As we all know, Dan Duquette was named as the new general manager of the Baltimore Orioles this week.
Frankly, it came as a surprise to me that his name was even brought up for the position; however, considering his experience with the Expos and Red Sox, plus his track record, the Orioles made out pretty well – in my opinion – with their general manager search.
Duquette has not held an executive level position in major league baseball since 2002, when he was fired from the Boston Red Sox.
The Orioles have not won since Bill Clinton was president. Camden Yards was packed every night and there was a buzz on game day. Now, that feeling is pretty much gone.
Maybe it is a good match, and perhaps both sides are now hungry for success, plus restoring some old glory.
The two sides have an enormous challenge in front of them.
On Tuesday, Duqeutte gave a press conference to lay the groundwork of rebuilding the Baltimore Orioles and also give us all a formal introduction to who he is.
Duquette said all we expected him to say – the rebuilding of the Orioles starts with the farm system, player development and getting the arms.
He seemed pumped, well-spoken with his expectations, and sincerely wants to restore the Baltimore Orioles as one of the elite teams in the sport.
Those are all pretty obvious goals.
Let’s hope as fans that the new guy can figure out what his previous predecessors could not. For one reason or another, many men who have served in the general manager position have tried and failed to restore the Orioles to prominence.
The Orioles have to contend with the big money Red Sox and Yankees, the rising Jays and the crafty Rays franchise; however, Duquette has been successful in the past, maybe he can do it again.
Fans are hoping for the best. We need a reason to believe in the Baltimore Orioles again.
I wish Duquette the best of luck.
