Orioles manager Buck Showalter is the Marylander of the Year

With grit and passion, Orioles manager Buck Showalter lifted a community's spirits and restored Baltimore's pride as a baseball city

He has said that his time away from baseball gave him perspective, and indeed, the Buck Showalter we have seen in Baltimore has been mellow, humble and self-effacing. When he broke down in his news conference after a heartbreaking season-ender at Yankee Stadium, the tears in his eyes were not for his failure to beat the team that cast him aside. They were for the team whose members had played their hearts out for him 168 times that year and "raised the bar in Baltimore with each other."

Buck Showalter and his Orioles raised the spirits of a whole city, and they kindled passion, hope and confidence in a way that cannot help but spill over into the rest of our lives. For that, Mr. Showalter is 2012's Marylander of the Year.

How we made the selection

In late November, The Sun announced that it would resume its annual Marylander of the Year award and asked readers to submit nominations. In December, we announced five finalists and invited the public to vote online to help influence our choice. The final selection was made by the publisher and editorial board of The Sun.