| 28 April 2011
Here's a litte of my latest piece for MASNSports.com
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It's been a tough two weeks for the Baltimore Orioles
and we all know it. After a promising start to the season, there's been a lot of losing thanks to inconsistent pitching and a lack of offense.
After the sweep by the Yankees this weekend, a lot of fans either on sports talk radio and various places online started to question the decisions of Orioles manager Buck Showalter.
It's hard to rationalize, but there's a difference in the perception of a manager when they are either losing or winning. That fact is even more striking when many found that person to be a hero mere months ago.
Everyone knows that new additions Derrek Lee, Vladmir Guerrero and Mark Reynolds have struggled at the plate since the start of the season. As well, a few of the faces of the franchise - Nick Markakis and Adam Jones - have been scuffling, too.
Before we forget, when the season started, many felt that Buck Showalter was the best thing to happen to the franchise in a very long time. It's safe to say that he had a considerable influence over the Orioles over the final two months of the 2010 season. The fans believed it and so did much of the media, local and national.
Frankly, the Orioles were a horrible team - close to being historically so, until Showalter suited up in August. Now, even though Showalter acquired the same talent that deposed managers Dave Trembley and Juan Samuel had, the players responded to him.
After Showalter debuted as the Orioles' manager, everyone saw improved pitching, defense and clutch hitting. The players seemed prepared, they won more than they lost and fans were hoping for a return to prominence - and national relevance - for the Orioles.
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