The Buck Showalter Appreciation Thread

[baltfan]

Came to the Orioles when the organization was a laughing stock.  Brought us credibility.  Thanks Buck! Sorry had to end this way.

[Can_of_corn]

Was a nice run just wish he wasn't leaving the team in worse shape then he found it.

[Palmoripken]

long time no post as I’ve been busy the last two years but Buck was easily the best O’s manager in my lifetime. Better than Davey. I wish him well and thank him especially for 2012. I was two when Why Not happened so the Buckle Up O’s will always have a special place. It just sucks he ended up without a WS or even trip. It was magical and now we start again. I just hope o don’t have to wait as long as I did last time for October baseball. Thanks Buck.

[Tx Oriole]

1 hour ago, Moose Milligan said:

Buck, thank you for being a huge part in hauling this franchise out of the abyss.  

Good luck to you Buck. Thank you for your time in Baltimore.

[Bradysburns]

I will miss you, Buck. Class act, great man, huge loss. 

[Dr. Unk]

I will miss Buck.  He brought us back into contention, and he was kind of like that dad figure.

[Number5]

Thanks, Buck.

[eddie83]

Four years ago today, this happened. 

Anybody who lives around here knows how bad it was before he arrived. Ravens talk dominated the scene from June on. It was depressing. He changed the culture. He is the face of the turnaround. He brought accountability and credibility at a time when it was desperately needed. I will never forget attending games from 12-16 and how relevant and exciting they were. Baltimore was back.

It’s time to move on and like all of us Buck had his flaws but you can’t deny the impact he had on the organization and that will never go away. 

[TonySoprano]

I loved how Buck wasn't cowed by being in the same division as NY or Boston, never played the pity card.  Instead, he mocked them.  "I'd like to see how smart Theo Epstein is with the Tampa Bay payroll."  He won, and the crowds returned, albeit less than one might expect.  Remember, the Orioles drew slightly above 1.7M in 2010 and 2011, and it took this season for attendance to drop back below 2M after passing that mark for the previous six years.  2012 was a second "Why Not?" year.  Buck tried to bring back the "Oriole Way" to a club lost in the wilderness for 14 years.  He gave us teams (plural) to be proud of following.

Baseball is a game of "what have you done for me lately?" (see, Molitor, Paul MOY 2017).  By my count, here are the players left on the roster after the 2016 WC game:  Davis, Trumbo, Joseph, Mancini, Rickard, Bundy, Wright, Givens.  If it's true that Buck lost the clubhouse after that game, only about 1/3 (maybe a little more) of that roster remains.  Jones, a reported leader in the clubhouse, has stated nothing but admiration for the job Buck did.  When you finish 68 games under .500, heads have to roll.

Thank you for all you did, Buck.

[Dr. Unk]

44 minutes ago, eddie83 said:

Four years ago today, this happened. 

Anybody who lives around here knows how bad it was before he arrived. Ravens talk dominated the scene from June on. It was depressing. He changed the culture. He is the face of the turnaround. He brought accountability and credibility at a time when it was desperately needed. I will never forget attending games from 12-16 and how relevant and exciting they were. Baltimore was back.

It’s time to move on and like all of us Buck had his flaws but you can’t deny the impact he had on the organization and that will never go away. 

One of the greatest days in my life.

[Yardball85]

I hope our next manager is as awesome as Buck.  I also hopes he would use our top notch closer in a playoff game

But seriously, cheers to Buck.  We were lucky to have him. 

[Morgan423]

3 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

Ah, yes. Complacently snubbed.  

[pdiddy]

“I was thinking tonight watching Nolan, this is a guy who basically broke his neck diving in the stands for his team, his family, his city, whatever,” Showalter said.

Can't find quote but when talked about the guy in Baltimore listening to the west coast game at 1AM living and dying with every pitch.  That's a man that GETS Baltimore baseball.

Hugging Markakis after he broke his hand:  Buck Showalter: “It's emotional for all of us because we know how much he means, and more importantly, how much the Orioles mean to him. He's been here from the start and to get this opportunity... If I know our guys, they're going to rally around him. He's a special breed. "

Getting close to murdering Girardi:  “He was yelling at the third base coach. Somebody’s wearing black and orange, I’m not going to let that happen,” Showalter told reporters after the game.  That led to this:  http://baltimoresportsreport.com/buck-showalter-joe-girardi-argument-44181.html

I hate the Britton decision and whatever hand he had in the Davis contract but I love him for the culture change and the wins and especially 2012 and 2014.  But I love the man most for all the reasons that are obvious in the quotes above about how much he gets Baltimore and was willing to go to war for his guys and the city.  

[mrbig1]

Buck and Andy Macphail  was the best 1-2 punch in baseball. They were building a team as good as the Red Sox or the MFY. Didn't take DD long to f things up. No Manager would have made this team a winner and no manager other than Buck could have taken that 2012 team to the playoffs.

[NedFromYork]

Thanks Buck!