Said third base coach Juan Samuel: "He's very upbeat. He's keeping the guys loose in here."
Stressing solutions
Trembley is also keeping them moving. The Orioles have been more aggressive on the bases, stealing early in the count and once executing a safety squeeze. And relievers such as Chad Bradford and Jamie Walker, who were on pace to appear in close to 90 games, are told ahead of time when they'll likely pitch and when they can expect to rest.
"You don't wait for things to happen," Trembley said. "You don't play out of control, but if a guy's tools are he can run and he can bunt, you do it. And the element of surprise plays a big factor in this game. One little thing can get you going. One little thing can put the light back on for these guys."
The Orioles also are taking infield practice before the first game of every series.
"Our preparation has to improve," he said. "Our sense of accountability has to improve. We have to work toward solutions and not worry about problems. We had to tweak it a little bit to soothe some people's wounds, be sympathetic toward what everybody's going through, but also tell guys the way things have been done and the way we've gone about it is not acceptable."
It's the same drill wherever he goes, because only the uniform changes, not the man.
"He just has a classic work ethic," said former major league first baseman Mark Grace, who played for Trembley in the Chicago Cubs system. "He's a teacher of the game. He loves baseball and he's given all his adult life to it. He's made myself and hundreds of other players better because of his work ethic and his teaching.
"The best news I could get from this situation would be that they take the interim tag off him and let him manage the rest of the year, at least. He's certainly paid his dues at the minor league level and I think he deserves a chance to manage, if not the Orioles, than somewhere. Any team will be better off with him."
Last week, the Orioles offered the job to Joe Girardi, who turned them down. New president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail is expected to have a candidates list in the next few days.
"There's no reason to bring anybody in right now," Gibbons said. "The team emotionally has responded well to Trembley. Everybody's playing hard, regardless of the results. He's a good baseball man. He's real honest and up front with everybody all the time, and it's just been really refreshing."
The uncertainty doesn't bother Trembley. He'll still preach the importance of being on time, being professional and respecting the game - a slogan he posts on clubhouse walls. And he'll assume he's the manager for as long as he's making a positive contribution.
"I think that's realistic, I think that's honest and I don't worry about it," he said. "I have confidence in what we're doing, I have courage to do it. I have the courage to make decisions that, in some people's eyes, might not be the right ones, but I'll give you an explanation for why I did it and I'll take the hit if it doesn't work out," he said.
"I don't look at it like I'm the interim anything. I look at it like I'm Dave Trembley and I'm managing the Baltimore Orioles."
roch.kubatko@baltsun.com
The Trembley file
Born: Oct. 31, 1951, in Carthage, N.Y.
Education: Bachelor's (physical education) and master's (education) degrees from SUNY-Brockport
Amateur baseball experience: High school and junior college coach in Los Angeles area, 1977-84
Professional baseball experience: Los Angeles area scout for Chicago Cubs, 1985; minor league coach for Cubs, 1986; minor league manager, 1986-89, 1991-2006 (Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Orioles); director of Pirates minor league complex, 1990
Major league experience: Bullpen coach, interim manager for Orioles, 2007
