IT'S NO EASY thing, retirement, not when you're a legend. What to do? Where to go? What itch to scratch and how hard? It's not exactly as if Cal Ripken is alone.

When Michael Jordan (allegedly) retired from the NBA, he played golf, whipped up designer cologne and maybe taxied the kids to school once or twice. Maybe. But he didn't like any of that stuff, so Jordan is back - blazing a trail, off the bench, on creaky knees.

Wayne Gretzky never promised his wife he'd make peanut butter sandwiches for their kids. So off the Great One went, chipping in $10 million to buy into the Coyotes. Gretzky owns an NHL franchise and was responsible for picking and managing Canada's gold-medal ice hockey team at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Wayne's World is wherever he makes it.

Now, it's Ripken's turn to forge a path into his baseball afterlife. Yesterday, the Iron Man proved there's bound to be bumps along the way. He plucked at the decision daisy and it went like this:

I want to be Orioles GM.

I don't want to be GM. At least not now.

That was the news last night out of Ripken's camp. Ripken told Orioles owner Peter Angelos he was rescinding his candidacy, no hard feelings for not shooting directly to the top of Angelos' interview list. Angelos was appreciative, team officials say.

It was a good call all around. Everyone can rest easier now.

Mike Flanagan, who must be considered the Orioles' top candidate to replace Syd Thrift as vice president for baseball operations, can tell the Red Sox, "Sorry."

Now, Angelos is off the hook, too. He does not have to come up with an excuse for why Ripken isn't ready to run the Orioles.

In any case, dozens of baseball insiders probably would have told Ripken, politely, that it takes more than a Hall of Fame career and hero status to be properly prepared to take over a ballclub.

"You don't have to be a rocket scientist to be GM, but you have to have experience with a lot of different situations to do the job to the utmost. There's scouting, trades, financial and marketing aspects," former Orioles GM Pat Gillick said yesterday.

"His expertise at this point would be to try and build a foundation for the organization. His experience from his dad and as a player is in player development. That would be a good place for Cal to start and work from there instead of starting at the top."

Just because the Orioles acknowledged needing a change at the top does not mean Ripken was the obvious best choice. Angelos said experience would be an important criterion for picking a new GM.

"I don't think every candidate is qualified. General manager is a very complex position, but that doesn't mean experience is the only thing. There are always exceptions," Angelos said.

"Ultimately, our goal is to select the individual who can ... lead us into contention and, ultimately, to a World Series."

Ripken likely still wants to run a club one day. There's little doubt he brings credibility to any enterprise he touches. He is a power to be reckoned with. That's why there will be spin that says the Orioles blew this, that Angelos erred by not immediately embracing Ripken's candidacy.

However, there is evidence to suggest Ripken, Angelos and the Orioles know it's wise to continue their relationship - on good terms - even if it means Ripken's time is not now for GM.

If this was Ripken's attempt to test Angelos, Ripken pulled out of contention too early. In order to have been able to say the Orioles didn't want him, Ripken would have had to wait until it was clear he wasn't a viable candidate.

Instead, at least according to Ripken's camp, Ripken appreciated the Orioles interview process and declined to move forward with it. If this is the first move toward a divorce, then it's a move that's as bad for Ripken as it would be for the Orioles.

It's a long road from Baltimore to D.C. for Ripken - no matter how easy it seems to assert that Ripken will pack up his Iron Man legend and take it to the Capital Beltway with a Washington baseball franchise. Besides, as long as Angelos is working all sides of the baseball map to keep a team out of D.C., would Ripken view this as a legitimate option? The Expos are still in Montreal and Bud Selig should be wary of Angelos, who knows his way around a courtroom.

For now, though, Ripken and the Orioles must be unwilling to sever ties. It's bad for business - for both sides.

In the year since he left baseball, Ripken and the Orioles have done much to solidify their ties. Angelos has given Ripken's charitable organization a ton of cash. Ripken has partnered with the Orioles for his minor-league franchise in Aberdeen.

It's just that a man's retirement plans sometimes take time to develop. We'll be waiting.