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Friday, July 17, 2015

Columns: • Orioles first-half recap The Sun 7/16 • Ubaldo Jimenez: 'I probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my family' The Sun 7/16 • Four reasons why the Frisbee-tossing Chaz Roe is your new favorite pitcher MLB.com 7/17 • Starting the second half MASNsports.com 7/17 • Information on "Birdland Social" and other notes (updated) MASNsports.com 7/16 • If skid continues to start second half, should Orioles be buyers or sellers? MASNsports.com 7/17 • Orioles-Tigers Preview SI.com 7/17 • Jimenez tries to start second half by picking up where he left off CSN Baltimore 7/17 • Five things Orioles need to do to play longer in 2015 CSN Baltimore 7/16 • Orioles Face Potential Make-Or-Break Road Trip To Start Second Half PressBoxOnline.com 7/16 • Steve Davis: Buck Is Must See TV CBS Baltimore 7/17 • Jerry Coleman: Orioles Back On the Diamond – All Even CBS Baltimore 7/17 • Scott Garceau: Here’s How The O’s Win the East CBS Baltimore 7/17 • Orioles' attendance rebounds from early-season unrest Baltimore Business Journal 7/16 • unveil their very-Maryland Oriole Bird bobblehead FOX Sports 7/17 • Oriole Bird bobblehead has Old Bay and a mallet, wins stadium giveaway war The Washington Post 7/16 • Did Buck Showalter think about walking Derek Jeter in Yankee Stadium finale? NY Daily News 7/14 • Buck Showalter picks 'The Sandlot' as his favorite baseball movie Newsday 7/13

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-first-half-notes-0717-20150716- story.html

Orioles first-half recap

By Josh Land / The Baltimore Sun July 16, 2015

The Orioles went into the All-Star break 44-44 after losing 10 of their past 13 games. Here's a look at how they got there.

Situational struggles

The Orioles experienced a dramatic dropoff in terms of situational hitting over their last 13 games before the break. Dating to the seventh inning of a July 5 win over the Chicago White Sox, the Orioles have an astonishing one hit in their past 41 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Going back to the beginning of the 3-10 stretch, the Orioles have just seven hits in their past 81 at-bats with RISP.

The Orioles had been far and away the best team in the majors in those situations before their recent troubles, batting .320 with RISP through 75 games this season. They're now hitting .290 in those spots to rank fourth, behind the (.298), Colorado Rockies (.294) and San Francisco Giants (.290).

Road woes

The Orioles went 1-5 on their last road trip to Chicago and Minnesota to see their mark away from Camden Yards plummet to an American League-worst 17-26.

A big part of the Orioles' success in their 2012 and 2014 playoff seasons was winning on the road. They finished an identical 46-35 on the road in each of those two seasons, sandwiched around a 39-42 mark in 2013, when they finished 85-77 and missed the postseason. The Orioles are on pace for their worst road record since going 30-51 in 2011.

They lead the AL East in home wins with 27. But they must do better on the road to stay in contention.

Bullpen boost

The Orioles bullpen has continued to be a strength, ranking third in the AL and sixth in the majors with a 2.90 ERA. Since April 29, the relief corps has been even better, ranking second in the majors and leading the AL with a 2.39 ERA while holding opponents to a .217 average, which is tied for second in the majors.

Right-handed setup man Darren O'Day was an All-Star for a reason, as his 1.07 ERA ranks fourth among major league relievers. In his second season as closer, left-hander Zach Britton earned his first All-Star nod by tying for third in the AL with 23 saves heading into the break. Britton has a 1.72 ERA and has converted a career-best 19 straight save opportunities.

Rotation decline

The Orioles have not received the same kind of contributions from their rotation as they did a year ago. The Orioles went into the break with a 4.20 starting pitchers' ERA, which ranks 10th in the AL, and the second-fewest starters' innings in the AL.

In 2014, the Orioles finished fifth in the AL with a 3.61 rotation ERA and 10th in starters' innings.

Right-handers Chris Tillman (6-7, 5.40 ERA) and Bud Norris (2-9, 6.86 ERA) have been the biggest disappointments. Right-hander Miguel Gonzalez (7-6, 4.24 ERA) isn't far behind with a 6.20 ERA over his past five starts.

Left-hander Wei-Yin Chen (4-5, 2.78 ERA) and right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez (7-4, 2.81 ERA) have carried the rotation.

On the defensive

The Orioles continue to be one of the best fielding teams in the majors, having committed the fewest errors in the AL (39) and second-fewest in the majors.

The Orioles lead the AL and rank third in the majors with a .988 fielding percentage. The returns of shortstop J.J. Hardy and catcher Matt Wieters have helped fortify the club up the middle. Third baseman Manny Machado has gotten himself in order, rebounding from a stretch of nine errors in 26 games to commit just three in his past 50.

The Orioles also lead the majors with 26 outfield assists, led by Adam Jones' six and Travis Snider's five.

Still power-happy

Even after the much-discussed departures of Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis, the Orioles' offensive numbers rank almost exactly where they did a year ago.

Their .255 average is sixth in the AL, right where it finished in 2014. Their 387 runs also rank sixth, exactly where the club finished a season ago. Their .310 on-base percentage stands 10th in the AL after they ended 11th in that category last season.

They still rely on the , ranking fourth in the AL with 110, but that's the only area with noticeable slippage. The Orioles led the majors with 211 home runs in 2014.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-orioles-ubaldo-jimenez-0717-20150716- story.html#page=1

Ubaldo Jimenez: 'I probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my family'

By Eduardo A. Encina / The Baltimore Sun July 16, 2015

Among the many lessons Ubaldo Jimenez learned from his parents growing up in the Dominican Republic, the most important one was to never lose his faith.

That faith has been tested many times during his baseball career, through long bus rides in the minor leagues and throughout a roller-coaster big league career. But Jimenez's family always serves as a close reminder that perseverance pays off.

Inside the Orioles clubhouse, the words of the bible, specifically Psalm 91, are prominently displayed in Spanish on Jimenez's locker.

"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart," a part of the prayer reads. "... A thousand may fall at your side, 10,000 at your right hand, but it will not come near you."

"That's very true," Jimenez said, looking at the same prayer on the wall of the Baltimore apartment he shares with his father, also named Ubaldo, and his mother, Ramona, during the season. His niece, 11-year-old Crisley, also visits from the Dominican over the summer. "It doesn't matter how things are going. You're going to go through that and eventually see the light. … No matter what it is, I keep going and try to move forward. I don't fear anything."

