He’s not quite Rex Ryan and hasn’t claimed that he didn’t come to Baltimore to kiss anyone’s World Series ring. But Orioles manager Buck Showalter also knows he can’t act intimidated by the big fellas of the AL East. That, of course, means the Yankees and the Red Sox.
So in the April issue of Men’s Journal, Showalter revealed his attitude toward the heavyweight franchises.
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First, the Red Sox:
“I’d like to see how smart Theo Epstein is with the Tampa Bay payroll,” he said. “You got Carl Crawford ’cause you paid more than anyone else, and that’s what makes you smarter? That’s why I like whipping their butt. It’s great, knowing those guys with the $205 million payroll are saying, ‘How the hell are they beating us?’?”
And then the Yankees:
“The first time we went to Yankee Stadium, I screamed at Derek Jeter from the dugout,” Showalter told the magazine. “Our guys are thinking, ‘Wow, he’s screaming at Derek Jeter.’ Well, he’s always jumping back from balls just off the plate. I know how many calls that team gets — and yes, he [ticks] me off.”
Maybe this mindset rubbed off on his players a little bit, helping the O’s to a 34-23 record after he took over last season.
“Let’s face it,” Showalter told the Bergen Record, “I know where we sit [in the East]. I just want my players to know it’s not hopeless. That’s the main thing I’m trying to do here. How is it going to pan out? We’ll just have to see.”
