FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -Long before he settled into his office at Fort Lauderdale Stadium, Dave Trembley received a distinct reminder that this spring will be unlike any other.
“I went to the airport yesterday to pick up my rental,” he said Wednesday. “I’m used to getting a little matchbox car.”
He drove away in a huge Cadillac, one of the many fringe benefits of being manager of the Baltimore Orioles.
After spending 20 years as a minor league manager, Trembley finally made it to the big leagues last spring as Baltimore’s bullpen coach. Then, on June 18, he became interim manager after the Orioles fired Sam Perlozzo.
Trembley had the interim tag removed in August and will begin his first spring training camp as a big league manager Thursday. He spent much of the offseason preparing for the assignment, and already has Day 1 mapped out to the minute.
ing in motion a regimented schedule for the next six weeks.
“It’s an opportunity very few people get. What goes along with it is a tremendous amount of responsibility,” he said. “I’m aware of that. I understand it. There certainly is a huge task at hand, but I’m looking forward to it.”
The Orioles are in full rebuilding mode, as evidenced by trades that jettisoned the team’s best position player (shortstop Miguel Tejada) and finest pitcher (Erik Bedard). In return, Baltimore received 10 players who can best be described as projects.
No matter. Even though Trembley has no idea who his starting pitcher will be on opening day, or who his closer will be, or who will play shortstop or bat cleanup, he isn’t ready to dismiss 2008 as No. 11 in the team’s record run of consecutive losing seasons.
He expects his players to feel the same way. Trembley will save his best speech for when the full team gathers next week, but he intends to let the pitchers and catchers know that this season isn’t necessarily over before it starts.
“Never underestimate what you can do with hard work, never underestimate what you can get out of doing things right,” he said. “We’re here to establish a foundation, we’re here to get things headed in the right direction. It will be a process. It’s not going to happen overnight and obviously we don’t expect that. We’ll be patient and persistent. We’ll get it done.”
f losing has taken a toll in the clubhouse. The players and managers change with alarming regularity, but each group seems resigned to its fate long before another disappointing finish becomes a reality.
Trembley wants no part of it.
“It’s my job to make sure that stuff doesn’t happen here,” he said. “I’ll try to affect people’s attitudes, what their outlook is, their approach, how they go about their business, what the expectations are.”
Trembley’s managerial style centers upon stressing fundamentals and hard work. He put the team through dozens of different drills last August and September, which should serve as an indication of what the players can expect this spring.
“We know we’re going to put in the work. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody,” catcher Ramon Hernandez said. “We’re here to do a job. If he think we have to do more to get better, we have to understand that. Nobody likes to lose. I’ll work five hours a day if it will help us win.”
Hernandez may be pleased to know that Trembley has no intention of grinding the players into the ground with an endless array of boring drills. There will be plenty of bunting and sliding and infield practice, but it will be done in a precise and orderly fashion.
“It’s not going to be a boot camp. It’s not going to be my way or the highway,” Trembley said. “I don’t think there will be as much down time. We’ll utilize the three fields that we have here and make darn good use of the coaches and instructors.”
Standing above all of them will be Dave Trembley, who still hasn’t gotten used to being a big-league manager.
“It’s a very humbling feeling, hard for me to describe. I’m one of 30 in the world. Gosh, that’s like, wow,” he said. “But I’m not going to get caught up in all that. We’ve got a very monumental task in front of us. But I’ve always liked a challenge. I won’t back down from it. I’m pretty convinced how we want to do things. This is our time now, to do it the way we think it ought to be done.”
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