As the Orioles open the unofficial second half of the season Friday night in Detroit, the 31-year- old Jimenez will be on the mound looking to continue a remarkable rebound from his horrific first season with the club in 2014.

Before last season, the Orioles signed Jimenez to a four-year, $50 million deal, the largest and longest the team has given to a free-agent pitcher. But Jimenez struggled from the start, battling with his command and confidence before eventually being demoted to the bullpen. While the Orioles were on their way to a division title, Jimenez said he was going through a personal hell.

"I probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my family," Jimenez said. "They give me the strength every day. It's not easy to go home. Especially last year with everything I was going through, it's not easy to go home and sleep. Having my family with me, they always gave me the strength to continue and having the strength that everything is going to change. That's what happened here right now.

"A lot of people didn't think I would be here right now pitching the way I am. I know a lot of people lost their faith in me. They thought, 'Oh no, he's done, he doesn't have it anymore.' But I never lost my faith."

Jimenez enters Friday 7-4 with a 2.81 ERA — his lowest at the break since his All-Star season in 2010 — and his eight quality starts in 17 outings this season rank second on the club. Given where he was last year, it has been an impressive turnaround.

"There's a lot to like in this guy," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "Ubaldo wants to be a consistent pitcher every time out. He's well conditioned, you never have to worry about him doing something to embarrass the club. He's a good human being. He's a good teammate. He smiles easily. He doesn't take himself too seriously. He takes a lot of pride in it. He loves his family like nobody else."

Humble beginnings

Growing up in San Cristobal, 20 minutes outside Dominican capital Santo Domingo, Jimenez didn't even have his own bedroom. His family had a three-room home, so while his parents slept in one room and his older sister, Leidys, occupied the other bedroom, Ubaldo would sleep on a futon in the living room.

Both of his parents worked two jobs to support the family. After serving in the military for 13 years, his father worked as a bus driver and a security guard. His mother was a nurse and sold homemade meals in the neighborhood market.

"Since he was little, the example we wanted to set for him was that if you work hard, you can get whatever you want," his father said in Spanish. "... In tough moments, we all stayed together, so now it's enjoyable to share good moments together."

Even though his father was often working, Jimenez shared his passion for baseball. As a kid, Jimenez would take a stone and wrap socks around it to make a ball. A stick sufficed as a bat. Jimenez grew up as an outfielder, but also had a great arm and eventually was scouted as a pitcher. His favorite pitcher was Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez — ironic considering Martinez's older brother, Ramon, now works closely with Jimenez for the Orioles.

Still, Jimenez's parents kept him grounded and focused. When he was 13 and 14, Jimenez and his sister, now a doctor in the Dominican, would take an hour-long bus ride every Saturday for three-hour English classes. When he was 16, Jimenez turned down a $20,000 signing bonus from the New York Mets because it meant he would have to drop out of school. When he eventually signed for a $50,000 bonus with the Colorado Rockies a year later, it was under the condition that he'd first be allowed to complete school before turning pro.

"My parents used to make me go to school every day," Jimenez said. "I hated school. ... But they always told me, if you want to play baseball, you have to go to school."

Even though his parents prepared him, Jimenez had to adjust to being an 18-year-old minor leaguer in the U.S. for the first time. He would get homesick, so he'd save his meal money to buy calling cards to call home before and after every game.

“I know I went thought tough times, but I’m thankful for everything because that made me see things different,” Jimenez said. “If you go through tough times the first time, you may not know how to deal with it, but I’ve been through a lot, in the major leagues, in the minors. That’s why I always behave the same.”

Major league hurdles

With just 51 major league games under his belt, Jimenez signed a four-year, $10 million extension with the Rockies before the 2009 season that included two club options and kept him under team control through 2014. One of his first purchases was a house for his parents in the Dominican.

Jimenez enjoyed a storybook 2010 season in which he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. He threw a no-hitter in April, went into the break with a 15-1 record and earned his only All-Star nod before finishing the season third in the National League Cy Young Award voting.

He was traded to the Cleveland Indians at the deadline the next season. He struggled over the final two months of 2011 and went 9-17 in 2012, but rebounded in his walk year, going 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA.

That December, Jimenez bought his father an Orioles watch for his birthday. It was two months before he would sign to play in Baltimore, but Jimenez said he already had good feelings about the organization.

"I knew I really liked this place," Jimenez said. "We were talking to teams, but I thought this was really where I wanted to go. I liked everything, the team was contending, the history, playing in the [American League] East against really good teams. There's also a direct flight to the Dominican Republic."

Jimenez signed that February, but his first season with the Orioles was a nightmare. In April, he was 0-4 with a 6.59 ERA on the way to finishing 6-9 with a 4.81 ERA. He led the league in walks for most of the season, and went more than six innings in just four of 20 starts before being sent to the bullpen in August.

"I think the toughest thing was coming to the stadium every night knowing that you are not doing what everyone is expecting you to do," Jimenez said. "That's the toughest thing, to look into people's eyes and know you're trying everything you can and it's just not coming along."

Said Showalter: "I never got mad at him. I got frustrated for him because I knew how much it was hurting him not contributing."

Jimenez said some of his new teammates helped him with constant pep talks, especially team leaders like Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Chris Davis.

"He's a part of the family," Jones said. "If he struggles, we all feel that, so it was important to me, Markakis, the guys to reach out to him. But it was important to me personally, that I just let him know, we trust him, we've got his back, you're not in here by yourself. Just small things like that makes a bigger difference and bigger impact than you can imagine."

Jimenez said he definitely needed that support, but his family really helped last season. As they have through each of his major league seasons, Jimenez's parents live with him for four months during the season on a tourist visa. His niece also lives with him during her summer break.

"The only thing that kept giving me faith was that I have a great family," Jimenez said. "Since I was a little kid, that's what was preached to me, God is the No. 1 thing. It doesn't matter how bad things are, I never lost my faith even when I am going through a tough time because I know I'm going to get out of it."

Another redemption

When Jimenez talks about his 2015 turnaround, the conversation quickly turns to his renewed confidence. He's getting ahead of hitters because he has faith in his stuff, no longer nibbling at the corners of the plate and falling behind in the count.

He's flourishing under the guidance of Ramon Martinez, who the Orioles intently claim is not Jimenez's personal pitching coach, but their bond has been instrumental to his success.

