a new hOpe

Believe it or not, the Orioles' win last night against the Tampa Bay Rays was a clincher. They clinched not getting to 100 losses. Now while this is a rather dubious accomplishment, it is nonetheless impressive considering that earlier in the season, many were speculating over whether or not the O's would get to 120 losses. Yes its another losing year, but that shouldn't stop us from appreciating how well the Birds have been playing during the last month and a half. There IS reason for optimism. And optimism is spelled B-U-C-K.

There is much argument over how Buck Showalter has affected the Orioles. Obviously, his presence has been a positive one, judging by the Orioles' record under his regime. And that's kind of how it feels now. He's the undoubted leader in the clubhouse, and brings a resume that hasn't come close to being matched by the previous three managers. Combined. To the players, that has to mean something. This guy knows what he's doing and the evidence is right there in the stats. Too often in the not-so-distant past, it seemed as though a spot on the team was taken for granted. But that's not surprising. After all, the Orioles have dealt with positional and pitching depth problems in both the major and minor leagues, throughout the duration of this seemingly unending losing streak.

Some say players have been playing harder under Buck. I don't buy that at all. While the clutch hitting has improved since the managerial change, the reality is that their numbers really couldn't have gone anywhere but up. Prior to August, they were atrocious offensively. In my view, Showalter treats them as they should be treated. As professionals. And adults. As much as he was a nice guy and supposedly astute on fundamentals, Dave Trembley seemed more like a teacher or mentor than a big league manager. Under the current administration, players are expected to play the game correctly, and if they don't, they're going to hear about it. Even if it means hearing through news programs or the paper. Trembley was always good about not throwing anyone under the bus, but maybe that's just what a player needs at certain times. A little negative motivation. The babying obviously never led to any success.

In a concrete sense, Showalter has done things a bit differently as far as actually managing a game. Namely, pitchers are being stretched out more, going deeper in games. On so many occasions under Trembley, I'd find myself wondering why in the world he would take a pitcher out who had been throwing a great game and just gave up two hard-luck hits in a row. Boom, out he goes. Bullpen blows the game, in large part because they're already taxed from contributing to past games where the starting pitcher could have kept going. It's a vicious cycle, and with a questionable relief corps, becomes that much more dangerous.

But I digress on these negative memories. My message this day is one of hope. Redemption. Revenge. Sleep tight 2011 AL East. The birds are back.