Cal Ripken Jr. — working for the Tampa Bay Rays?
Even Baltimore’s own Iron Man has found room on the first-place team’s bandwagon, with an announcement expected Wednesday of a partnership between the Rays and Aberdeen-based Ripken Baseball.
Florida media and a Florida baseball league’s Web site reported earlier this month that Ripken Baseball had purchased the Single-A Vero Beach Devil Rays, an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.
A report on the Florida State League’s Web site earlier this month said the team had been purchased by Ripken and would be moved to Port Charlotte, Fla. That same town is the site of a news conference Wednesday to announce the partnership.
League President Chuck Murphy would not confirm the sale or move to The Examiner on Monday. “It’s still being talked about,” he said.
Ripken spokesman John Maroon and Rays personnel would not comment beyond the news conference announcement. Shawn Marette, general manager of the Vero Beach Devil Rays, did not return calls for comment.
The minor league team would be Ripken Baseball’s third, alongside the short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds, an Orioles farm team, and the Single-A Augusta GreenJackets, an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
Ripken purchased the Utica, N.Y., team that became the IronBirds for $3 million in 2002. Minor league teams can cost up to $20 million.
Wednesday’s announcement will be made at Charlotte County Sports Park in Port Charlotte. The stadium is being rebuilt and will serve as the Tampa Bay Rays’ spring training field next season.
The Vero Beach Devil Rays began play in 1980 as a Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers before moving to the Rays organization last year. Their move would leave Vero Beach without professional baseball, as the Dodgers moved their spring training to Glendale, Ariz., this year.
The team was 17-41 before Monday night’s game, 17 1/2 games behind the division-leading Daytona Cubs.
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