Cal Ripken Japan

The Japanese people are very special. The strength and honor that they have demonstrated as they work through the tragedy of March 11 is remarkable. They are a very friendly people who love their baseball just like us.

Today we put on our final youth clinic of this incredible trip and it was one of my favorite days because it took place in Kiyoto, the hometown of my friend, Sachio Kinugasa, the Japanese "Iron Man".

After passing through the devastation caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan we didn't know what to expect when we reached the local school and the young kids who lost so much.

I hope that our being there gives them a little break from the realities of the day and lets them know that people from around the world care about them and the Japanese people overall.

We just wrapped up a busy first day in Japan. Following the press conference we headed out to work with kids on a couple of clinics.