RIPKEN MAY SELL IRONBIRDS STAKE:
Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. is looking to sell his majority stake in the Aberdeen IronBirds, the minor league team that plays in his hometown.
Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. is looking to sell his majority stake in the Aberdeen IronBirds, the minor league team that plays in his hometown.
The move comes after Ripken sold off ownership stakes in other minor league teams in Georgia and Florida to focus more on youth baseball activities, said John Maroon, a spokesman for Ripken.
Ripken and his brother, Billy, both former players for the Orioles, acquired the IronBirds in 2002.
“Bill and Cal want to maintain their interest as a minority owner if they do find the right partner,” Maroon said. “They are very much committed to their hometown. ... The focus of the business is getting much more laser-focused on youth baseball. This is not a public sale or a fire sale. If we find the right partner, that’s when we’ll make the move.”
Cal Ripken, who divorced his wife, Kelly, in April, also is trying to sell his 25-acre estate in Reisterstown for $12.5 million. Earlier this week, Ripken Baseball announced it would no longer host the Babe Ruth League’s annual Cal Ripken Major-70 World Series for 11- and 12-yearolds at the Ripken Experience in Aberdeen.
Maroon acknowledged that the World Series decision is linked to the Ripkens wanting to concentrate more on the youth baseball programs, including those in Aberdeen. The Aberdeen complex hosts baseball camps, tournaments and other nonprofit events, Maroon said.
“They definitely lost a lot of money hosting that event,” he said of the World Series, “and it played a role in the decision, but was not the only factor.”
Maroon said the Ripkens will continue to own and operate the complex in Aberdeen and similar complexes in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Pigeon Forge, Tenn. The Ripken Experience Aberdeen is located next to Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium, where the minor league IronBirds play their home games.
The IronBirds, an Orioles affiliate, are the sole tenants of the stadium. Their lease is expiring this year.
The team draws an average of a little over 4,000 people per game and has an annual attendance of more than 140,000. Preliminary talks have begun on a lease renewal, according to Aberdeen’s city manager.
Ripken Baseball controls management of the stadium, which also is used to host other athletic events, community activities and parties.
Still, some in Aberdeen say they are concerned about Ripken’s decisions this week. The town of Aberdeen invested millions to build Ripken Stadium, taking on debt and posting losses. But the town counted on events at the stadium to help deliver a boost to its image and deliver a positive economic impact.
Former Aberdeen Mayor Michael Bennett lamented that the Cal Ripken World Series is ending after 13 years.
“There’s just a lot of notoriety for the city, for teams from all over the world to be here, and they know Aberdeen, Maryland, is the Cal Ripken World Series,” Bennett said.