Everyone is talking about No. 9 today, but on Tuesday night in Baltimore, it was all about No. 8.

Cal Ripken's No. 8 statue, to be more specific.

According to the Sun papers, a quartet of local miscreants uprooted Ripken's numeral from its base outside Camden Yards and carted it off in the back of a pickup truck for a night of fun in Charm City.

But not being the freshest crabcakes in the city, the foursome kept Ripken's number out in plain view — just like those KISS statues in Dazed and Confused — which led to a quick resolution of the case. 

From the Baltimore Sun: 

"Police discovered that the theft had been captured on surveillance video and a lookout was broadcast for a pickup truck. About an hour later, police responded to a call for men acting disorderly at Lombard and Elwood streets in East Baltimore. When officers arrived ... they saw the pickup truck and the No. 8 statue in the back.

"'They saw the big No. 8 and knew that was the property,' Guglielmi said."

I think we can all agree that the city of Baltimore has not seen a finer piece of detective work since Cole brought home the Mississippi extradition.

But can we also agree that Ripken deserves a lot more than just a boring number outside the park where he saved baseball? The amount of damage the No. 8 received during its night out is unknown, but here's saying the Orioles should take the opportunity to go ahead and commission a work of the man in bronze. Babe Ruth could use some company. 

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