As fans strolled into Camden Yards on Friday night, many were supportive of the Orioles' decision to retain manager Dave Trembley, who now has just 170 wins in 2 1/2 seasons and must win one of two remaining games to avoid a 100-loss season.
"That's awesome!" said Charlie Bryant, 43, of Baltimore, when he heard Trembley would return in 2010. "It's good," said Ayo Obayan, 46, an engineering consultant who came to Baltimore 25 years ago from Nigeria and has been an Orioles fan ever since. "Give him a chance. He's got new, young ballplayers. Now give him some good players and pitchers to go with them and let's see what he can do next year. I don't know why people blame the manager."
The majority of those interviewed felt Trembley "deserved a chance" to see through what he started. Anthony Stinnett, 24, of Pasadena, pointed to the injuries to Adam Jones, Nolan Reimold and Brad Bergesen, and the trades of George Sherrill and Aubrey Huff. Many others pointed to the lack of pitching. All agreed the manager wasn't responsible for those circumstances.
Even Pat Stroop, 61, a retired Navy man who believes in accountability, said he couldn't blame the manager.
"I've been really hard on Trembley, but I love the way he respects the game," Stroop said. "He's a great baseball man, and I'd really like to have a beer with him and talk about the game. I did expect them to make a run after the All-Star break and I'm disappointed in the results, but I support him. I just wish he could somehow magically impart his respect and knowledge to the players."
"The bottom line," said Ray Rubilotta, 42, of Crofton, "is I think it's great he's coming back. He's not the problem. The problem is the players and not having a bullpen."
Usually, managers take the hit when their teams don't perform up to expectations, and in the past, Orioles managers have taken a lot of hits. The Orioles have had seven managers depart during the time Peter Angelos has owned the team. Trembley, who is 170-244 since taking over with 93 games to play in 2007, would have been No. 8.
Some fans took that as a positive sign.
"My opinion is, you shouldn't be handed a Triple-A team to manage in the majors," said Gene Rowan, 49, of Catonsville. "The fact he has been rehired, it's finally a sign of stability. That's something we haven't had in 13 years."
Added Rubilotta, "I think Angelos realizes [president of baseball operations Andy] MacPhail is a real baseball general manager and he has trust in him, like the Ravens have in Ozzie Newsome."