Jimenez's goal is maintaining consistency going into the second half. He has won four of his past five decisions and has allowed just one run over his last three starts for a 0.45 ERA over that span.

“The contract and the money isn’t what drives him,” Showalter said. “He wants to be good and he wants to contribute and he wants to repay the confidence that the Orioles had in him. What drives somebody? It’s his personal pride, too. I think he’s kind of realized a bit who he is and who he’s got to be and he’s really attacked the things that make him good.”

Even when he hasn’t been great, Jimenez has given the Orioles the opportunity to win because he has managed to escape the big inning. Last month, he walked six in a five-inning start in Cleveland, but allowed just one run. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his past eight starts and 13 of 14.

“There have been times where he hasn’t really dominated, but he stuck with the approach and he stayed aggressive and he might have gone just five innings, but he kept us in the game,” catcher Caleb Joseph said. “He’s done a fantastic job of rebounding. We’ve always believed in him, we always knew it was there, and it’s exciting not only for him, but everyone on the team.”

Last year, Jimenez would come off the field to his share of boos at Camden Yards. Those have now been replaced by standing ovations from the home crowd.

And on those nights, Jimenez's parents aren't far away, often sitting behind home plate wearing his No. 31 jersey, supporting their son as always.

"Family is everything," said Jimenez's mother. "Money is not important or success is not important unless you have your family, because we are just like how we started, with a lot of love. We thank God for the fact that we've been able to improve everything. We've been able to get things we never thought we'd be able to get. We've been able to get a better life, but the only thing that matters to us is love and being together. There's nothing greater than that. It's priceless."

http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2015/07/17/136978452/four-reasons-why-chaz-roe-and-his-slider-is- your-favorite-pitcher

Four reasons why the Frisbee-tossing Chaz Roe is your new favorite pitcher

By Michael Clair / MLB.com July 17, 2015

Chaz Roe is your new favorite pitcher and you don't even know it.

You may not think that he's your favorite pitcher. After all, how many of your favorite pitchers are 28-year-olds with only 51 1/3 career innings and are middle relief options? How many of your favorite pitchers have spent time with more Major League teams (eight) than the number of acceptable people in your wedding party (four).

Well, let me tell you why:

- His name is Chaz. It's not a nickname, it's his born and given name. Chaz -- not like the guy from Airheads whose name was actually Chester. Despite the untold thousands of people who have played the game of baseball, Roe is the only Chaz to reach the big leagues. Though that may not be for long. The Yankees have a 22-year-old starter in Class-A Advanced named Chaz Hebert. Which is also an amazing name.

- His hair. In a throwback to the early '90s baseball cards that litter my apartment, Roe's long, messy hair sprouting out from under the ballcap is not a style you see very often. I may be suffering from male pattern baldness, doomed to never have a full head of hair like the Orioles reliever, but at least I can live on vicariously through him.

- He's an Indy League success story. Though selected by the Rockies with the 32nd overall pick in the 2005 draft, things at first didn't really work out for Roe. After reaching Triple-A with the Rockies, where he posted a 5.98 ERA in the (to be fair) hitter-friendly Colorado Springs, he was then shipped to Seattle where he posted a 6.59 ERA and 0-7 record for Tacoma. Even if wins don't really mean anything anymore, having a zero followed by a seven is certainly not the kind of statistic that's going to get you called up.

Following shoulder surgery and a drug-related suspension, Roe landed in Laredo, home of the Lemurs, in the independent American Association. Though clearly not the goal Roe had for his career going into it, you can't argue that he may have been with the most wonderfully logo'd team of his career.

If they're this cute eating a ball of rice, just imagine how adorable they are on the field:

Roe was fantastic there, pitching to a 1.47 ERA in 55 innings. It was enough to capture the attention of the Diamondbacks. After 22 big league innings with the D-backs in 2013, Roe then spent time in the Rangers, Marlins, Yankees (two Major League innings) and Pirates systems before finally ending up in Baltimore. At the age of 28, and with a 2.67 ERA, he looks to have finally carved his niche in the Majors. And how has he done it?

- His slider. That's the reason you clicked on this article. Admit it, you want to see this pitch. A big sweeping hook, that moves more like a frisbee or Hot Wheels car on a track, Roe has set a career high with 8.24 inches of horizontal movement on the pitch this season. And according to Statcast™, he has the ninth-highest average spin rate on the ball, picking up 2,548 RPM.

But those are words. And words don't move the soul like images. Thomas Kinkade knows that -- why else do you think he paints such boring houses? Because art brings them to life.

Like this UFO of a slider to strikeout Adeiny Hechavarria in his first game with the Orioles.

Or when he gave his slider an ultra dense center of gravity, making Kevin Kiermaier swing like he was an action figure without enough points of articulation:

He pulled the same trick on Brett Gardner, throwing a pitch that has no right belonging in this realm of physics.

And that's his secret. Just like his slider unexpectedly darts out of view of the batter, his slider has also darted straight into your heart. And that, my friends, is why Roe is your new favorite reliever. Long live that slider.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/07/starting-the-second-half.html

Starting the second half

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 17, 2015

The break is finally over. The Home Run Derby, the All-Star Game, the workout in Detroit - it's all in the Orioles' rear view mirror.

How much longer do we reflect on the first half?

The Orioles are taking their 44-44 record to Comerica Park for tonight's series opener against the Tigers. They've lost 10 of their last 13 games to fall four back in the American League East.

The Orioles are 17-26 on the road and 15-16 in the first game of a series. They're 12-14 in one- run games, 7-13 in two-run games, 34-19 when they score first, 5-32 when scoring fewer than four runs and 32-9 when outhitting their opponents.

Though they led the majors in average with runners in scoring position for much of the first half, the Orioles (.290) slipped to fourth after a maddening stretch when they've gone 7-for-81.

Which Orioles' starter has struck out the most batters in one game this season? Answer to follow. The Orioles went 1-5 against the Tigers last season, losing two of three at Comerica Park. They haven't swept the Tigers in a three-game series in Detroit since 2004.

Ubaldo Jimenez opens the second half for the Orioles in a ballpark that's challenged him, to put it mildly. He's 2-7 with a 6.80 ERA and 1.699 WHIP in nine career starts at Comerica Park. Overall, he's 5-9 with a 4.93 ERA and 1.500 WHIP in 17 starts against the Tigers.

