baseball player, Cal Ripken is a superstar. But more importantly, he is also a superstar as a human being, a husband, a father, and a role model. Make no mistake about it, like most professional athletes, Cal Ripken is very well paid. But you cannot watch him play without thinking that he would still be out there, trying as hard as he can, if he was not paid at all. And Cal's commitment to baseball does not end on the field. As a goodwill ambassador for a game that desperately needs one, he freely gives his time to countless charities, and throughout this season, Cal has stayed in the stadium for hours after games, signing autographs for every fan who wanted one. I know that all Members of the Senate join with me in tipping our hats to Cal.”