Not only have the Orioles officially ended their streak of 14 consecutive losing seasons, they retain a share of the AL East lead with an 81-62 record. Manager Buck Showalter is under contract for 2013, but the Orioles could look to sign him to an extension that covers additional seasons, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports.
The Orioles want Showalter to stay and though there’s no timetable for extension talks, they could take place over the winter or during the 2013 season. Neither side has broached the subject of an extension so far, Kubatko reports. However, Showalter has no interest in discussing an extension with just 19 games remaining in the regular season. A high-ranking Orioles official told Kubatko Showalter has done enough to earn an extension when the time comes to discuss one.
"We don't want him to leave,” the person said. “We want him to stay and he's going to stay. He's a special guy."
Showalter joined the Orioles toward the end of the 2010 season and led the team to a 69-93 record last year. His contract runs through 2013.
James Pinsky
The biggest no-brainer in sports.
MeowMeow
Actually, the Red Sox have the biggest no-brainer in sports. He manages the team.
James Pinsky
That’s hilarious.
BradyAndersonsSideburns
I wish I could vote for this more than once
aemoreira81
Davey Johnson would beg to differ; he was fired after losing to the Yankees in the 1997 ALCS. Until this season, the Orioles had been wretched from then until now.
mehs
Too bad for the Yankees they lost to Cleveland in the ALDS in 1997, Then Cleveland beat the Orioles in the ALCS.
BradyAndersonsSideburns
the only reason this has to be posted is because a certain someone fired Davey Johnson after a season where the team went wire-to-wire
YanksFanSince78
I’m still amazed that this team is where they are.
aemoreira81
Hopefully, Peter Angelos realizes that Showalter has done a lot here, having this team overachieve the way it is with the effort he is demanding from his team, not unlike Joe Maddon in Tampa Bay (where they figure to have another winning season but no playoffs) or Bob Melvin in Oakland or even Kirk Gibson in Arizona. On paper, the Orioles should be nowhere near this good.
At the same time, you can’t say you were fully surprised; the Orioles last year were 11 games above .500 (34-23) with Showalter at the helm, being 41 games below (32-73) and well on pace for 100 losses when Juan Samuel was fired.
mehs
Showalter was hired in June of 2010. He was the manager for the full season last year.
aemoreira81
My bad on that.
Alan K.
Juan Samuel was not “fired” in a strict sense … he was the interim manager after Dave Trembley was fired.
mstrchef
But he was the interim manager for 51 games, then didn’t finish the season. If are the interim anything for two months and don’t get to finish the job, then you got fired.
aemoreira81
Samuel was given an extension the same day as that 30-3 blowout loss.
danistheguy
#BUCKle up!
Let_My_Cameron_Go
The Buck doesn’t stop here…
Rabbitov
“I did go down there and I did talk with the owner (Angelos) and the general manager (MacPhail) and they have a whole lot of problems and they seem like they’re really putting their heads together to try to solve them somehow, some way, [but I’m] not sure how.”
“It’s a big challenge. I like big challenges, but I like to have some reward too, and the reward is in the standings and their standings don’t look like they’re going to turn around very quickly.” – Bobby Valentine when interviewing for the vacant O’s managerial position.
Don Coupons
Yes. Do it. Now. Please.