Jimenez held the Tigers to one run and three hits over six innings in a May 11, 2013 start in Detroit, walking one and striking out eight as part of the Indians' rotation, but he allowed five runs and seven hits in three innings in a return visit a month later.

After signing with the Orioles last year, Jimenez made one start against the Tigers at Camden Yards and blanked them on three hits over seven innings.

Victor Martinez is 8-for-24 with a double, three home runs and nine RBIs against Jimenez. Yoenis Cespedes is 3-for-7 with a home run, Marc Krauss is 3-for-6 with a double, and Alex Avila is 5-for-23 with a double, a home run, eight walks and eight strikeouts.

Jimenez has allowed one run in his last three starts over 20 innings. He threw 110 pitches in five scoreless innings in his last start in Minnesota, allowing seven hits and walking three batters, and his ERA was lowered from 2.96 to 2.81.

Tigers starter Anibal Sanchez has reverse splits, holding left-handed hitters to a .205 average while right-handers are batting .262. He's made two career starts against the Orioles, allowing five runs and nine hits in 10 1/3 innings.

The current Orioles are 9-for-48 (.188) against Sanchez. Chris Parmelee is 1-for-13, Adam Jones is 2-for-4 and Matt Wieters is 1-for-3 with a home run.

Answer: Miguel Gonzalez struck out a career-high 10 batters against the Yankees on April 14, the most by an Orioles starting pitcher this season.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/07/information-on-birdland-social-and-other- notes.html

Information on "Birdland Social" and other notes (updated)

By Roch Kubatko / MASNsports.com July 16, 2015

The Orioles will host "Birdland Social," a Social Media Night event at Camden Yards on July 28 prior to the 7:05 p.m. game against the Braves. The exclusive pregame party on the center field Roof Deck will host 250 of the Orioles' most engaged social media followers.

I'll join former pitcher and current MASN analyst Jim Palmer for a Q&A session with fans, continuing my Hall of Fame tour. Cal Ripken Jr. yesterday, Palmer on July 28. Someone get Brooksie on the phone.

Tickets for the Birdland Social pregame party range from $30 to $60 and include access to the party, a catered menu, two drink coupons per person, a ticket to the game (Roof Deck, Eutaw St. bleachers or upper reserve with varied pricing) and an exclusive T-shirt with a unique social media design. The party will run from 5-6:30 p.m.

A limited number of tickets are available at www.orioles.com/birdlandsocial.

Additionally, the Orioles are offering fans the chance to vote on one of three unique designs for the Birdland Social T-shirt. Fans may vote via individual hashtags on Twitter or Instagram. Real- time results of the voting and the T-shirt designs are viewable on www.orioles.com/birdlandsocial.

The Giants signed former Orioles infielder Everth Cabrera to a minor league contract, according to CBSSports.com.

The Orioles released Cabrera on June 13 after designating him for assignment a week earlier. He batted .208/.250/.229 in 29 games while filling in at shortstop and second base.

The Orioles signed Cabrera to a $2.4 million deal in February. They had no interest in bringing him back to the organization on a minor league deal.

I ran the idea past executive vice president Dan Duquette, who replied, "We're set."

Hunter Harvey, the 22nd overall pick in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, started a throwing program last week in Sarasota and hasn't experienced any issues with his right arm.

Harvey, on the minor league disabled list with a strained right flexor mass, is throwing from 60 feet on flat ground. He had been shut down after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection on May 18.

As a reminder, here are the pitching matchups for the three-game series against the Tigers at Comerica Park:

Friday: Ubaldo Jimenez (7-4, 2.81 ERA) vs. Anibal Sanchez (8-7, 4.63 ERA) Saturday: Chris Tillman (6-7, 5.40 ERA) vs. David Price (9-2, 2.38 ERA) Sunday: Miguel Gonzalez (7-6, 4.24 ERA) vs. Justin Verlander (0-2, 5.34 ERA)

Update: Triple-A Norfolk pitcher Michael Bowden opted out of his contract, as expected. The Tides made the announcement on Twitter.

Bowden was 7-2 with a 1.91 ERA, 20 walks and 52 strikeouts in 24 games over 75 1/3 innings. His ERA led the International League.

There were mixed opinions in the organization whether Bowden would have similar success at the major league level. Either way, the Orioles didn't have a spot for him on the pitching staff.

http://www.masnsports.com/steve-melewski/2015/07/if-skid-continues-to-start-second-half- should-orioles-be-buyers-or-sellers.html

If skid continues to start second half, should Orioles be buyers or sellers?

Steve Melewski / MASNsports.com July 17, 2015

To sell or not to sell, that is the question.

I don't know if they represent a large percentage of fans or not, but it seems that an increasing number of Orioles fans want the team to sell off players if they start the second half losing as they ended the first.

The Orioles are 44-44 - four games out of first place - losing 10 of their last 13 games heading in the All-Star break. They have scored three runs or less in eight of their last 10 games.

Last year's Orioles team won 96 games, and this team doesn't seem likely to match that. But, keep in mind, the 2014 San Francisco Giants didn't win their division and didn't win 90 games (they won 88), but they did win the World Series. You don't necessarily need 96 wins.

In an American League East without a great team, just how many wins will the Orioles need to, as Buck Showalter says, "roll the dice" in October?

Another complicating factor is the that Orioles, who says they will be buyers not sellers this month, don't have much longer to change their minds. If they do stumble to start the second half, they could sell off some players, but with a the non-waiver deadline coming up July 31, they would need to make some fast decisions here. That is, if they do an about-face.

The Orioles as sellers? I see that unlikely and I also see it unlikely that they would fall far enough out of the race over the next couple of weeks to even consider it.

O's executive vice president Dan Duquette has said that the O's players who are pending free agents have more value to the team playing out this season they would have as trade chips.

Even if the O's keep every pending free agent they have, they still have the chance to offer any of them a qualifying offer and get a draft pick if they turn that down. It is possible that the player the Orioles would acquire with any draft pick would be as good as any player they could acquire in the next few weeks for a rental player that can be a free agent at the end of the 2015 season.

The Orioles are in a tough spot right now. They are clearly not out of the race, but they were not showing many encouraging signs in losing their last four series. But right before that, they went 18-5.

To sell or not to sell? The Orioles seem inclined to try to add rather than subtract right now. Are they right?

http://www.si.com/mlb/2014/04/06/ap-bba-orioles-tigers-preview

Orioles-Tigers Preview

SI.com July 17, 2015

The Detroit Tigers have been a postseason fixture in recent years, but they might be in no man's land between buying and selling ahead of this year's deadline.

