Cal Speaks

[treasure07]

Roch chimes in too and includes the statement.

http://masnsports.com/school_of_roch/2010/04/ripkens-response.html

[Eddie_Ripken]

I'm not even sure the sources made it up. I bet they took something out of context.

You got to love the (for him) biting jab he takes with the very first line, though. Good for him for pointing that out.

I didn't get a chance to read through the original thread that came out over the weekend....but my feeling on the "I don't want Cal to get the credit" thing is this...and I am not the biggest Angelos supporter(although since hiring MacPhail he gets some of my respect back).....I think Angelos is saying he wouldn't want Cal getting any undeserved credit that MacPhail should get for laying the groundwork to get where we are or will be....which I fully respect and understand if that's what his intention is. You know 80% of the public will see that Cal came back and they will think all of a sudden he made the difference when we all know that's not true. And it's not fair to MacPhail and I think that's what Angelos is saying....if indeed it was said.

I don't think Angelos is saying he thinks Cal would want the credit and I don't think he is saying he doesn't want Cal to get credit...I think he is saying he doesn't want the general public to view it as Cal turning it around just because he's Cal ripken, while in the meantime MacPhail goes unnoticed.

[KurtCDavidson]

Wow, what a joke.

There have been nothing but firm denials from everyone involved in this.

I don't think that Rosenthal made this up, but I certainly do think that his sources did. Or at least, made up the obvious BS about "Angelos not wanting Cal to get credit". The sources probably knew that meetings were going on between Cal, Peter, and Andy and also knew that Cal hasn't rejoined the organization yet. That's all.

I think if you read between the lines, Cal probably approached Angelos with either a partial ownership or GM successor proposition. Pretty much everything that has been said on all sides could be true if this was the case. I could see the "Angelos not wanting Cal to get credit" as an offhanded remark made by Cal that was a gross overstatement, but also a reflection of his disappointment.

Let's not forget that if Cal is angling for an ownership stake, he has a horse in this PR race as well.

The general stink of this reminds me why I don't want Cal to rejoin the organization. I want him to stay pristine. I don't want a Michael Jordan/Kwame Brown incident to go down and tarnish his legacy.

[backwardsk]

I think if you read between the lines, Cal probably approached Angelos with either a partial ownership or GM successor proposition. Pretty much everything that has been said on all sides could be true if this was the case. I could see the "Angelos not wanting Cal to get credit" as an offhanded remark made by Cal that was a gross overstatement, but also a reflection of his disappointment.

Let's not forget that if Cal is angling for an ownership stake, he has a horse in this PR race as well.

The general stink of this reminds me why I don't want Cal to rejoin the organization. I want him to stay pristine. I don't want a Michael Jordan/Kwame Brown incident to go down and tarnish his legacy.

Kwame for closer!

[Slappy]

When I try to think about motivations, I come to one conclusion:

Cal will be coming back to the Orioles, and at a very high level of the organization, probably ownership.

First, you have PA saying, basically, that Cal is above a secondary position. PA himself in effect said that if Cal is going to come back, it's going to be at the top.

Second, you have Ripken flatly confirming that, for all intents and purposes, he IS going to come back to the Orioles.

Those are the, only slightly interpreted, main themes here.

Then you can go into conjecture. For one, Peter Angelos is into his mid-80's and has to be thinking about the ownership of the Orioles after himself. Say what you want about him, he is a Baltimore man. And he knows that having Ripken at the top is a very Baltimore move. It puts a highly respected, local hero in his shoes and is a pretty effective guard against the team being moved for whatever reasons.

Then, I don't see Ripken as a GM. He has post-baseball experience in the administrative aspects with his Academy and with the Ironbirds. He would seem to make a good President, someone who sets the priorities for the organization but is not actively involved in the day-to-day.

And on Baseball Tonight last night, Kurkjian said he is almost positive that Cal will own the Orioles in the near future.

Anyway, that's one guy's take on the situation...

