Cal Ripken Jr. does not like to see the constant change among the Orioles front office and managerial staffs.However, the Hall of Fame shortstop does have faith that his former team may finally be moving in the right direction with the recent hiring of chief operation officer Andy MacPhail.
“Change is not necessarily good all the time,” said Ripken earlier this week in a teleconference held by TBS. “The Orioles have gotten into the position where they?re changing pretty readily and probably for the right reasons.
“They?re searching to try to find a winner, but it doesn?t take away the frustration ? If you?re looking at Andy MacPhail and his resume in Chicago and he?s become available, my optimistic side is to continue to keep my fingers crossed and says, ?Ok, he?s the right guy to impact change in a long-term way.?”
Ripken is currently getting ready for his Hall of Fame induction ceremony, set for next month in Cooperstown, N.Y.
In the meantime, he is taking the next step in his post-playing career when he joins Ernie Johnson, Jr. and fellow Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn as studio hosts of the Major League Baseball All-Star Selection Show at 4 p.m. Sunday on TBS.
Who represents the American and National All-Star teams has become even more important in recent years as the winning league earns home field advantage for the World Series, something Ripken does not agree with.
“I?ve been to enough All-Star games, especially in the early stages, where there was a lot of pride in that game and [the players] were there to prove which league was better,” Ripken said. “The incentive of home field advantage just doesn?t jive with me.”
Ripken added that despite the controversy surrounding San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds as it relates to possible performance-enhancing drug use, he considers Bonds a “career All-Star” and hopes he is in the game this year, set for July 10 in San Francisco.
“Yes, there is a shadow that is hanging over the top of him, but when I think of Barry I think of him as an All-Star player and sometimes you have to have those All-Stars that are considered ?career All-Stars? at the game because that?s what makes the All-Star Game so special,” Ripken said. “I don?t get so caught up in the suspicion and speculation. I?d like to assume that everything is on the up and up, and I?d like to see him at the All-Star game myself.”
