Many things go into the making of a great ballplayer. If you check out the intensity in Cal Ripken Jr.'s steel blue eyes as he tracks an incoming BP pitch in this 1983 photo, you'll know why Ripken's Hall of Fame career lasted nearly 20 years. This also might help explain how Ripken could rack up a record 2,632 consecutive games played. In this, Ripken's second season with the Orioles, his intensity won him the MVP award the Orioles a world championship, as he hit .316 with 27 homers and 102 RBIs. Ripken signed his name and the date "6/26/83" in blue marker, with the signature rating a solid 9.