Ripken: Jeter an All-Star this year, plus more early-season thoughts

One thing that is great for the game is all the young stars playing today. They're fun to watch and I'm curious to watch them. It's remarkable that these guys

Cali Ripken's Orioles and Derek Jeter's Yankees faced off in the 1996 ALCS in which Jeter hit a controversial Game 1 home run that played a key role in New York's series win :: Rusty Kennedy/AP

One thing that is great for the game is all the young stars playing today. They're fun to watch and I'm curious to watch them. It's remarkable that these guys at a young age can come to the big leagues and have an impact on their team immediately and a real big impact offensively and defensively. Those guys -- like Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and Jose Fernandez -- will be in All-Star Games against each other for many years. They'll benefit and the fans will benefit too.