Cal Ripken Sr. Signs 1-Year Contract; Restoring Orioles’ Pride Is First Goal

Cal Ripken Sr. said Monday that his first goal as manager of the Baltimore Orioles is to restore pride.

Ripken, who won the job over fellow coach Frank Robinson and other unnamed candidates, signed a one-year contract to replace Earl Weaver, who resigned for the second time in four years.

Robinson, a former major league manager, said he is “disappointed, but not upset” that he didn’t get the job. He said he is happy for Ripken and wants to remain as a coach.

Although Ripken said he would like to retain the coaching staff, he noted it is an organizational decision. His own spot apparently will not be filled, however, leaving just five coaches.

Ripken said that as a first-time manager in the major leagues, he doesn’t deserve a longer contract, adding: “If I do the job, I won’t have to worry about a second year.”

After working for an organization that led the major leagues in won-lost percentage over the past 30 years, Ripken takes over just after the Orioles finished last for the first time in their history.

Ripken, a Baltimore coach since 1976 and a manager in the system for more than 13 seasons, said he noticed a change in the players’ attitude over the final two months of the 1986 season as the Orioles lost 42 of 56 games. They finished with a 73-89 record, 22 1/2 games behind the first-place Boston Red Sox in the American League East and 4 1/2 games behind sixth-place Milwaukee.

“This club was never used to losing, and all of a sudden it had to learn to cope with losing, and it didn’t know how,” Ripken said.

Starting in spring training, he said, he wants to restore the players’ pride in themselves and the team.

“I’ll talk to the whole club about what it is to be an Oriole,” he said. “We can get the spirit first, but to hold onto it, we’ve got to go out and win.”