In a weaker division, the Baltimore Orioles are right in the thick of the playoff race despite being just as inconsistent.

These teams open a three-game series Friday night in Detroit in their first meeting since last season's AL division series.

Over the past few years, baseball's trade deadline has been a source of excitement and anticipation in Detroit. Now, with the deadline approaching again, general manager Dave Dombrowski is facing questions about his team's short-term goals.

"We're trying to win this year right now," he said recently.

The fact that Dombrowski had to reaffirm that philosophy was telling. The Tigers entered the All-Star break at 44-44, in third place and nine games out of first in the AL Central. Baltimore (44-44) is four games behind the first-place in the AL East despite the same record.

The Tigers are tied with St. Louis for baseball's longest active postseason appearance streak after four straight division titles, but its deficit in the standings has spurred speculation that the team might be better off trading some of its top players and reshaping the roster for next year.

That talk may be premature. The Tigers are certainly still in contention for a wild card. At the very least, they can wait a little longer before evaluating what their next moves might be. But so far this year, Detroit has looked average, and Miguel Cabrera isn't expected to return from a strained calf until next month.

"We have to get on a roll and the only way to do that is with good starting pitching," Dombrowski said.

After losing five of six meetings in the 2014 regular season, the Orioles swept the Tigers in the division series, including a 2-1 victory at Comerica Park on Oct. 5.

Anibal Sanchez (8-7, 4.63 ERA) worked out of the bullpen in that series, tossing two scoreless innings in Game 2 in his only appearance.

Sanchez owns his highest ERA since 2008, but he's 5-0 with a 2.84 ERA over his last six outings. He's averaged 6.3 runs of support in that span.

Baltimore staggered into the All-Star break on level ground following a wild roller-coaster ride marred by erratic play, with losses in 10 of its last 13.

"It's been up and down," shortstop J.J. Hardy said. "We've had some good stretches and some bad stretches, yet we're still kind of right in the mix. So if we can get going in the second half, we have a good chance."

As the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaches, general manager Dan Duquette sees the Orioles as buyers, just like last year when they secured standout reliever Andrew Miller for a postseason run that finally ended in the ALCS.

Though the contracts of Matt Wieters, slugger Chris Davis and left-hander Wei-Yin Chen are among those that expire after this season, Duquette's focus is in the short term.

"We'd like to make our team as strong as we can for the rest of the season," he said. "The division is wide open. No dominant team has emerged and there will be a lot of teams vying for the wild-card spots, too."

All-Stars Manny Machado, Zach Britton, Darren O'Day and Adam Jones excelled in the first half, as did newcomer Jimmy Paredes, who's batting .299 and already has reached career highs with 10 homers and 39 RBIs.

Hardy is back in a groove after being sidelined by back spasms; Wieters and Jonathan Schoop contributed immediately upon their return from the disabled list; and Kevin Gausman is back in the rotation after a bout with right shoulder tendinitis.

"I think our best baseball is ahead of us," manager Buck Showalter said.

Ubaldo Jimenez (7-4, 2.81) looked particularly good just before the break, recording a 0.45 ERA over his last three outings. He's trying to shake a rough history in Detroit, where he's 2-7 with a 6.80 ERA in nine career outings.

Victor Martinez is 8 for 24 with three homers against Jimenez.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/jimenez-tries-start-second-half-picking-where- he-left

Jimenez tries to start second half by picking up where he left off

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore July 17, 2015

Tonight’s Game:

Baltimore Orioles (44-44) vs. Detroit Tigers (44-44), Comerica Park, Detroit, 7:08 p.m.

Starting pitchers:

Ubaldo Jimenez (7-4, 2.81) vs. Anibal Sanchez (8-7, 4.63)

Keys to the Game:

Are the Orioles closer to the team that won 18 of 23 last month? Or are they more closer to the one that ended the first half with 10 losses in 13 games?

Can Jimenez keep up his hot pitching? In his last three starts, he's allowed just one run in 20 innings.

News and Notes:

Jimenez is 5-9 with a 4.93 ERA in 17 starts against the Tigers. He's 2-7 with a 6.80 ERA in nine starts at Comerica Park.

Current Orioles are batting just .188 against Sanchez. The Orioles are at the .500 mark for the 10th time this season.

The Orioles lead the American League with fewest errors, 37.

http://www.csnbaltimore.com/blog/orioles-talk/five-things-orioles-need-do-play-longer-2015

Five things Orioles need to do to play longer in 2015

By Rich Dubroff / CSN Baltimore July 16, 2015

The Orioles open the season’s second half in Detroit on Friday night. To paraphrase Buck Showalter, if they want to play more, they’ll have to play better.

What are five things they’ll need to do to play in the postseason?

1) Hit with runners in scoring position

According to Elias, the Orioles are last in the major leagues this month with runners in scoring position. They’re just 5-for-70 (.071). The next worst team, San Diego is batting .145.

Until this month, the Orioles were doing quite well at it. Part of the problem is that some of their key hitters just aren’t hitting let alone with runners on base.

So far, J.J. Hardy is batting just .125, Chris Davis .211, Adam Jones .222 and Manny Machado .231.

All of them are better hitters than that, and they’re likely to hit more robustly in the second half.

2) Get deeper starts

No Oriole has thrown a complete game, and no starter has even appeared in the ninth inning.

With Zach Britton pitching so brilliantly, there’s no need to risk a starter for the sake of a complete game, but more starts that last at least seven innings would be a help.

Only Wei-Yin Chen has consistently pitched well into games. Nine of Chen’s 17 starts have lasted seven or more, and he has four eight-inning starts. In one of them, on July 1 against Texas, he could have easily pitched the ninth because he had thrown 87 pitches, but Showalter decided to conserve him.

Ubaldo Jimenez and Chris Tillman have also started 17 times. Jimenez has seven seven-inning starts (one of them lasted eight), but Tillman has only gone seven three times.

Five of Miguel Gonzalez’s first 10 starts went seven innings, but none of his last six have. Four have been five innings or less.

Mike Wright has two, and Bud Norris one, giving the Orioles 27 seven-inning starts in 88 games. That must improve.

