ST. PETERSBURG - Following an off-day commitment in Indiana, Baltimore Orioles third baseman Cal Ripken didn't arrive at his St. Petersburg hotel until 4 a.m. Tuesday.

Sure, he was tired. But Tuesday night at Tropicana Field, Ripken did what you might expect.

He signed a few hundred autographs.

He played.

He received a standing ovation - and tipped his batting helmet to the crowd - with flashbulbs popping all around.

Generally, he was Cal Ripken. He went 1-for-4 - hitting safely for the 44th time in his last 49 games - in a x-x loss to the Devil Rays.

Since June 19, when he announced his retirement at season's end, Ripken's ``Farewell Tour'' rarely has disappointed. After the All-Star break, he has homered in each visiting city - Atlanta, Florida, Texas, Anaheim and Kansas City.

``I can't explain it,'' said Ripken, who turns 41 on Friday. ``I guess I'm just enjoying the game of baseball. It has been a case of getting an ovation, you step back in the box and something good happens.

``It has been a positive environment and you can draw energy from the stands. You see the signs that come out like `Thanks For The Memories' or `We'll Miss You' and they pull at your heartstrings a little bit.''

Ripken joked that he's still set on retirement - ``unless I hit 75 home runs'' - and said he has come to savor the final visit to each city.

Although the Devil Rays only began playing in 1998, Ripken has some long-standing memories of St. Petersburg. In 1973, he was a 12-year-old member of the North Carolina state championship team that played in the Little League Southern Regionals at Al Lang Field. His first professional home run was hit at the Payson Complex during Instructional League play. And there were several spring training games, too.

Ripken won't allow himself to imagine his final game or final at-bat. ``I can defer those feelings to a time that's far away,'' he said. ``I'm just going moment to moment.''

Orioles manager Mike Hargrove said Ripken definitely will play in Thursday's formal Cal Ripken Tribute Night - ``unless he's dead'' - but it's uncertain whether Ripken will play tonight.