Interesting quotes from a beleaguered Buck Showalter...

[71Dadandme]

Has anyone told you lately you have a severe case of confirmation bias?

DINGDINGDING... spot on diagnosis. :clap3:

I hear there be meds for it - specifically, a big fat hammer.

[Redskins Rick]

• Roch Kubatko ‏<s>@</s>masnRoch <small class="time">6m </small>

  Buck said he offered to let Jones help him manage tonight. Jones' response: "You need the help." <s>#</s>classic <s>#</s>Orioles

[Ommaculate]

• Roch Kubatko ‏<s>@</s>masnRoch <small class="time">6m </small>

  Buck said he offered to let Jones help him manage tonight. Jones' response: "You need the help." <s>#</s>classic <s>#</s>Orioles

Jones should be the assistant manager permanently.

[LA2]

Jones should be the assistant manager permanently.

Great, because then Buck will have time to platoon with Dickerson to produce more than Jones' paltry 32 homers, 116 OPS+, and fine D.

[Il BuonO]

I might disagree with Buck from time to time but I have no doubt he expects to be in and win the WS every year. His attitude and changing the culture in the clubhouse is his greatest strength.

[Barnaby Graves]

• Roch Kubatko ‏<s>@</s>masnRoch <small class="time">6m </small>

  Buck said he offered to let Jones help him manage tonight. Jones' response: "You need the help." <s>#</s>classic <s>#</s>Orioles

I think this definitely shows the tension in the Orioles clubhouse right now and I am surprised Jones would let it spill out into a public forum. But then again, he and Showalter have never seen eye-to-eye; Jones knows Showalter insists on getting players a hat that fits and Jones is a showboater known for brazenly wearing oversized hats in front of the cameras to show Showalter who is the boss in the dugout.

Obviously one of them needs to be on the way out this offseason before this starts infecting the clubhouse. Showalter has exactly ZERO hits with RISP the ENTIRE YEAR and I think his ability to get on base is almost as bad as J.J. Hardy's, so it makes sense to jettison him. The question is, is ownership willing to shell out for a premium manager? I am pretty sure Joe Torre is still available, and he has the playoff experience this team needs to get to the next level. We could sign Torre and still have money left over for the bullpen, which needs a few battle-tested veterans. Joe Saunders had a 1.59 ERA during the playoffs in 2012 and is a clear choice for a spot-starter/LOOGY. We could trade J.J. Hardy for another arm, move Machado to short, and call up Garabez Rosa and Seth Loman to platoon at third base. In left field you could have one of those wacky waving inflatable airdancer tube things they have in front of auto garages and furniture stores in lower middle class suburbs. This will save us enough money to sign Robinson Cano to replace Roberts at second.

So that's:

C Clevenger/Wieters

1B Davis

2B Cano

SS Machado

3B Loman/Rosa

RF Markakis

CF Jones

LF A giant 10 foot tall squirrel-terrifying device

[Can_of_corn]

Going to be hard to get the new left fielder through customs.

[flyhighbirds]

See I don't think they are meaningless. Quite frankly when you've got a manager that is worn down and at the end of the season, that is when the filter comes off and you get unexpected insight into the organization if you know what to look for. What seems like rambling may have just confirmed the following:

-Buck does not believe this team can win the World Series just yet.

-Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette are both shaping the roster and go to Angelos together with suggestions, not just Duquette.

-Peter Angelos still has a big say in baseball operations, so much so that a lot of moves aren't even taken to him for approval because the baseball ops guys know he'll say no.

-There are moves that Angelos has nixed suggested by Showalter/Duquette that would have helped the team.

Now we might have inferred these things, but never was it said until now how the relationship between the baseball ops under Duquette and Angelos was, nor how involved Showalter was in actual baseball operations. And it's all because Buck let his guard down a bit after being shell-shocked in Tampa.

It sounded to me like the opposite. That Buck could get what he wanted from Angelos

[foxfield]

Interesting thread from a beleaguered Jtrea. Dude really! You are nuts.

[JTrea81]

More from Buck:

These guys and our fans. We're disappointed, but I told you many times that one of the most impressive things in team sports to me is people who can consistently be competitive and win. It's hard, hard to do, because I keep telling you how good the competition is. Good baseball people and good players. "We want to be a part of putting something out there that our fans can be proud of and trust and look forward to competitive baseball. Now, at some point we want to graduate. We talk about pitchers being in the process. Sometimes, you have to understand where you are in the process."

Anybody still think he think he's not saying the team isn't ready to win a World Series? It's the same line over and over: "competitive baseball." What good is competitive baseball when you break your fans hearts over and over again. How does that lead to trust? Fans want a World Series title or at least a pennant, not just "competitive baseball." If now isn't the time to "graduate" with your core guys all in their prime, when is that exactly?

[CA-ORIOLE]

More from Buck: Anybody still think he think he's not saying the team isn't ready to win a World Series? It's the same line over and over: "competitive baseball." What good is competitive baseball when you break your fans hearts over and over again. How does that lead to trust? Fans want a World Series title or at least a pennant, not just "competitive baseball." If now isn't the time to "graduate" with your core guys all in their prime, when is that exactly?

You are a ridiculous piece of work.

[JTrea81]

You are a ridiculous piece of work.

No, I just demand and expect more from my team. "Competitive" may be good enough for some, but not for me. This team went to the ALCS in 1996 and 1997 and they've yet to get back there and they haven't seen a World Series in 30 years and counting. Consistently having 82-89 win teams isn't going to get you there either. It may be competitive baseball, but you are still watching the playoffs from your couch. We as fans deserve more than that.

[flyhighbirds]

No, I just demand and expect more from my team. "Competitive" may be good enough for some, but not for me. This team went to the ALCS in 1996 and 1997 and they've yet to get back there and they haven't seen a World Series in 30 years and counting. Consistently having 82-89 win teams isn't going to get you there either. It may be competitive baseball, but you are still watching the playoffs from your couch. We as fans deserve more than that.

Our fans were demanding and highly critical ten fifteen years ago. And it didn't do any good. Go back and read all the Angelos

hate. The only thing that has changed is that we have better players now.

[McNulty]

A Trea cannot change its spots.

[DrungoHazewood]

No, I just demand and expect more from my team. "Competitive" may be good enough for some, but not for me. This team went to the ALCS in 1996 and 1997 and they've yet to get back there and they haven't seen a World Series in 30 years and counting. Consistently having 82-89 win teams isn't going to get you there either. It may be competitive baseball, but you are still watching the playoffs from your couch. We as fans deserve more than that.

You demand reality conform to you preconceived notions. This is like politics or junk science: start with a conclusion then figure out how to interpret or twist facts to make them fit that conclusion.