3) Get consistent production from corner outfielders

Steve Pearce and Travis Snider have both been disappointing though Snider’s 325 on-base percentage is fourth on the club behind only Manny Machado, Jimmy Paredes and Adam Jones.

Snider essentially replaced Nick Markakis in right field, and believe it or not has more home runs (3 to 0) and a higher WAR (1.4 to 1.1) than Markakis.

Realistically, Snider’s production has been wanting. He went 41 games without a home run and 20 without an RBI.

The recent move of Davis from first to right has beefed up production there, but has cost the team offensively at first as Chris Parmelee has cooled off from his hot start.

4) Hope that Zach Britton and Darren O’Day stay strong

Britton and O’Day were justly rewarded with All-Star Game invitations.

In May 2014, Britton was moved into the closer’s role and converted 33 of 37 opportunities. This year, he’s been even better with 23 saves in 24 chances, and his only blown save ended in a win.

At 32, O’Day is having a marvelous season. He’s 5-0 with a 1.07 ERA and has allowed barely five hits per nine innings, and for a pitcher who’s not considered a strikeout guy, has fanned 12 per nine innings. His strikeout/walk ratio is a phenomenal 5.63.

It would be hard to believe that both could replicate the first 88 games in the final 76, but the Orioles need them to.

5) Concentrate on 2015, but don’t forget about 2016

That doesn’t mean trading away top-level prospects for a player who might help. It means riding with the seven free agents unless the team heads south the next two weeks.

Chen, Davis, Norris, O’Day, Pearce, Tommy Hunter and Matt Wieters are all free agents, and there’s a chance none will return in 2016.

Try and get the most out of them and hope they can help the team play beyond Oct. 4. After that, Chen, Davis and Wieters will probably get qualifying offers, reject them and once they sign elsewhere, the Orioles will get three good draft choices.

If the Orioles are still around .500 in two weeks, that doesn’t eliminate them. They’re not likely to get a great package for two months of Chen, Davis and Wieters.

Pearce hasn’t had a good season, and it’s possible he won’t a situation more attractive.

O’Day has done the most to improve his market value this season, and at first looked to be the one most likely to stay. But, would the Orioles offer him a three-year deal? He’s likely to get one elsewhere, even at 33.

He has a 22-6 record with a 1.91 ERA in four seasons with the Orioles. O’Day fits in brilliantly with this team, and the moment the 2015 season ends, they must make sure he’s back for 2016 and beyond.

http://www.pressboxonline.com/2015/07/16/orioles-face-potential-make-or-break-road-trip-to- start-second-half

Orioles Face Potential Make-Or-Break Road Trip To Start Second Half

By Paul Folkemer / PressBoxOnline.com July 16, 2015

The Orioles sputtered to the end of the first half of 2015, going 3-10 during their final 13 games before the All-Star break. And the task doesn't get any easier for the Birds to start the second half.

When the Orioles resume play July 17, they'll immediately face a demanding road trip that could potentially set the course for the remainder of their season. A successful trip could help them regain momentum and put them right back in the thick of things in the American League East, while a losing spell could all but bury the Birds.

The Orioles' trip will begin in Detroit July 17-19. And while the Tigers aren't the menacing beast they've been in years past -- starting the second half with a 44-44 record, identical to the Orioles -- they'll send their three best pitchers to the mound during the series: left-hander David Price and righties Anibal Sanchez and Justin Verlander.

Granted, the last time the Tigers sent their top three starters against the O's -- during the 2014 American League Division Series -- the Birds defeated them all, beating Price and righty Max Scherzer while handing Verlander a no-decision en route to a series sweep. But the 2015 Orioles' offense, at the moment, isn't clicking like last October's. The Birds' bats have disappeared in July, hitting .215 with a .644 on-base plus slugging percentage and scoring the second-fewest runs in the AL (32).

After Detroit, the Orioles will move on to face the current No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the AL East, the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, respectively, for three games each. Those will mark the Birds' first games against divisional opponents since June 23-25, representing a golden opportunity to gain ground in the AL East race. On the flip side, it also puts the O's at risk of losing ground if they can't scrape out a few wins.

And if the Orioles' first half is any indication, they're going to have trouble racking up victories during the road trip. The Birds have been woeful on the road thus far in 2015, going 17-26 in opponents' ballparks (including a three-game "home" series that was moved to Tampa Bay May 1-3). The Birds' .395 road winning percentage is the second-worst mark in the AL, better only than the Chicago White Sox (.391).

This isn't the first time the O's have faced a tough stint away from home. In mid-April, they set out on an important intradivisional road trip against the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. The Orioles fell flat, going 2-5 during the stretch. But that wasn't even their worst road trip of the season. The O's have since had a pair of 1-5 road trips, including their most recent one July 3-8, capped by a three-game sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Twins.

If the Orioles can't start to at least hold their own on the road, their chances of contending for the postseason are miniscule. The O's are surely aware of that. But turning their season around in three unfriendly environments, like Comerica Park, Yankee Stadium and Tropicana Field, is easier said than done.

As it happens, the Orioles' road trip will conclude July 26, five days before MLB's non-waiver trade deadline. How the O's fare during the trip could determine their strategy on the trade market.

By all accounts, the Orioles currently intend to supplement their roster at the deadline, looking for veteran help to give the club an extra push. But what if the Birds have a truly disastrous road trip, going 2-7 or worse and falling way off the pace in the AL East? Would executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette consider shifting into sell mode, putting potential free agents, such as first baseman Chris Davis and lefty Wei-Yin Chen, on the trade block?

It remains unlikely the Orioles will deal away any of their star veterans. But at the same time, a rough road trip could make Duquette more hesitant to be a buyer. He might be uncomfortable trading away prospects for veterans if the Orioles fall significantly off the pace during the next two weeks.

All in all, the Orioles' three-city, nine-game trek that starts July 17 could prove to be their most crucial stretch of the season. Come July 26, the O's should have a much better idea of where their season is headed -- for better or for worse.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/07/17/steve-davis-buck-is-must-see-tv/

Steve Davis: Buck Is Must See TV

By Steve Davis / CBS Baltimore July 17, 2015

If you missed the MLB Network special “MLB Network Presents: Buck Showalter: A Life in Baseball”, you really missed out. He just continues to fascinate. He even had a few Buck-isms.

It was nice to hear that doesn’t plan on managing after Baltimore, although what is he supposed to say? I believe him though. Even though he is only 58, thetravel and schedule is brutal. Basically, no days off. none, from February to October.

