[外電] Trembley dismissed; Samuel in as interim
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Trembley dismissed; Samuel in as interim
Orioles make change with team owning MLB's worst record
By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com
06/04/10 5:11 PM ET
BALTIMORE -- Dave Trembley's time as Orioles manager is over. Trembley was
dismissed on Friday, the club announced, and was replaced by Juan Samuel, who
was promoted from third-base coach to interim manager.
Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail met with Trembley on
Thursday night and called the former skipper "gracious" in handling the
situation. The move came on the heels of a winless six-game road trip --
series sweeps in Toronto and New York -- and at a time when the last-place
O's have a Major League-worst record of 15-39.
"This is never an easy or pleasant task, making a managerial change,"
MacPhail said in a press conference Friday afternoon. "In my experience,
every time you go through one of these it has a negative reflection on your
entire baseball operations department, starting with me and going all the way
down the system."
"Nobody believes the reason we have the record we do is somehow Dave
Trembley's fault, or that making a change will magically change everything.
But we reached a point we felt this was the appropriate thing to do."
MacPhail said he will begin immediate plans to search for a long-term
successor to Trembley, and Samuel will be among those considered. Previously
the Orioles third base coach, Samuel will be the Orioles ninth manager since
Peter Angelos became the principal owner of the Orioles in August 1993.
Triple-A Norfolk manager Gary Allenson was named third base coach in lieu of
Samuel.
Hired for his extensive Minor League work and emphasis on fundamentals,
Trembley was given a chance to help develop and nurture Baltimore's growing
young talent the past 2 1/2 seasons. But MacPhail made it clear this spring
that Trembley would be judged on wins and losses, calling 2010 "Phase 2" of
the organization's rebuilding plan.
Instead, the O's sputtered, winning two of their 18 series and scoring a
Major League-low 180 runs in 54 games. Injuries to leadoff man Brian Roberts,
outfielder Felix Pie and closer Mike Gonzalez impacted the team as it got off
to a 2-16 start, the second-worst beginning to a season in franchise history.
"The results on the field were not what any of us would have hoped for, and I
understand that the organization felt the time was right to move in a
different direction," Trembley said in a statement. "While I am disappointed
at the outcome, I feel it was a privilege to wear the Orioles uniform each
day and I thank all the fans for their tremendous support. I hope the team
will soon return to the winning tradition they enjoyed for so many years."
The 2-16 hole was one the Orioles could never dig out of, as they lost setup
man Jim Johnson to a stay on the disabled list and relievers Koji Uehara and
Alfredo Simon went down not long after.
Following a respectable 7-9 stretch, the O's went .500 on a homestand that
was hoped to signal a turnaround. Instead, the 4-4 stretch against the
Mariners, Indians and Royals was followed by a two-game sweep at Texas and a
series loss to Interleague-rival Washington.
"It's been a mixed bag," said MacPhail, who shouldered part of the blame for
the on-field product he handed Trembley. "We got him a couple of guys that
really didn't contribute at all and some guys that were everything we hoped
they would be."
Amid increasing fan criticism for what was called a too-soft approach and his
mishandling of the bullpen, Trembley's seat warmed considerably over the
final few weeks of his tenure. When asked prior to Tuesday's series opener
against the Yankees about being in the eye of a hurricane, Trembley said his
approach to the game would never change.
"I'm a steward of the ship," Trembley said. "I'm here to do the very best I
can all the time. I'm not thinking about myself, I'm thinking about the team
and the organization. You do the very best you can. You don't get wrapped up
in things that you can't control. That's the way it is. That's life. You go
with what you got."
For the Orioles, that no longer includes Trembley -- a 20-year manager in the
Minor Leagues whose love and appreciation for the game went unmatched,
despite the fact that he had never played professional baseball at any level.
Trembley was named the Orioles' bullpen coach in 2007 and was given the
managerial reins on an interim basis when Sam Perlozzo was dismissed on June
18. When Trembley took over, the O's were in last place in the AL East, with
a record of 29-40.
Current Yankees skipper Joe Girardi turned down the job, and Trembley was
given an extended chance to manage, with the organization dropping the
interim tag on Aug. 22, 2007, and awarding Trembley a contract for 2008 and
an option for '09. Trembley became just the seventh man in modern baseball
history to manage in the Majors without having played professional baseball
at any level. He leaves the Orioles with a career managerial record of
187-283.
The 49-year-old Samuel was a three-time National League All-Star whose Major
League playing career spanned 16 years. He is in his fourth year on the
Orioles staff; prior to that, he was manager of the Double-A Binghamton Mets
in 2006. Samuel led the B-Mets to a second-place finish and a 70-69 record.
"I'm very delighted and excited to have somebody that commands the respect of
the players that Juan does," MacPhail said. "And from my observations not
somebody that will go lightly on those mistakes that we don't need to be
making."
After retiring as a player, Samuel coached first base for the Detroit Tigers
in 1999 and moved into the third-base role four games into the 2002 season.
He'll be the first Latin-born manager in Orioles history and said he has a
no-nonsense approach built around hustle, energy and effort.
"Hopefully I can inject a spark into these players," Samuel said. "They all
know me very well; know the kind of guy that I am."
"I have full intention to take advantage of this opportunity and see how far
we can push these guys. And turn the page."
Samuel, who spoke to the players in a brief meeting following the news
conference, said the Orioles' season starts right now.
"The past is the past, what we do from now on is what we are going to be
judged on," he said. "And I have full intention to push these guys as hard as
I can. Push them to the limit."
As for Trembley, the proverbial closed door may open another open. According
to the Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec, MacPhail spoke with Trembley about
remaining in the organization in another capacity in the future. The former
manager flew back to his home in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Friday and could not
be reached.
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