NEW YORK -- Cal Ripken Jr. would be interesting in buying the Baltimore Orioles if Peter Angelos decides to sell the team.
Ripken Professional Baseball has owned the Class A Aberdeen Ironbirds of the New York-Penn League since 2002 and the Class A Augusta GreenJackets of the South Atlantic League since 2005.
There has been speculation that Ripken would want to own the Orioles and he was asked Wednesday about a possible purchase at the Hall of Fame news conference.
"I haven't been approached," he said. "I've thought about that, yes, and if an opportunity were to arise, if Mr. Angelos would want to sell the club, it would be an interesting thought process to go through."
Ripken spent 21 seasons playing for the Orioles before his retirement in 2001. He and Tony Gwynn were elected to the Hall of Fame on Tuesday in their first appearances on the ballot and will be inducted this July.
Angelos has owned the Orioles since 1993.
"Right now I'm very content in learning the business in the minor leagues and also developing kids' complexes and really growing the game of baseball at the grass-roots level," Ripken said. "But certainly if that ever became an opportunity, I certainly would look to be a part of that."
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