I loved his take on parenting, that you’re a parent, not a pal. He doesn’t like September call-ups, which most people with half a brain also doesn’t approve. He lauded Camden Yards. He had some great stories from his days with the Yankees. There was excellentinsight into his days as a player. Adam Jones was also very funny.

It was nice to hear from Buck’s wife Angela and his first boss, Gene Michael. It was eye- opening to hear what he told his son about his future in baseball. Make sure to find out when it is on again and DVR it.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/07/17/jerry-coleman-orioles-back-on-the-diamond-all-even/

Jerry Coleman: Orioles Back On the Diamond – All Even

By Jerry Coleman / CBS Baltimore July 17, 2015

As some Orioles got some time away from the game before starting the second of the season, it’s time to kick it in full gear. Last year the team was ten games over .500 coming out of the All-Star break. This season Buck’s Birds are 44-44, but only 3.5 back of the AL East leading Yankees.

“We don’t look at what somebody else is doing or can do until we do the things we can do and have done this year to be consistent,” said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. “We got like what 70 something games left, still a lot of baseball yet to be played and were engaged in the competition.”

The O’s have committed the fewest errors in the AL (39) and are tied for the second fewest in the Majors with the , behind only the Dodgers (35). The Orioles lead the AL and rank third in the majors with a .988 team fielding percentage. Solid defense will certainly be a factor again, for a club that wants to stay in race to defend their 2014 AL East Crown.

The second half also brings in new talent to contenders who know that they will have a shot for the postseason or feel confident enough to make a run to play baseball in October. The trade deadline comes on July 31st, and Adam Jones says that even though he wouldn’t be upset if they didn’t make any moves, he’d be more than pleased if the franchise attempted to grab somebody before the deadline.

“I feel great with guys here, obviously hopefully we’re buyers at the trade deadline… Obviously one or two guys that are out there on the open market could defiantly help this team but I am not GM, I don’t know those moves, they don’t ask me.”

It’s not just Jones, as the end of the month approaches , 3B Manny Machado realizes the look of the club may be altered, “It’s a long season ahead, there’s a lot of moving parts going on, and that’s just how July is, we just have to keep fighting and keep our heads up.”

O’s have 8 pending free agents, & VP Dan Duquette already has said he expects to be active, up To The July 31st Non-Waiver Trade Deadline.

Key Note: The O’s will face the Tigers, Yankees, and Rays before returning to Camden Yards to face the Braves on July 27th, where Nick Markakis will returning since his departure.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/07/17/scott-garceau-heres-how-the-os-win-the-east/

Scott Garceau: Here’s How The O’s Win the East

By Scott Garceau / CBS Baltimore July 17, 2015

It wasn’t real good and it wasn’t that bad, but it was consistently inconsistent. The O’s 44-44 record at the All-Star break smacks of ordinary. To get back into Postseason baseball for the third time in four years the Orioles will have to do better starting Friday night in Detroit. The good news is the AL East is wide open and the Orioles are only 4 games back.

You don’t get points for last year but recent history says the Orioles know they’re capable of getting much better in the second half. A year ago the Orioles were up a game with a 52-42 record at the break when they hit their stride, Buck’s Birds went 44-24 in the second half to finish 96-66 and win the East by 12 games.

Here are 4 key reasons why the Orioles could be back to back American League East champs. Adam Jones — The 5 time All-Star is the unquestioned team leader and is central to all good things Orange and Black. He’ll need to improve over his last two and half months. After a torrid April the Gold Glove centerfielder has only hit .242 with 9 homers and 24 RBI. The Orioles hitting hasn’t been terrible, they’re 8th of 30 teams in runs scored and fifth in home runs but the bats have disappeared at times. Adam Jones can’t do it alone but if he has a big second half the offense should find the missing consistency.

Chris Tillman — He doesn’t have the Jones resume and he isn’t as vocal but he’s the leader of the pitching staff and his first half was, well, CRAP. After pitching over 200 innings in both of the past two years with a 29-13 record Tillman was the O’s closest thing to an ace. This season in a crazy role reversal he looks more like the bad Ubaldo Jimenez of a year ago and Ubaldo looks like the good Tillman. If Tillman doesn’t rebound from his ugly first half (6-7, 5.40 ERA) I don’t think the Orioles make the post-season. He’s only allowed 1 run in 2 of his last 3 starts so maybe he’s ready to take off.

Gausman/Norris — Lets call this a 2-headed monster the Orioles need at least one of the two to step up down the stretch. Norris has pitched himself out of a rotation spot (and probably a fat FA contract) with a train-wreck of a first half. He won 15 games last year and is an intense competitor just maybe he can make something out of this season gone bad. If Norris can’t maybe Gausman can, the right-hander has been up and down like a yo-yo and is still learning how to pitch. He’s got electric stuff and should get his opportunity.

Art of the Deal — With the entire division in contention it just might come down to which team can improve the most before the non-waiver trade deadline at the end of July. My hunch the Orioles won’t make a big splash but will make a deal or two to improve the club. Dan Duquette says the priority is pitching, a year ago he traded for bullpen star Andrew Miller, in 2013 Scott Feldman, Bud Norris and Francisco (K-Rod) Rodriguez all came to Baltimore in mid-season trades. An additional body or 2 will help but the roster as it currently exists is good enough to take Orioles fans on another wild ride toward the post-season. Fasten your seatbelts!

http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2015/07/16/orioles-attendance-rebounds-from- early-season.html?ana=twt

Orioles' attendance rebounds from early-season unrest

Baltimore Business Journal July 16, 2015

Orioles' attendance is nearly flat through the All-Star break.

The Baltimore Orioles are averaging 29,963 fans per game through the All-Star break, coming in nearly flat compared with the same period last season.

The slight 0.1 percent decline through 46 home games is a sharp contrast from the 10.1 percent drop the team had seen during the first 23 games of the season, according to SportsBusiness Daily research.

To date, the Orioles have drawn a total of 1,378,821 fans. Camden Yards, which holds around 46,000 people, is at an average of 66.6 percent capacity for each game this season.

The attendance figures include three May home games that were played in Tampa due to the civil unrest in Baltimore. Those three games drew an average crowd of just more than 13,000 fans. The figures do not include a home game played versus the Chicago White Sox in April without fans.

The Orioles' average is slightly below the 30,198 MLB average at the All-Star break. That's up slightly from the same period last year.

