The Orioles fired Dave Trembley yesterday.  They didn’t do it because they thought the awful play was his fault, or so they seem to be saying.  They did it because it was really the only physical change they could make to try to fix the thing.  Almost like banging the side of the TV to make it come in better in the olden days when we had antennae.

Truth is Trembley wasn’t a very good manager.  Since his hiring, he has made many questionable moves, he worked too hard at trying to be the players friend instead to their manager and he should never been allowed to stay this long.  For whatever reason though, he seemed the least of the problems so he was allowed to stay.  Until yesterday.

The Orioles have rounded the corner, but haven’t passed the quarter pole yet- they may not have even neared it to be truthful.  They need a manager associated with winning- that has to be the main criteria.  There are few lists of contenders flying around, they list minor league Orioles Managers, and folks like Buck Showalter, Bobby Valentine, and Eric Wedge.   None of those guys are the right pick.  (Valentine could be for a short time bus should have a short rope.)  The next manager above all else needs to be a winner.

Why?  Because the fans deserve the best shot at excellence that money can buy, and changing the culture of losing in Baltimore is essential.  Here is one fans open letter to the team, a letter that speaks for all of us.  Mets fan will be able to identify, I think .  Reds fans certainly can, though they may not need to be reminded of those days right now. Its a beautiful letter.  He closes with the following:

OK, I’m done. I hope you still love me, cause it’s getting harder and harder to love you. Trust me, I’m trying with all my heart!

Teams have to figure out that it can’t be this hard to love them, or eventually we will stop, go away and find something else to give our souls to. Giving Orioles fans something to root for really means listening to what they want. They want to see someone care about winning. They don’t see that right now. No more interim steps in this process. Find the right manager- the passionate, vocal manager. One that speaks for the fans and one that speaks to the fans. They have come a long way. Andy McPhail and his team can get this one right too.