One Week on the Job, Buck Showalter has the Orioles ROCKING!!!
The "Buck Stops Here" era is off to a glorious start for the Baltimore Orioles. The Los Angels Angels have long been an Orioles nemesis. The Orioles swept the Angels, 3-0. In come the surging Chicago White Sox, first place in the AL Central, the Orioles win 3 our of 4. One would never see the team that was once on a pace to lose a record number of games in the modern era. There was not a sign of the resignation to losing that was the hallmark of the Trembley days. Clearly, the players got the message. They are auditioning for their future with the team. A word not spoken for too long was heard loud and clear, WIN!.
The road ahead will not be easy. September will be dedicated to home and away gigs against their AL East opponents, three of whom could be in contention, and the other team is one the Orioles have not mastered at all this year. It will still be a tremendous challenge not to lose 100 games. To finish with 99 losses, the Birds must play .500 ball for the rest of the year.
For this team, that might be looking too far ahead. As long as the team goes out with the attitude of focusing on that night's game and winning it, continued effort pays off as their performance on week into the Sholwalter era shows.
How refreshing it is to have a confident manager with a keen sense of purpose accepting no excuses for a poor performing team. Showalter even has the knack how to get on SportsCenter, his most recent employer, talking about what life is like at 3:00 am in the morning when some kid blows a save on the West Coast, and then having to travel to an all-night Taco Bell with a hungry John Kruk.
Welcome to Crab Town, Buck. Not since Davey Johnson, has the dugout had such a commanding presence. The off season will be difficult with little quality trade bait and a sparse free agent market. No one said it would be easy.
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