The neighboring Washington Nationals are averaging 33,261 fans this season, an increase of 6.7 percent.

At 44 percent, the defending American League champion have seen the biggest increase this season at the gate.

http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/baltimore-orioles-unveil-their-very-maryland-oriole-bird- bobblehead-071615

Baltimore Orioles unveil their very-Maryland Oriole Bird bobblehead

FOX Sports July 17, 2015

After the success of the Buck Showalter gnome, theBaltimore Orioles' giveaways had big shoes to fill.

While this Oriole Bird giveaway might not have the same clout as Showalter, it will definitely have some fans in the state of Maryland:

Complete with a hammer, bib and Old Bay, the only thing that would make this thing more Maryland would be if it was dressed in Under Armour.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2015/07/16/oriole-bird-bobblehead-has- old-bay-and-a-mallet-wins-stadium-giveaway-war/

Oriole Bird bobblehead has Old Bay and a mallet, wins stadium giveaway war

By Scott Allen / The Washington Post July 16, 2015

Behold the Maryland-themed Oriole Bird bobblehead the Orioles will give away to the first 25,000 fans ages 15 and over at Camden Yards on Aug. 1:

It is nearly perfect and so, so Maryland. (Leave your jokes in the comments.)

The bobblehead features the mascot version of the state bird wearing the state fashion accessory (a Maryland flag crab bib), holding the state tool (a crab mallet) and a can of the state seasoning (Old Bay), standing on a base rimmed with the state flower (the black-eyed Susan). Who’s ready for a crab feast?

The only thing that would make this bobblehead better would be if the container of Old Bay was filled with actual Old Bay that fans could sprinkle on their Esskay crab mac-and-cheese hot dogs while enjoying a Dead Rise and/or Natty Boh.

A co-worker who will remain nameless insists that Old Bay is nothing more than “orange salt,” which just might be a more unpopular opinion than me calling this the stadium giveaway of the summer.

I’m looking forward to the Jayson Werth Chia pet and Anthony Rendon garden gnome, and I’m hoping to make the drive to Harrisburg for the Bryce Harper mayfly snowglobe. But this bobblehead is better, unless you hate the Orioles, or Maryland, or both, in which case you could always grab one and sell it for a nice profit on eBay.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/buck-showalter-walk-jeter-stadium-finale- article-1.2291721

Did Buck Showalter think about walking Derek Jeter in Yankee Stadium finale?

By Bill Price / New York Daily News July 14, 2015

Derek Jeter’s final at-bat at Yankee Stadium proves to be a memorable one as he smacks a game- winning single to beat the Orioles last September.

No one will ever forget Derek Jeter’s last hit in pinstripes — a walkoff single that gave the Bombers a win over the Orioles in Jeter’s final game at Yankee Stadium.

But the question has always been out there: Did Buck Showalter, Jeter’s first big-league manager and current Orioles skipper, consider walking Jeter intentionally with the winning run on second and first base open? It would have been a smart baseball move, but robbed everyone of an all- time memorable moment.

“I’d never tell ... It ended well for everybody, how’s that?” Showalter said in “Buck Showalter, A Life In Baseball,” which airs on MLB Network Wednesday night at 7.

Showalter, a baseball lifer who has managed the Yanks, Diamondbacks and now the Orioles, talks in detail about his time with the Yankees and his firing after the 1995 season that opened the door for Joe Torre to take over the Bombers.

“Basically I was asked to fire four coaches,” said Showalter, who went 313-268 in four years with the Yankees and took the Bombers to the 1995 ALDS, where they suffered a painful loss to Seattle in five games. “It was as simple as that, and I didn’t do it and I knew what was going to happen.”

Showalter discusses having Jeter on the team for the 1995 ALDS and the sage advice he gave to him — not surpringly, the future Captain listened.

“We brought him up in the playoffs and had him travel with us. It was funny, I told him and somebody else who was up with him, ‘Listen, this is not the time to take a vacation,” said Showalter to the show’s host, Bob Costas. “If I hear about you running the streets at 21-years old, we’ll get you down to the Instructional League right away.’ Derek told me later that they didn’t leave the hotel the whole time, they were afraid somebody was going to think they were out running around.”

Showalter speaks glowingly about Billy Martin, saying he was misunderstood and underrated as a manager.

“Everybody looked at him as some cartoon character that got in fights, but he was brilliant. He would use numbers to verify his gut,” said Showalter, who lists “The Sandlot” as his favorite baseball movie. “He wasn’t some swashbuckling guy that just flew off the handle all the time. That part people missed about Billy. He would go, ‘Let’s see what you think. Don’t give us some stock answer.’”

Orioles manager Buck Showalter won’t tip is hand about how he planned to pitch to Derek Jeter in his final at-bat at Yankee Stadium.

As for Torre, who took what Showalter had started and turned it into a dynasty, the Orioles skipper said “it worked out for everybody,” and he has no hard feelings.

“Life’s too short … I’m glad that it got to the end game that it should’ve gotten to. It was perfect, and it’s funny, the kinship, the relationship that Joe and I have developed over the years, especially the last two or three years. It was pretty competitive before because we were in other dugouts, but I think there’s a real healthy respect – I know there is with me for him.”

http://www.newsday.com/sports/media/buck-showalter-picks-the-sandlot-as-his-favorite- baseball-movie-1.10637543

Buck Showalter picks 'The Sandlot' as his favorite baseball movie

By Neil Best / Newsday July 13, 2015

Bob Costas will appear on a show of his own Wednesday night, hosting an episode of "MLB Network Presents" focused on former Yankees and current Orioles manager Buck Showalter.

During the hourlong program, Costas asks Showalter what he would be doing if he weren't in baseball.

"Probably teach or coach in some form," he says. "My dad was a principal. Try going to high school when your dad's the principal. I probably would have been a teacher. Or groundskeeper. I love groundskeeping -- golf course, baseball field. I'd have been happy, too."

Showalter reveals that his favorite baseball movie is "The Sandlot."

"That was me growing up," he said. "We had six or seven of us. That's how I learned to hit the ball the other way. You learn how to argue. The guys said, 'You're not playing.' [I said], 'Why?' They said, 'Play better.' That was it. There was nothing handed to you. You didn't get a trophy for participating. I wouldn't change my upbringing for anything."

One highlight: Showalter's coy response to Costas asking whether he considered walking Derek Jeter intentionally in his final at-bat at Yankee Stadium last September.