COMMENTARY : Cal Ripken Sr. Should Join Sons on Field

Once the Baltimore Orioles have eliminated themselves mathematically from what has become a ho-hum race in the Eastern Division of the American League, attention should be given the possibility of moving Cal Ripken Sr. to the active roster for the express purpose of letting him become the first father to join his two sons in a major-league lineup.

The suggestion was “on hold” a year ago because the Orioles were in contention until the second-to-last day of the season. But there’s reason for giving it serious consideration this time around and not merely because the Seattle Mariners have Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. playing next to each other in the outfield.

When the recommendation was made to Larry Lucchino, the club president, he smiled and said, “Why Doug Melvin, our farm director, mentioned the same thing in a meeting. We talked about what a fine marketing opportunity it afforded the Mariners to have both Griffeys as teammates.

“Melvin believes we could go the Mariners one better if we activated Cal Sr. and let him catch in a game. But Cal said if it happened he wanted to be assured of four at-bats, not just a token appearance.”

Ripken Sr. never made it to the majors but spent seven seasons in the Orioles’ farm system before becoming a manager and giving the same organization 34 years of devoted service. We once saw Ripken at Wilson in the Carolina League, and behind the plate, he was close to mechanical perfection. He was, at the time, what Del Rice represented to the National League and Jim Hegan to the American -- just an exceptional receiver.

An opportunity to catch in the majors was within the realm of his ability, but he suffered an arm injury and, unfortunately, the chance vanished. That’s when he turned, out of necessity, to managing, coaching and scouting for the Orioles’ minor-league department.

Today he’s a third-base coach and enjoys, through the pleasure of a parent, the performances of his sons, Cal Jr. and Billy. The boys realize Dad was denied a trial at the big-league level, through no fault of his. They’d like to see him, even at this late date, make a special appearance with the Orioles. Then he’d be both their father and teammate.

Lucchino said that if it happened, he wouldn’t want anyone to believe it was a “circus.” Not at all.

The Orioles should feel indebted to Cal Sr. and to his family. It would be fitting if they encouraged it to evolve. It would be a classic moment to see Cal Sr. behind the bat with Cal Jr. at shortstop and Billy at second base.

This would enable the Orioles to be literally “Ripken-strong up the middle.”

Imagine the attention such a scenario would create. Much of Aberdeen, Md., and Harford County, where the Ripkens were born, would descend on Memorial Stadium to witness such an historic occasion.