Rumor: O's in formal negotiations with Buck Showalter

[Say O!]

From a contractual perspective, does Buck really have anything to fear in regard to personnel?

Yeah, he can get "assurances" for improved spend on talent, but at the end of the day, you don't need to get that stuff in contracts.

In other words, Buck has the power to resign. And it would likely be well known within the industry the reasons for doing so. He likely could easily find another compelling manager job if he wishes within a year or two.

So from a contract standpoint, in my mind, it's a non-issue really. In terms of agreeing to a contract and wanting to manage the team, yes, Buck will need to believe that the O's have the resources to contend. But all this hubaloo about contractual terms and breaches of contract baloney...no worries really.

[El Gordo]

He's no Shatner, that's for sure.

More like Andy Rooney.:laughlol:

[Hank Scorpio]

Those are some epic eyebrows.

[Ohfan67]

I'd be very disappointed if he decided to keep Crowley, but I'd be willing to give it a chance to see if Buck's management style yields a change in Crowley's approach.

I bet most if not all of the coaching staff stays for the rest of the year. He might bring in one coach, but I bet there will be few changes until the offseason.

[JTrea81]

I was about to post the same thing. At the very least it's highjacking the thread, which is a violation now.

Everything I said was on topic. Just because it had a negative slant toward MacPhail does not make it a hijack.

Complaints about somebody hijacking a thread do more to de-rail the thread than anything else...

With that being said, I really hope they hire Showalter even if MacPhail objects. He is the right move for this franchise as I've heard numerous interviews and his philosophy and insight is something this organization really needs.

[hatepaste]

Everything I said was on topic. Just because it had a negative slant toward MacPhail does not make it a hijack.

Complaints about somebody hijacking a thread do more to de-rail the thread than anything else...

With that being said, I really hope they hire Showalter even if MacPhail objects. He is the right move for this franchise as I've heard numerous interviews and his philosophy and insight is something this organization really needs.

Buck had mentioned before he interviewed the first time, that if he got the interview he would ask the "tough" questions. One of them was specifically about willing to spend money to contribute.

So if I see that Buck gets hired, that is another reason to think positive of the mood. He at least thinks they will do what it takes.

[TGO]

Buck's a weird lookin dude though, ain't he?

He has kind of an old man mullet thing going on.

[birdman57]

This would be a very nice hire for the O's. He's not the saviour and I doubt his presence will transform the second half of the season, but I would feel really good about this hire for next season and beyond. Having said all that, the O's have a lot of work to do to add talent with the upcoming offseason being of huge importance.

Savior?? No ... But certainly our best hiring since Davey Johnson without a doubt:)

[ADK24]

Regardless of who is hired they shouldn't be thrown in the dugout to manage this club at anytime during the remainder of this season. Here is my thoughts on the process after hiring (assuming the hiring takes place soon).

1 - As mentioned here earlier by kurtingO, the first place for the new manager to start evaluating the club is at the Minor League level and I mean at the bottom. Start with face to face meetings with international scouting and development personnel as well as Jordan and his staff, tour the spring training sites and then one by one visit with every level of the organization from GCL O's to Norfolk. Get to know everything he possibly can about the entire organization below the big league level not only the players but coaches as well.

2 - Spend whats left of the season with AM evaluating the big league club, what pieces of the pie are left for any possible carry over into next season and map a plan of action for filling position needs that we don't have ML ready in our system. At this time he could also be mapping out the coaching staff and preparing to bring others in from outside the organization if needed.

I realize we are not hiring a GM but this organization is a train wreck in progress, yes we have some MiL levels with wheels on the track but over all it's still a wreck. I don't think it matters who we bring in to manage this club, if we plan on placing them in the dugout right away its a mistake. In my opinion we are gambling on getting the same results on the field if we do that.

[hatepaste]

Regardless of who is hired they shouldn't be thrown in the dugout to manage this club at anytime during the remainder of this season. Here is my thoughts on the process after hiring (assuming the hiring takes place soon).

1 - As mentioned here earlier by kurtingO, the first place for the new manager to start evaluating the club is at the Minor League level and I mean at the bottom. Start with face to face meetings with international scouting and development personnel as well as Jordan and his staff, tour the spring training sites and then one by one visit with every level of the organization from GCL O's to Norfolk. Get to know everything he possibly can about the entire organization below the big league level not only the players but coaches as well.

2 - Spend whats left of the season with AM evaluating the big league club, what pieces of the pie are left for any possible carry over into next season and map a plan of action for filling position needs that we don't have ML ready in our system. At this time he could also be mapping out the coaching staff and preparing to bring others in from outside the organization if needed.

I realize we are not hiring a GM but this organization is a train wreck in progress, yes we have some MiL levels with wheels on the track but over all it's still a wreck. I don't think it matters who we bring in to manage this club, if we plan on placing them in the dugout right away its a mistake. In my opinion we are gambling on getting the same results on the field if we do that.

Most of what you said in point 1...Is that more of the job of the general manager, not the manager?

I mean if you hire a AAA manager, are you then going and interviewing AA and A and Rookie league people, because they may play on your team someday?

[Mr. Solo Dolo]

Here's how I see it:

Showalter got fired by the Yankees in '95, they won the World Series in '96.

Showalter got fired by the Diamondbacks in '00, they won the World Series in '01.

The only plausible thing we can do here is hire him for the rest of this year and fire him immediately after. It's a guaranteed championship.

[Moose Milligan]

But what if Buck likes Crow and wants to keep him? What's that say about the staff that Buck would assemble? What does that say about his decision making? What does that say about his evaluating skills? Does it mean that Buck is a soft guy and wants to keep Crow because he's popular with the players? And if he's kowtowing to the players, is he really the man for the job? How can we be so sure that Buck could be a good manager for us? Will be get ejected from games often enough to prove to orioleshangout.com that he's fiery? Will he make 5 bullpen changes a game? Will he make this team play heads up baseball? Will he improve the baserunning? Will he bench players and throw them under the bus and call them out in the press when orioleshangout.com deems fit?

I mean, there's a lot of heavy stuff to consider here.

How can we be so sure Buck is the man????????

[soxhotcorner14]

Most of what you said in point 1...Is that more of the job of the general manager, not the manager?

I mean if you hire a AAA manager, are you then going and interviewing AA and A and Rookie league people, because they may play on your team someday?

You are correct Haste. No manager in the history of baseball has every scouted it's entire minor league system. That's what your GM and MiL Field Coordinator/Player Personnel perform.

When Coordinators show up in all these minor league towns they're writing reports of each individual. They're usually there a week... and that's usually a week of misery for the players.

[jincargo]

How can we be so sure Buck is the man????????

We can't.

It's becoming a crapshoot with this franchise. Damned if they do, damned if they don't, damned if they do anything.

I just hope something works...for once.

[soxhotcorner14]

I talked to DeMarlo Hale who has coached with Buck on the phone the other night. When I asked him what does he think about Showalter coming to B-more.. His exact words were.. He's exactly what that team needs. Without going into a ton of detail he is well aware of all the shortcomings of the O's organization both at the big league/minor league levels. There you have it.