Ripken: I Was Bullied at Aberdeen High

Cal Ripken played in 2,632 straight games, earning him the nickname "The IronMan."

But apparently before his two MVP awards, his 431 home runs and 19 all-star appearances, Ripken was like many high school freshmen.

Ripken told ESPN.com recently that he was bullied while in ninth grade at .

"I was a freshman who had made the varsity team, so I was a boy really playing with men. It became an environment to be picked on," Ripken told ESPN.

He said he was hung by his feet in a stairwell, some 20 feet above the ground, and "All the stuff in my pockets came out."

Ripken told ESPN he didn't tell anyone about the hazing, but remembered it later when he was in a position of authority.

"Anything you do that is demeaning to someone else is wrong," he said in the ESPN story. "I don't believe you can build a team with that attitude."

Ripken recently released a new book: "Super-sized Slugger," about a high schooler bullied for being unique.

Ripken will be

Ripken, who was born in Havre de Grace, spent much of his youth in , and was drafted out of high school in the second round of the 1978 amateur draft.

Ripken, 51, is the founder and chairman of Ripken Baseball, which includes and the in Aberdeen amongst its assets.

The is held in Aberdeen every August.

Ripken led to the 1978 state title before he was drafted by the Orioles.

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