Cal Ripken Is Slowly Taking Over the World

No one doubts that Cal Ripken is a great ambassador for the game of baseball, but does he have what it takes to be an ambassador to the world? Condoleeza Rice thinks so:

Rice on Monday will make Ripken a Special Sports Envoy to the Department of State, the public relations firm that represents Ripken, Maroon PR, said in a statement Thursday.

The former Baltimore Orioles star will be asked to help the game grow at the grass-roots level. Ripken will reach out to a worldwide audience of young people; his first trip will be to China this fall.

[...] Rice last year asked figure skater Michelle Kwan to serve as a Public Diplomacy Envoy. Kwan's task is to try to improve the United States' image abroad by sharing her experiences as a skater.

I don't entirely understand the purpose of his new role (why does the U.S. really care if little kids in China grow up playing baseball?), but I suppose if Kwan is fit for the job, so is Ripken. Hell, if I were him, I'd do it just for the diplomatic immunity (that's part of the package, right?).

But will hearing about Ripken's baseball experiences actually change people's opinion about America? Or will they just think that we're really, really boring? "It all started when I played in a game. And then the next day, I played again. And the next day, I played again. And the next day ..."