If and when Cal Ripken Jr. concludes his consecutive-games streak, which could go far beyond a record 2,131, the question presents itself about his future relationship to baseball.
Will he be a goodwill ambassador for the Baltimore Orioles or one of those part-time training camp "advisers," much the way Joe DiMaggio, Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson were utilized in flunky roles by the New York Yankees?
Such an opportunity amounts to a guest-in-uniform appearance every February in Florida. It doesn't require much more than standing around the batting cage, answering questions, granting interviews, exchanging pleasantries with the players and signing autographs. Surprisingly, like coaching first base, they get paid for it.
But, in all seriousness, at some upcoming juncture, the Orioles may want to make Ripken their manager, even before he decides he doesn't want to play any more. So why not a playing-manager, something the Baltimore franchise hasn't had since Bucky Crouse was managing and catching for the Orioles of the International League.
Ripken has the ability and the personality to manage. His father, during a previous visit to his Aberdeen home, when asked what he thought of such a hypothetical possibility, answered, "I feel Junior would do just fine."
There's certainly no limit to the knowledge Ripken has of baseball and how it should be played. He is able to communicate, certainly an essential prerequisite, either directly to the players or via the coaches. If he decides that down the line he wants the job, the Orioles should give it to him -- regardless of whether such an appointment is perceived as a reward or a sentence.
Two of the most successful American League playing managers happened to be shortstops, Joe Cronin with Boston, Lou Boudreau with Cleveland. So why not, eventually, Ripken here ++ for the dual job? He plays the same position and understands how, why and when the proper strategical moves are made.
His popularity is established so he shouldn't be afraid of jeopardizing what he already has achieved. He has earned enormous respect as a player and an individual. Pressure is something else that wouldn't bother him. Not after all he has been through.
The chase after Lou Gehrig's endurance numbers put him directly in the firing line of having to deal with the press more than any player since Pete Rose or Mantle. He can handle that aspect, too, meaning the distractions and diversions that accompany what he's doing.
In fact, he has shown a personal side to America, his ability to be himself, while expressing the utmost respect for Gehrig's reputation, that continues to earn applause. The Ripken style, like the man himself, is genuine.
The record shows that the Orioles unceremoniously dumped Cal Ripken Sr. as manager after six games of the 1988 season. What a way to express their thanks for his long years and devotion to the organization. The firing was the work of the late Edward Bennett Williams, then the owner of the Orioles. Be reminded it was the same Williams who gave as a reason for hiring Ripken Sr. that he showed extreme self-control by not removing his necktie, while all others did, on the team's long flight for an exhibition tour to Japan. What a joke.
It's what can happen when you have lawyers trying to operate sports franchises. They don't understand the game nor can they identify with its nuances. Continuing to press on with the theme of Ripken Jr. as a future manager, he could then bring back his father as an assistant, or, as they are called in the modern lexicon of baseball, a "bench coach."
"I think it's an excellent idea to consider the Cal Ripken Jr. possibility," said Lou Grasmick, a former major-league pitcher. "I wouldn't think he'd have to be sent down to the minor leagues to learn how to manage. That's way overdone. Either you can do it or you can't. And in baseball, the same as in any other business, you can either lead or you can't."
Ripken Jr. is capable of managing right this minute. He doesn't need another inning of apprenticeship anywhere. Baseball has been his life. He'd be influenced by his father, up to a point, but when a decision had to be made he'd be his own man and manager.
There are unlimited reasons why Cal should be considered as the next manager of the Orioles, if and when a change is made. The portfolio is there and he deserves to be asked.
He may not be receptive, now or even next year, but down the line, after the clamor of chasing Gehrig has subsided and post-Phil Regan, he qualifies as the perfect fit.
