O's two "Win Now" guys in the top management positions.

[wildcard]

This will be different.

The O's have gone from two "Win in the future" guys. MacPhail and Trembley.

To a "Win in the future" guy in MacPhail and a "Win Now" guy in Buck.

To Two " Win Now" guys in Duke and Buck.

Buck oversaw the building of the Diamondbacks and in the second season won 100 games.

Duke took over the Red Sox and won the division in his second year. (Actually the first full year)

In both cases it was not the farm system that did it for them. It was a lot of player movement.

If these two guys can get on the same page and convince Peter to let them make the moves the "Win Now" approach might be back in style for the O's.

I don't know it will work but the style could be different.

[JohnD]

Speaking of style. Did you insert periods in random places just for fun?

[Fan4Life]

That may be a refreshing change of the last 3+ years where we largely relied on potential and not proven ability. Proven ability cost too much for us generally.... we'll see if the Leopard is starting to look like a Tiger when the offseason is over.

[ShaneDawg85]

Give me a break. Everybody wants to win now. You might not believe it, but it's true. But, there's be smart, and then there's being stupid. There's being aggressive, and there's being stupid. Every single person wants to win, whether you believe it or not. It's how you go about getting there, and that's what we're going to need to see from Duquette et al.

I also love how people around here constantly harp on things that happened 15 years ago as proof of how good somebody actually is. They did it with MacPhail and his two world titles, John Hart and the Indians, Buck Showalter and the Diamondbacks (which he really doesn't deserve that much credit for), and now Duquette and his division title in 1995. This is 2011 folks. We're a LONG ways removed from that time.

[Frobby]

Give me a break. Everybody wants to win now. You might not believe it, but it's true. But, there's be smart, and then there's being stupid. There's being aggressive, and there's being stupid. Every single person wants to win, whether you believe it or not. It's how you go about getting there, and that's what we're going to need to see from Duquette et al.

I also love how people around here constantly harp on things that happened 15 years ago as proof of how good somebody actually is. They did it with MacPhail and his two world titles, John Hart and the Indians, Buck Showalter and the Diamondbacks (which he really doesn't deserve that much credit for), and now Duquette and his division title in 1995. This is 2011 folks. We're a LONG ways removed from that time.

It isn't proof of whether these guys will be good or not, it merely provides some clues as to what their philosophies and skills have been so you can try to project what they will try to do here. I don't see why that's a problem, as opposed to trying to guess how someone who has never been in charge anywhere will do as a GM. In every case, we don't have any certainty how they will perform here.

I also think that what a GM does in a specific situation may differ from what he'll do in another. The team Duquette took over in Boston had been 80-82 the year before. It's a lot easier to have a "win now" philosophy for a team that is .500ish to start with, than it is for a team that hasn't won 70 games in the last 5 years.

[NewMarketSean]

OK, so we're in a "win now" mode.

Peter Angelos is still the owner.

John Stockstill is still director of player development.

Dave Stockstill is still director of international scouting.

DD may have a say on who gets hired to replace Jordan, but Angelos will ultimately sign off on that.

I really don't see anything different.

[Hank Scorpio]

It isn't proof of whether these guys will be good or not, it merely provides some clues as to what their philosophies and skills have been so you can try to project what they will try to do here. I don't see why that's a problem, as opposed to trying to guess how someone who has never been in charge anywhere will do as a GM. In every case, we don't have any certainty how they will perform here.

I also think that what a GM does in a specific situation may differ from what he'll do in another. The team Duquette took over in Boston had been 80-82 the year before. It's a lot easier to have a "win now" philosophy for a team that is .500ish to start with, than it is for a team that hasn't won 70 games in the last 5 years.

Ah yes, the vaunted "TRACK RECORD."

Just my opinion, but you can throw GM track records out the window in Baltimore.

[ccbird]

Ah yes, the vaunted "TRACK RECORD."

Just my opinion, but you can throw GM track records out the window in Baltimore.

Ding ding ding.We have a winner.

[wildcard]

Speaking of style. Did you insert periods in random places just for fun?

John, when it comes to writing, I have no style. I am just lucky to get a point across. Sorry if it bothers you. I am not doing it to make anyone mad.

[wildcard]

It isn't proof of whether these guys will be good or not, it merely provides some clues as to what their philosophies and skills have been so you can try to project what they will try to do here. I don't see why that's a problem, as opposed to trying to guess how someone who has never been in charge anywhere will do as a GM. In every case, we don't have any certainty how they will perform here.

I also think that what a GM does in a specific situation may differ from what he'll do in another. The team Duquette took over in Boston had been 80-82 the year before. It's a lot easier to have a "win now" philosophy for a team that is .500ish to start with, than it is for a team that hasn't won 70 games in the last 5 years.

I agree. Win Now for 2012 may be to shoot for .500 and hope things come together to do better.

[Slappy]

Ah yes, the vaunted "TRACK RECORD."

Just my opinion, but you can throw GM track records out the window in Baltimore.

Why's that? We haven't hired a GM with a comparable track record to DD since Pat Gillick in 1996. He did okay here.

Wren had no track record. Neither did Flanagan. Jim Duquette had none to speak of, other than a short stint with the Mets in 2004.

Thrift had a horrible track record (201-284 as Pirates GM). So did Jim Beattie (500-616 in Montreal after taking over for Dan).

And despite some impressions to the contrary, MacPhail before he got here had a track record well under .500, with 13 of 20 losing seasons.

DD is the best hire we've made, from a track record perspective, at GM since Gillick.

[ScottP]

Gillick wasn't out of baseball for 9 years; just saying.

[Hutman]

How about instead of "win now" we go with "win sooner, rather than later". That would be a step up for this organization.

[CrimsonTribe]

This will be different.

The O's have gone from two "Win in the future" guys. MacPhail and Trembley.

To a "Win in the future" guy in MacPhail and a "Win Now" guy in Buck.

To Two " Win Now" guys in Duke and Buck.

Buck oversaw the building of the Diamondbacks and in the second season won 100 games.

Duke took over the Red Sox and won the division in his second year. (Actually the first full year)

In both cases it was not the farm system that did it for them. It was a lot of player movement.

If these two guys can get on the same page and convince Peter to let them make the moves the "Win Now" approach might be back in style for the O's.

I don't know it will work but the style could be different.

You lost me here.

[Frobby]

OK, so we're in a "win now" mode.

Peter Angelos is still the owner.

John Stockstill is still director of player development.

Dave Stockstill is still director of international scouting.

DD may have a say on who gets hired to replace Jordan, but Angelos will ultimately sign off on that.

I really don't see anything different.

You could have stopped with the first one. But remember, it isn't a given that the Stockstills will stay in their current positions. Roch was dropping hints weeks ago that John Stockstill may get moved to a scouting position. He's also indicated that there will be significant changes to the minor league coaching staffs. So, we will see what changes are in store.