Asked this season about the way Trembley's ouster was handled, MacPhail said: "What I regret was all the speculation right at the end. Nobody wants to see that, but it's kind of the world we live in. But nobody wants to have to go through that."
Several of his coaches waited for Trembley to return from MacPhail's office to say their goodbyes, though Trembley never had an opportunity to speak to his players a final time. He has exchanged e-mails or phone calls with several of them since.
The timing of the firing also prevented Trembley from experiencing what would have been one of the career highlights for a 58-year-old who had managed more than 2,500 games in the minor leagues before getting his shot to run a big league club. Yankees manager Joe Girardi had asked Trembley to be on the American League coaching staff for this year's All-Star Game, and Trembley was planning to go and bring his family to Anaheim, Calif., to enjoy the festivities.
But his managerial tenure ended a little more than a month before the All-Star Game. He has exchanged a couple of e-mails and text messages with MacPhail since they met the night of June 3 in MacPhail's Warehouse office, but that has been the extent of the conversation between the two.
During that meeting, MacPhail told Trembley he would like for him to take some time off and then consider remaining with the organization, but no details have been discussed.
"When I left, Andy asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I wasn't quite sure, I was going to go home and think about it. That's where I'm at," Trembley said. "I went over to Lakeland because there was an East Coast showcase over there. I've been to one Daytona Cubs game. I've been very private. I don't network. I've not made a lot of phone calls. We'll just wait and see what happens. I want to work. I feel like I have something to contribute. I hope there is a fit somewhere. Whether that's with the Orioles or somebody else, that's to be determined. But I know what kind of person I am. I know what I bring to the table.
"What you want to do is keep an open mind and do what you think is best for you and your family. I obviously love Baltimore. The people treated me so great. I made so many relationships there that I still have, but I certainly wouldn't want to get in the way or be a distraction. That's probably the biggest reason I haven't talked to anybody. I don't want to get in the way of what Andy, Buck Showalter and [owner] Peter Angelos want to do with the ballclub."
Trembley managed against Showalter in the Double-A Eastern League, and he said his hiring will help stabilize the franchise.
"Obviously, I know what his background is, what a good baseball man is. I think what Andy has done in naming a manager has really helped the players," Trembley said. "It's really been a shot in the arm. The players know who the manager is going to be in the long term. I think now you'll see the players relax and just play baseball and not wonder every day who the manager is going to be, what moves are going to be made. Now they can really take a look at the organization and what they need to do to move forward. The beneficiary of the whole thing has been the players, and that's what this is really about."
Trembley lamented the fact that his players were constantly asked about their manager's status, especially the younger ones who were trying to establish themselves as big leaguers. He felt the distractions contributed to their struggles.
As for how the speculation affected him, Trembley acknowledged that it was tough to go about his daily business and that the time he has been away from the situation has helped his health.
"I certainly am in a lot better shape physically and mentally than I was. There's no way I could tell you the amount of stress and pressure you feel, and that's because I cared and I did take it personal," Trembley said. "It takes its toll on you, like it takes its toll on anybody that pours their heart and soul into anything. Now, I have had the opportunity to step back, the entire experience was so special for me. I just wish we would have won more games because I probably wouldn't have beaten myself up as much. Baseball has always been a very, very big part of my life. Now that it's not, I've learned that my family, my health and some other things are equally as important, and it will make me a whole lot better for the next experiences I have in this game."
jeff.zrebiec@baltsun.com
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