Cal Ripken Jr. makes surprise Rochester stop

• Baseball's "Iron Man" stopped at Jeremiah's Tavern during a visit to Rochester Institute of Technology.
• Rochester resident Erin Bergen meets Cal Ripken Jr. and has also met former Bears QB Jim McMahon.
• Cal Ripken Jr's son plays first baseman for the Auburn Doubledays of the New York-Penn League.

It was a visit no one was expecting but by the time Cal Ripken Jr. paid for his meal pretty much everyone knew baseball's Iron Man had just eaten at Jeremiah's Tavern.

Erin Bergen was meeting her friend, Jen Sarkis, about 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Monroe Avenue restaurant when she spotted the former Rochester Red Wing and Major League Hall of Famer famously known for playing in a record 2,632 consecutive games.

"As we sat down, I’m like: 'Oh. My. God. I'm pretty sure that’s Cal Ripken Jr.,' " said Bergen, a 37-year-old Rochester resident. "Honestly, I felt really bad for the girl I was eating with. Half the time she was talking I couldn’t concentrate."

Bergen kept looking over thinking how she might approach Ripken.

After all, she grew up on the Rochester Red Wings and is a fan of the Baltimore Orioles, even after the affiliation between the teams ended years ago.

A bit nervous, she asked for a picture after he paid for his meal. Ripken then asked if he can sit with her.

"Um, yeah?!?" she recalled, saying.

He comes over and whispers to Bergen, "By the way, you were the first one to notice."

He also signed some autographs and took photos with other people at the restaurant.

Ripken was in town on a recruiting trip meeting lacrosse coaches at the Rochester Institute of Technology with a family friend. A publicist for the former ball player described it as a personal visit.

"I'm just sitting there working and Steve Jaynes (of RIT sports information) says, 'There’s somebody here to see you,' which is typical. We have people walk up all the time," RIT lacrosse coach Jake Coon recalled. "He introduced himself as Cal Ripken and at first I thought it was a joke. Then I realized it really was Cal Ripken. It was a pretty cool experience."

They sat and talked for about an hour, mostly about Ripken's young athlete friend and RIT, Coon said.

Coon said he wasn’t sure of Ripken’s relationship with the young man other than being "a family friend."

For Ripken to take the time to do that impressed Coon, who said the visitors must have driven up to Rochester because they mentioned stopping at Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, earlier in the day. Coon admitted he needed to collect his composure a bit once he realized it was really Ripken.

"It’s not every day that a Hall of Famer walks into your office," Coon said. "What a nice guy, though. I was very impressed with his demeanor. He was a very nice and genuine man."

Ripken developed an affinity for chicken wings back when he played for the Red Wings. He even had some delivered to Frontier Field at least once when the Orioles were back in Rochester for exhibition games with their former longtime Triple-A affiliate. True to form, he asked Coon where he could get some good wings and Coon told him Jeremiah’s.

Over the years, Ripken also made a number of charitable visits to Rochester but these days he has another connection to the region.

His son, Ryan, plays first base for the Auburn Doubledays of the New York-Penn League. The left-handed first baseman was drafted two years ago by the Washington Nationals. Churchville-Chili grad Tim Redding is a pitching coach for the Doubledays.

Bergen, a teacher's assistant at West Irondequoit schools, said it isn't the first time she has met a professional athlete in Rochester. She was introduced to former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon twice while working as a bartender at Salinger's on East Avenue.

McMahon was in town for charitable golf tournaments. During some off time, he took photos and played pool with those at Salinger's, Bergen said.

"You see stories all the time of people that are larger than life who are not nice to the people who have supported them for so long," Bergen said. "It's cool to see people that are real people."

TCLAUSEN@Gannett.com

JDIVERON@Gannett.com​