They arrived within days of each other in Bluefield, W. Va., the trainer and the infielder, starting careers that took different paths but traveled in the same direction. It was June 1978 and newly married Richie Bancells was starting his first season as an athletic trainer, arriving on the scene in time to hand Cal Ripken Jr. his first professional uniform.
Only in their wildest imaginations could either have predicted where those careers were headed, but almost 40 years later the similarity between the two is as undeniable as it is incredible. On his way to the Hall of Fame, Ripken would set an all-time record by playing in 2,632 consecutive games (3,001 total).
Quietly by comparison, Bancells launched a 34-year career, the last 30 as only the third (and longest-running) head athletic trainer in Orioles history (Eddie Weidner, 1954-1967, and Ralph Salvon, 1968-1987, preceded him). Bancells' tenure covers more than 5,500 regular-season games, which means that even with a few absences, Bancells has almost certainly seen more Orioles games than anyone in the organization's history.
