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Ripken would 'answer the phone' if Nationals called about coaching job

Jennifer Stewart/Arizona Diamondbacks / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Washington Nationals need a manager, and Cal Ripken Jr. may be interested.

Baseball's iron man said he'd "answer the phone" if Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo called him about the job in an interview with "The Rich Eisen Show" on Friday, according to ESPN.

This isn't the first time Ripken's name has surfaced in connection with the position.

Before the Nationals hired Matt Williams following the 2013 campaign, Rizzo and Ripken talked about the idea of Ripken coaching in Washington.

"We had some serious discussions about it and never really got down to the point of choice and those sorts of things," Ripken said to ESPN 980 in August. "I think the world of Mike Rizzo. I think he's done a fantastic job. I like how he thinks, I like how he talks. If you're looking at a potential position, who wouldn't want their first managing job with a team built the way it was built? It was interesting discussions. With many things in life, it's about timing, and so you have other considerations. I would say timing was an issue there, but it was fun talking about it."

Ripken has never managed in professional baseball after a storied career that included 2,632 consecutive games played for the Baltimore Orioles.

Washington dismissed Williams and his coaching staff Oct. 5 after the Nationals failed to make the postseason, finishing with a 83-79 record.

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