The Orioles should bring back Trembley, unless they are prepared and able to sign a veteran Manager who has experienced past-success.

My feelings on Trembley have not changed. I think he is a mediocre tactician, that is fairly solid with the media, and up-front with his team.

Some quarters of the media might not like what he has to say, but he is usually willing to answer the questions presented to him. You might question his moves, but he usually is willing to provide the rationale for the move he made.

Outside of a couple of poorly-constructed comments on Felix Pie, Trembley has been good about not using the media to provide criticism to a player.

I called for this team to win around 72 games, and thought if every-thing broke right that 77 was not totally out of the question. They are going to finish in the low 60’s in wins. Certainly most-rationale people could agree that if Jones, Reimold, Bergesen, Mickolio, and Matusz had been able to finish the year, that this collapse could have been avoided.

A logical question to ask me, would be if you think Trembley is mediocre; why do you want him to come-back?

Unless you can obtain that veteran manager who has previously won, I think bringing in another rookie Manager is a poor-decision. Organizational continuity matters more, than bringing in another rookie Manager that will require on-the-job training.

Since 2004, this team has had Mazzilli, Perlozzo, and now Trembley as Manager. Before Mike Hargrove, there was Ray Miller. Before Davey Johnson, there was Phil Regan.

By any real-measure, the decisions a Manager makes, probably influences 5-10 games a year. When you are a contender, that matters. When you are 31 games out of the Wild Card, it does not.

I believe the O’s can and will be an 81-85 win team in 2010. Even at that level though, they are going to be 10-15 games out of the Wild Card.

Get healthy, augment the team, and bring back Trembley for 2010.

If you are committed to letting him go, the only names I want to hear are Davey Johnson, Tony LaRussa, Tom Kelly, and perhaps Don Baylor.

Here is a brief run-down of the positives and negatives of each:

Davey Johnson
Pro: Experience with Baltimore, relationship with Angelos improved after passing of his daughter Andrea, has a .564 career-winning %, finished in 1st or 2nd place 12 times in his 14 years of managing. His willingness to Manage The Netherlands, and Team USA shows a desire to stay connected with the game.
Con: Johnson is 66 years-old, and has not been a MLB Manager since 2000.

Tony LaRussa
Pro: Has the 3rd-most wins all-time as a MLB Manager. Has been a Manager every-year since 1979. His pitching-coach Dave Duncan would come with him, and is regarded as one of the best in baseball. LaRussa’s contract is up after this season, and some believe he wants a new challenge.
Con: LaRussa has been the St.Louis Manager since 1996. The team is posed for a nice post-season run. It is hard to imagine that relationship ending. LaRussa is 64, like Johnson, you would have to question how long the man plans on Managing.

Tom Kelly
Pro: Won 2 World Championships as Manager of the Twins, while there with MacPhail. Has stayed connected to the game as a Special Asst. to the GM. Staying connected to the Twins, and seeing what they have done as an organization, is a good model to follow for the O’s. At age 59, you could see him Managing for 5 years if he wanted to.
Con: Stepped down after the 2001 season, and shown no inclination for wanting to Manage again. Before Trembley was named the official Manager, MacPhail commented that it was understanding that Kelly did not want to Manage again.

Don Baylor
Pro: Former Oriole, who was the 1979 AL MVP, and the 2005 NL National League Manager of the Year. If people want to say that some Oriole players do not respect Trembley because he did not play the game professionally, they could not make that argument about Baylor. He played the game, and achieved more than any player in the O’s locker-room. With Colorado, and the Cubs, Baylor has 9 years of Managerial experience. Currently the hitting-coach with Colorado. Would be only the 2nd African-American Manager in Oriole history. Just turned 60.
Con: While he deserves credit for making the expansion Rockies competitive in his 6 years there, he only finished as high as 2nd-place once. The Oriole locker-room would respect what he accomplished on the field, but that does not mean they would believe he is a good Manager.

If I can be an out-right hypocrite for one minute, one Manager who has had a very successful resume, that I do not want to see is Dusty Baker. Baker is a 3-time NL Manager of the Year, who finished 1st or 2nd 9 times in his 15 years of Managing. He is also a guy that does not believe in on-base%, and pitch-counts. While I have some reservations about pitch-counts myself, and have applauded what Nolan Ryan and Texas Rangers have done as an organization with pitch-counts; I feel Baker abused the young arms of Mark Prior, and Kerry Wood.

The idea of spending 2010 watching Baker insert Izturis and his .295 on-base% to the 2-hole in the lineup, and having Matusz, and Tillman regularly make 135 pitch starts would sicken me.

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

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