When Juan Samuel was introduced as Orioles manager before the game against the Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards on Friday night, the change in the dugout elicited a mildly positive response from the crowd.
Samuel was officially announced at 6:57 p.m., during pre-game introductions, and he flashed a smile when he was shown on the video board before presenting the lineup card at 7:01 p.m.
While the reaction from the stands wasn't overwhelmingly vocal, several Orioles fans shared their opinion on the team's decision to replace Dave Trembley with Samuel before the homestand.
"I was a little shocked, to be honest with you," Jerry Dorsey said. "I didn't think it was going to happen the way it did, coming back home from a [road trip] and into a Boston series."
"Check with me in about three weeks," Jeff Bowers said with a laugh. "He's going to have the same lineup as Trembley, so I can't see what would make a big difference."
During the news conference before the game, Samuel emphasized the importance of working on fundamentals, which was greeted with advice from the Orioles faithful.
"The Orioles need to learn how to bunt, learn how to steal, hit-and-run," Kevin Brown, 22, said. "They need to do the things that other teams do to beat us."
Bowers said: "They need to get smarter players. At this level, they should not have to teach them the fundamentals."
Orioles fans were mostly divided on who might be the best long-term solution as manager, but former major league managers Buck Showalter and Bobby Valentine were popular choices at the ballpark.
"I don't think it matters right now who the [manager] is," Brown said. "The players aren't there for the team to win, so Trembley was kind of the scapegoat. … They need someone who has major league experience and has a background of winning."
Fans seem to agree it was necessary to replace Trembley in order to move on from the disastrous start. And their expectations for the rest of the season are modest.
"I just expect to have a team that goes out on the field and gives 110 percent," John Irvin said. "Not running out ground balls is unacceptable."
Said Brown: "[The Orioles] are about 25 games under .500, so it'd be nice to see [them] win five games in a row at least once."