LA Times: Take a Page From the Baltimore Book

[weams]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-baseball-shaikin-20150809-story.html

The conventional wisdom in Anaheim now sounds all too similar to the consensus in Baltimore four years ago, where the presence of owner Peter Angelos and Manager Buck Showalter presumably compelled the most prominent candidates for general manager to say, "Thanks for the interest, but no thanks."

Many did. Tony La Cava of the Toronto Blue Jays, who has worked in baseball since 1989 without ever serving as a general manager, turned down the job. The Orioles ultimately hired Dan Duquette, a former general manager in Montreal and Boston. Duquette had not worked in any front office for a decade.

When Duquette arrived, the Orioles had posted 14 consecutive losing seasons and had not appeared in the postseason since 1997. The Orioles had a winning record in each of their first three seasons under Duquette, and two playoff appearances too.

[EagleOriole]

This is impossible. DD deserves no credit for them being good. He is terrible at making trades, doesn't spend on international market, and doesn't sign any free agents. Why would a team as good as the LA Angels want to follow our blueprint - after this season we are destined to lose for the next 15 years...lol.

[Spy Fox]

This is impossible. DD deserves no credit for them being good. He is terrible at making trades, doesn't spend on international market, and doesn't sign any free agents. Why would a team as good as the LA Angels want to follow our blueprint - after this season we are destined to lose for the next 15 years...lol.

We'll never know how a different GM would have done, and there are plenty of valid criticisms to be made of DD, but to say he deserves no credit for the O's success the past four years is hard to defend. You can point to a lot of players that DD brought in that helped lead us to those two playoff appearances.

[EagleOriole]

We'll never know how a different GM would have done, and there are plenty of valid criticisms to be made of DD, but to say he deserves no credit for the O's success the past four years is hard to defend. You can point to a lot of players that DD brought in that helped lead us to those two playoff appearances.

I was being sarcastic....there is a lot of hate for DD on the board right now.

[hoosiers]

I was being sarcastic....there is a lot of hate for DD on the board right now.

These discussions get too black and white for me. DD inherited a lot of talent that has been the basis for the winning IMO and I think a lot of GMs would have done things differently in terms of trade and team construction, but DD has guided this team to the playoffs twice in three years and we are competitive again this year.

I think the Angels' job is a bit different because the manager, by most accounts, has a say in too much of the organization's decisions.

[Tx Oriole]

I was being sarcastic....there is a lot of hate for DD on the board right now.

I figured you were.