Baseball hero's retirement ups memorabilia demand.

Byline: Tyisha Manigo

While Cal Ripkens future retirement may bring tears to many a baseball fans eyes, the end of the Ripken legacy in Baltimore is only the beginning for local sporting goods retailers as they prepare for the financial windfall that only a sports heros retirement can bring.

Pat Zimnawoda, store manager of Stadium Sports at the Light Street Pavilion, said she expected an increase in the sales of and demand for Ripken merchandising.

Hes always the most popular [Oriole]. Im sure there will be all kinds of merchandising coming out, Zimnawoda said.

Weve all ready had one [manufacturer] call and say theyre [issuing] commemorative coins, said Zimnawoda, who had an order of Ripken T-shirts rushed for delivery Monday afternoon.

For other retailers, the impact of Ripkens future retirement is already being felt.

We sold out of Ripken merchandising [Sunday night] when the retirement was first announced, said Chris Suit, store manager of the Sports Maniac in Eastpoint Mall.

Suit estimated that his store sees a 50 percent increase in sales on Ripken [gear] whenever the player accomplishes a major achievement.

Suit said he has already placed orders for special Ripken paraphernalia in order to meet the consumers needs.

The phone has been ringing of the hook. Everyone is looking for tickets to the last game of the season, said Bud Verge, an employee at the Orioles Store in downtown Washington, D.C.

At the Ripken Museum in Aberdeen, demand for all things Ripken is also growing.

In addition to the nine television crews that flooded the museum yesterday, there were also 30 paying customers, said Jim McMahan Jr., the museums president.

Thats probably 20 percent more [visitors] than we would see on a normal Tuesday, said McMahan. Anytime Cal hits a milestone and its publicly acclaimed in the press or the media, we see a peak in business.

Business at the museums gift shop ...