By ELIZABETH VALK LONG President

It's hard to imagine anyone better suited than senior writer Steve Wulf to profile Cal Ripken Jr. on the eve of the Orioles star's coronation as baseball's all-time king of endurance. Like his subject, Wulf has more than a passing familiarity with stamina. Wulf produced more than 500 stories during his 17 years at our sister publication SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. And though he has written on basketball, football, sailing and golf since coming to TIME last January (not to mention children's TV and the Susan Smith murder case), the game he has always been most passionate about is baseball.

Wulf's office, in fact, is a virtual museum of baseball memorabilia and paraphernalia, including a 5 1/2-ft.-long Louisville Slugger and a collection of antique fielders' gloves and catchers' masks. He is also the co-author, along with LIFE managing editor Daniel Okrent, of Baseball Anecdotes (Oxford University Press; 1989). In that compendium, now considered a classic, the authors called Lou Gehrig's record of playing in 2,130 consecutive games during the 1920s and 1930s "unapproachable." Wulf does deserve credit for spotting Ripken's ability, if not his potential as an endurance champ, back in 1982, when the rookie was still in spring training. "He'll make people notice him," Wulf wrote at the time, quoting an Orioles coach.

One of the most impressive things about Ripken's 13-year streak, says Wulf, is that unlike Gehrig, Ripken is frequently forced to play day games after having played late the night before. But Cal has nothing on Steve: more than once, Wulf has stayed awake until 4 a.m. on Saturday finishing a story for TIME only to get up a few hours later for...more baseball. As a coach for his son Bo's Little League team, Wulf has sometimes had to be on the field at 7:45 a.m. He thus can be excused for botching the occasional signal. "There was one time when the runner was coming into third base from second and I neglected to tell him to stop," Wulf says. "He ran right over third base and into the opposing team's bench, where he was tagged out."

By the middle of this week, Ripken's quest for a place in the record books will be decided, but Wulf is convinced that Cal could go on to set a truly unapproachable record. "I think he can play several more years, barring injuries," says Wulf. "His range is as good as ever." As we think you'll agree when you read his story, the same can be said of Wulf.