[Miller192]

Lots of thoughts on this after reading Cal’s statement:

It seems to me that Cal is looking to move back into MLB sooner than later. It also appears to me that he’s going to entertain other options with other MLB clubs. Maybe the Orioles are his first choice but I’m getting the feeling that he might not end up here.

Secondly, I really don’t know what Cal Ripken brings to the table to a MLB club. I really don’t. He was a fantastic baseball player and an even better ambassador for the sport. Maybe you bring the guy along slowly for a front office position but I don’t know that he would be any more qualified than guys who are currently filling those positions. Maybe he’s someone on the player development side. I don’t know. There’s no void that the Orioles have that says to me “go get Cal.” I felt differently when MacPhail was brought on board, I really felt he was what this organization needed.

I never bought into the “not getting credit “ thing. That sounds more like an upset source who was just spewing information. I don’t doubt that Cal may have been turned down but I don’t think that’s the end of the world. If we were able to sit in on these meetings, I think this situation would look better than it has over the last couple of days.

Maybe Cal’s the guy the Orioles can parade around and draw fans back in. Go ahead and do it. It won’t help the team on the field but it certainly can’t hurt.

[NewMarketSean]

I am relieved to hear Cal saying that the Rosenthal report was not true -- but I still think there is more than meets the eye here. Cal never mentioned the position that his talks with Angelos and MacPhail were about, and the Rosenthal story seems to say that there was a well-definied position that Cal was interested in taking.

I just can't believe that Rosenthal would print a story based on unreliable sources.

[Mackus]

It also appears to me that he’s going to entertain other options with other MLB clubs. Maybe the Orioles are his first choice but I’m getting the feeling that he might not end up here.

What indications are there that this is the case?

[Miller192]

What indications are there that this is the case?

“I have been consistent in my statements about a return to baseball since my retirement in 2001. With my son Ryan approaching the end of high school in a couple of years I have been thinking more seriously about a return to the big league game. I am more excited now to explore all opportunities and find the right situation that could lead me to the next phase of my life.”

I'm getting the feeling that he's ready to move into a position now and there might not be one with the Orioles at the moment. Terms like "all opportunities" and "finding the right situation" say that to me.

Just my impression. I'm not carving it in stone.

[Moose Milligan]

I just think that Rosenthal has better things to do with his time other than sitting around going...."Hmmmmm, how can I make the Orioles look bad today? I KNOW! I'm going to write a phony article and put my reputation on the line and say that the knuckledragger owner, Peter Angelos, won't hire the most popular Oriole EVER. That'll really shake things up."

[TonySoprano]

Ripken, "yes the subject has been broached about me potentially joining the organization. I look forward to those talks continuing."

Angelos,"What the story said is Cal proposed that to Andy [MacPhail], and I find that to be unbelievable, that Cal would somehow take a secondary or minor role in operation of the Orioles or any other ballclub. He certainly has the stature or the background where he could ask for or seek to be the top of the operations of any major league club."

[clapdiddy]

Looks like Schmuck is looking between the lines as well:

Shmuck's Take

[Miller192]

Looks like Schmuck is looking between the lines as well:

Shmuck's Take

LOL! How about that first comment?

I'm going to teach my kids to say that everynight before they go to bed.

[The Wedge]

I just think that Rosenthal has better things to do with his time other than sitting around going...."Hmmmmm, how can I make the Orioles look bad today? I KNOW! I'm going to write a phony article and put my reputation on the line and say that the knuckledragger owner, Peter Angelos, won't hire the most popular Oriole EVER. That'll really shake things up."

I don't think he did that either, but I do think that his opinions on Angelos made it easier for him to see the bad side there and jump all over it. Let's face it, this won't hurt his rep, because it'll come down to his sources "getting it wrong."

[tvz1997]

Rosenthal stands by his story and is writing a column on the subject that will appear on FOXSports.com later today.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/MLB-latest-news-from-April-040310

Well, this should be fun.

At this point, it seems that at least one of these four parties must be lying: the unidentified "sources", Ken Rosenthal, Peter Angelos, or Cal Ripken. I think that is pretty much the order of their credibilities, lowest to highest.