Cal Ripken Jr. had 'serious discussions' about Nationals' manager job in 2013

Before the Washington Nationals settled on Matt Williams as their new manager following the 2013 campaign, general manager Mike Rizzo nearly brought in one of area's most enduring icons to lead his club.

Cal Ripken Jr., the recent Hall of Fame inductee who spent 21 illustrious season with the nearby Baltimore Orioles, said Thursday he had serious discussions with Rizzo about replacing Davey Johnson two years ago.

"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. "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."

Though the 19-time All-Star owns several minor-league clubs and has served as a postseason studio analyst for TBS since 2007, Ripken has yet to manage in affiliated baseball. Still, the two-time MVP hinted there's still time for him to pursue such an opportunity.

"I'll be 55 this month," added Ripken. "If you look at the stages of your life, that’s not old by any standards, so there’s an opening for a lot of things left in my life and maybe that’s one of them."