Skeptics say that Cal Ripken Jr. is too old to be playing baseball for a living, that he stands like a statue at third base, that he should have retired years ago, that he fits in better at Madame Tussaud's than in the American League starting lineup.

I confess, I'm one of those skeptics. And I'm not the only one -- when Cal dug in to face Chan Ho Park in the bottom of the third inning, as the cheers cascaded through Safeco Field, my colleague Seth Wickersham leaned over and said, "I bet you Cal goes 0-for-4."

Crack!

Ripken blasted Park's first pitch into the National League bullpen, 400 feet deep into left center -- and into history. At 40, he became the oldest man to homer in an All-Star Game.

The blast set off a delirious celebration in this jewel of a ballpark, and not just in the stands. The AL stars, all 47 of them, mobbed Ripken when he waded back into the dugout. Don Zimmer was smiling so broadly, you'd think he'd lose his chaw.

It was 6:22 p.m. Ripken was still old, but the night was young.

Jon Scher is editor of ESPNMAG.com. E-mail him at jon.scher@espnmag.com.