Oddly, Ripken actually denied the story on NPR this week, making it clear he has not, in fact, ever punched Kevin Costner. We love that Ripken actually discussed it on the national airwaves.

For fun, here's the best part of the tale:

Cal told [the Orioles owner] it would be impossible to come in, so there went the streak. The owner told him not to worry, he would take care of it. That night, the game was canceled because of "electrical failure," even though hotels and restaurants that were a part of Camden Yards were fine and running.

Cal and his wife are still together, and the story is false. That didn't stop it from coming on NPR. As we said: We love urban legends.

Ripken Denies Beating The Crap Out Of Kevin Costner [The Foul Pole]
The Cost(ner) Of Love [Snopes]

We keep forgetting that TBS is going to be showing a ton of baseball games this year — along with the Division Series and the NLCS — and Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn are going to be the main analysts. Gwynn and Chip Carey are the lead broadcasters, and Ripken's gonna be the studio guy with Ernie Johnson. We suspect he will dial it down somewhat from Charles Barkley.

Who's not listed here, by the way? Harold Reynolds! We were hoping Harold would find a spot on the roster, but apparently, he's been put in the Do Not Call list. We don't know about you, but having baseball back reminds us how much we kinda miss him.

TBS Lands Ripken, Gwynn [SI.com]

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch appears to have jumped the gun on Hall of Fame voting results — and they don't have final totals — but it looks like there's no surprise: Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken are in ... and, obviously, Mark McGwire is out. (And likely not close.) Actual announcement in about five minutes.

UPDATE: Final totals are in:

Cal Ripken: 98.5 percent
Tony Gwynn: 97.6 percent

Falling just short: Goose Gossage, at 71.2 percent. You need 75 percent to make it. Next year, Goose.

As for Mark McGwire ... he's at 23 percent. That's enough to keep him on the ballot next year.