Buck needs to go? What?!?!?

[claudecat]

I read several Orioles sites and I'm seeing more and more folks saying that Buck needs to go. Maybe I'm delusional, but this just seems ridiculous. Has he made questionable moves? Maybe even lots of them? Sure... but let's not forget what he's done in his relatively brief tenure here.

Buck isn't going anywhere, Dan isn't going anywhere. Looking to next year the remedy is refreshingly simple, compared to the lean years when there were always multiple issues to address: improve the pitching by any means possible.

[mark_beckens]

I read several Orioles sites and I'm seeing more and more folks saying that Buck needs to go. Maybe I'm delusional, but this just seems ridiculous. Has he made questionable moves? Maybe even lots of them? Sure... but let's not forget what he's done in his relatively brief tenure here.

Buck isn't going anywhere, Dan isn't going anywhere. Looking to next year the remedy is refreshingly simple, compared to the lean years when there were always multiple issues to address: improve the pitching by any means possible.

By any chance did you happen to read any of the other threads here? I'm sure if you read down, may even have to go back a couple pages, you'll find threads started, discussed and dismissed as ignorate.

[jabba72]

I think Duquette and Buck are a fine team. The arms just didnt repeat success they had last year. Add two solid starters and the playoffs are right there.

[mark_beckens]

I think Duquette and Buck are a fine team. The arms just didnt repeat success they had last year. Add two solid starters and the playoffs are right there.

The playoffs are right there, we're only 3 games out. Our problems are not just 2 starters away because we got Norris and Feldman and the .500 baseball has continued.

[claudecat]

By any chance did you happen to read any of the other threads here? I'm sure if you read down, may even have to go back a couple pages, you'll find threads started, discussed and dismissed as ignorate.

I don't read every thread here, and, to be honest, a lot of the negative chatter from various sources just blends together into a haze after a while. I do know that there are voices of reason and reality here and elsewhere to counter the lunacy. I hope I wasn't out of line in starting a thread (again?) on this topic - I just happened to read an unusual number of "Buck must go" comments tonight (mainly stemming from the Britton decision and Morse's not being used) and thought it might be worth discussing rationally.

[jabba72]

The playoffs are right there, we're only 3 games out. Our problems are not just 2 starters away because we got Norris and Feldman and the .500 baseball has continued.

I wrote solid starters. Feldman isnt solid and Norris rarely goes more than 5 innings. If you look at our starters ERA's other than Tillman and Chen's 18 starts. Its probably among the worst.

[mark_beckens]

I wrote solid starters. Feldman isnt solid and Norris rarely goes more than 5 innings. If you look at our starters ERA's other than Tillman and Chen's 18 starts. Its probably among the worst.

Maybe you should define your definition of solid then.

Gonzalez is 8-7 with a 4.11 ERA

Chen 7-7 3.87

Tillman 15-5 3.71

Norris 4-1 4.28 <--- inflated by bad outing against the A's 7 runs in 4.2 innings

Feldman 4-4 4.18

[JTrea81]

Buck may not need to go, but some of his coaches should probably be replaced - namely pitching and hitting if Dan Duquette wants to turn this into a team with solid pitching and an offense with the ability to work the counts and get on base.

[olehippi]

My only question is what mad baseball demon possessed Showalter and made him decide to start Zack Britton against the Indians. Yes, Britton pitched really well in his Aug 28th start for Norfolk. But everyone - except apparently Buck - knows that Britton only pitches a game like that every 6 or 7 starts.. The rest of the time he is mediocre at best, and Buck should have known Britton would stink it up his next start. We are "supposedly" in the middle of a chase for a wild card slot in the playoffs, aren't we?

[JTrea81]

My only question is what mad baseball demon possessed Showalter and made him decide to start Zack Britton against the Indians. Yes, Britton pitched really well in his Aug 28th start for Norfolk. But everyone - except apparently Buck - knows that Britton only pitches a game like that every 6 or 7 starts.. The rest of the time he is mediocre at best, and Buck should have known Britton would stink it up his next start. We are "supposedly" in the middle of a chase for a wild card slot in the playoffs, aren't we?

Given their "strained relationship" perhaps Duquette added him as a bullpen arm but Showalter put him in as a SP to send a message.

[Rene88]

Given their "strained relationship" perhaps Duquette added him as a bullpen arm but Showalter put him in as a SP to send a message.

I highly doubt this. But clearly something is wrong in the communication between the 2.

Back to the OP topic, I haven't seen anyone suggest Buck needs to go, but maybe I am missing something. However, we have realized this year that Buck is most definitely human afterall.

Just as long as nobody writes anything negative, my faint heart can't take that:)

[Hank Scorpio]

Buck may not need to go, but some of his coaches should probably be replaced - namely pitching and hitting if Dan Duquette wants to turn this into a team with solid pitching and an offense with the ability to work the counts and get on base.

It's..... the..... PLAYERS!!!!!

The coaches have nothing to do with it. Less than 2% to do with it.

[Rene88]

It's..... the..... PLAYERS!!!!!

The coaches have nothing to do with it. Less than 2% to do with it.

I strongly disagree. I am not saying Jtrea is right or wrong but I read this countless times about the Buck hiring. Coaches and managers actually do account for much more than a few wins a season and Buck is evidence of that.

[brooks1083]

Am I alone in thinking our single biggest need is relief pitching? I mean I know our starters haven't been Cy Young caliber but they don't have horrible numbers, they just aren't getting very deep into games. I know that makes your bullpen work more, but in the couple of times the pen has been well-rested, they didn't do too well either.

I think our offense could improve as well....RF, LF, and 2B come to mind. I'm hoping we get to see Schoop have some at bats this month. We could do better at getting on base and hitting with RISP. With all that said, I don't think our offense is a big problem, we have some positions that could be improved, but what team doesn't?

I still go back to the bullpen, last year if we hd a lead in the 7th inning, I felt like it was a sure thing we were going to win game. This year, if we're not leading by at least 3 runs, I have a very uneasy feeling. Maybe I'm way off base, but that's how it looks to me.

[The Wedge]

Sigh, knew it would come one day. I think both by his general demeanor, and now his reputation, it was only a matter of time before he was turned on by any given fanbase. Whether it's deserved or not. I wonder if all those stories about how he's changed (or way different than his rep said he was stories O's players have told) will hold up here, though. I was kinda hoping he'd find a little more stable success here, instead of what's happened to the guy so far in his career (honing a team right to the point of a keen edge, then getting dumped and the keys getting handed off to another guy for the easiest coaching job they'd ever get...or the Altobelli, if you will. ).