What lies ahead for Ripken?

Comments

 SEE THE LATEST ON THIS STORY

EMAIL STORY

PRINT STORY

363 days ago: Ripken heading to China to talk baseball

439 days ago: Cooperstown: Ride of a lifetime

439 days ago: It was Cal’s day, but Baltimore was in spotlight

» 439 days ago: What lies ahead for Ripken? «

454 days ago: Tell us what Cal means to you

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (Map, News) - Cal Ripken Jr. acknowledged he doesn’t know what he’ll be doing in five years, but two Loyola College graduates have decided for him.

Wandering the grounds of the Clark Sports Center before Sunday’s induction, Tim Neilson and Mike Tanney, both 36, sent Ripken a message through their orange T-shirts.

On the front: “Congrats Cal! Now please save our team … Buy the Orioles (We’ll Chip In).” On the back, in jersey form: “Ripken (you’re our only hope) 8.”

Neilson and Tanney felt the message was as clear as the reasoning behind their support of Ripken as the Orioles’ owner.

“He’s a baseball guy,” said Tanney, an Arnold resident. “Cal’s going to want to win.”

After nine straight losing seasons, Neilson wants to see a return of the Oriole Way.

“He has the know-how to do it,” Neilson said. “It’s in the family, just look,” Neilson said

Ripken said he would love to be involved with a major league team, but only in the right situation. Ripken said he is content continuing to build Ripken Baseball, which develops youth baseball and owns professional minor league teams. Ripken, who already owns the Aberdeen IronBirds and Augusta (Ga.) GreenJackets, said he’s interested in purchasing another minor league team.

Ripken sees opportunity with his newest title: Hall of Famer.

“I’m a believer that such milestones open doors of opportunity for new and exciting endeavors,” Ripken said.

Ripken has been earmarked as a possible candidate for baseball commissioner once Bud Selig, who attended Ripken and Tony Gwynn’s induction ceremony here Sunday, steps down in 2009.

But most Orioles fans clamor for Ripken’s return to the Orioles, where he spent 21 seasons, cranking a club-record 431 home runs while playing in a record 2,632 straight games. However, Ripken said he has been not been contacted by the Orioles regarding any front office positions.

“Today is about celebrating the best that baseball has been and the best that baseball can be,” Ripken said. “I truly believe there are no endings, just points in which we begin again, as players do 162 times a season, and if they’re lucky, a few times again each fall.”

Click here to read Ripken's National Baseball Hall of Fame induction speech.

SEE THE LATEST ON THIS STORY

EMAIL STORY

PRINT STORY

363 days ago: Ripken heading to China to talk baseball

439 days ago: Cooperstown: Ride of a lifetime

439 days ago: It was Cal’s day, but Baltimore was in spotlight

» 439 days ago: What lies ahead for Ripken? «

454 days ago: Tell us what Cal means to you