The Baltimore Orioles are competing for the best record in the American League, and Buck Showalter’s in the dugout. You read that correctly. However he’s in the visitors’ third base dugout at Camden Yards this weekend, managing the opposing New York Mets.
Needless to say however, it’ll probably be a weekend of mixed emotions for Orioles fans. Buck Showalter has the second most wins as the Orioles’ manager in franchise history (behind Earl Weaver). His beleaguered New York Mets come to town tonight, where they’ll be taxed with beating Brandon Hyde’s Orioles.
For starters, there’s no classier act in sports than Buck Showalter. He teaches baseball and guides his teams the right way. It’s my hope that the Camden Yards faithful gives him a standing ovation tonight, and this weekend.
Showalter came to the Orioles at a down moment in franchise history. Manager Dave Trembly had been fired earlier in that season (2010), and the Birds had played under interim manager Juan Samuel. Buck joined the team in early August – and the rest was history.
Showalter restored pride to the Orioles, and restored them to their former glory. Regardless of how things ended in 2018, Orioles fans should NEVER forget that. He made them stand up to Boston And New York. And they did.
He also restored pride to the city itself. By way of the fan base. I think a lot of people had forgotten what this franchise meant to the city and the region. Being a historian of the game, Buck came to town already knowing that. And he restored that mentality to the fans. Again, people should NEVER forget that.
So again, my hope is that Buck’s welcomed back this weekend with open arms. He’ll always have a “place at the table” in Baltimore. He’s a part of this franchise’s rich past, in that he oversaw a return to glory. He breathed life into the team and the town. Do the current Orioles have the chance to eclipse what Buck’s teams did? Absolutely. And I suspect that nobody is happier about that than Buck Showalter.
Needless to say, Orioles fans want it to be a happy “homecoming” of sorts for Buck. But obviously not too happy. These games don’t mean anything more than pride for Buck and his New York Mets. They could mean the world for the Orioles in 2023. So that said…BUCKle Up!
Birdland Crush 