New Jackets owner wants to 'push the envelope'

An Augusta GreenJackets welcome mat greets visitors outside the team's office.

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Inside the door, an Aberdeen IronBirds mat graces the entrance. It's a subtle reminder of impending changes at Lake Olmstead Stadium.

Cal Ripken Jr. provided a not-so-subtle reminder of those changes Thursday when he visited the stadium for the first time.

Mr. Ripken's group, Ripken Baseball, will take over majority ownership of the GreenJackets on Oct. 1, giving the group its second minor league baseball franchise. Mr. Ripken's hometown IronBirds were the first.

In Aberdeen, Md., the Ripken name is virtually everywhere. That's not going to be true here.

"I don't feel the need to come in and stamp it with Ripken," he said.

But the new owners will make an imprint on the GreenJackets. After a tour of the stadium, Mr. Ripken was brimming with ideas for making the experience more enjoyable for the players and the fans.

He suggested adding a batting cage for the visiting team, putting more comfortable seats behind home plate and moving the bull pens into the picnic area.

"Imagine Randy Johnson warming up and you're close enough to actually have the chance to see him," Mr. Ripken said. "There's a little bit of terror that comes over you."

The fans would be protected, of course, from any errant 95 mph fastballs, but Mr. Ripken thinks fans would enjoy being able to hear the fastball buzz through the air and then pop into the catcher's mitt.

"We want to push the envelope a little bit," he said.

Reach Kristy Shonka at (706) 823-3216 or kristy.shonka@augustachronicle.com.