After Friday’s loss to the Yankees, the season ended for the Orioles. It was a dream season, but not one that ended in a nightmarish way, and manager Buck Showalter couldn’t hide how proud he was of his team.
 
“They are a special group,” he said in the press conference in New York. “You know, you don’t know how many times you are going to pass this way. And they were good teammates and people that our city and organization can be proud of.”
 
Many of the players also were proud of Showalter. The fans really fell in love with him this year because it seemed like every move he made was the right one.
 
The skipper had to make so many moves and decisions. He needed to practically overturn the starting rotation, massage the bullpen in so many ways, keep changing the lineup due to injuries and work with GM Dan Duquette (who also deserves applause) to constantly find players to fill holes.
 
At the beginning of the year, who could see that Brian Matusz would become an effective relief pitcher? Or that Manny Machado would become the every-day third baseman. Or that Nate McLouth would even be on the team? Tommy Hunter helped in middle relief, and the O’s might have found a new role for him.
 
The Orioles wound up using three players at second base after Brian Roberts missed almost the whole season with injuries. By season’s end, Ryan Flaherty’s bat had come to life there, and Robert Andino was a big help at second base – on defense. But both were helping out in their own ways.
 
In the end, Showalter managed the Orioles much like a football coach. It was all about match-ups. Starting rotation on four days rest? Forget about it. The skipper tried to give guys like Wei-Yin Chen and Miguel Gonzalez extra rest to help them pitch better. The O’s didn’t have a real starting rotation for much of the last month and into the playoffs.
 
Showalter – and Duquette – rolled the dice more than any riverboat gambler. And they kept winning. They played match-ups and who did best against who. Lew Ford started over future Hall-of-Famer Jim Thome in Game 5 as he had better numbers against CC Sabathia.
 
Everyone had a role, and Showalter made sure they knew it. That’s why they kept battling.
 
“People thought they were going to go away,” New York manager Joe Girardi said in his Friday press conference. “They never went away.”