They sat for hours, discussing the mutual acquaintances they've made over many years in the game, their philosophies on building a roster and what had become of the once-proud Orioles franchise.
In a secluded cabin situated on a golf course about 45 minutes from where the floundering Orioles were playing a road game against the Texas Rangers last July, Andy MacPhail and Buck Showalter, polar opposites on the surface, found common ground.
MacPhail, the Orioles' president of baseball operations whose rebuilding project was bursting at the seams, wanted a manager with a big persona and a lot of swagger, somebody to get the attention of a youthful and underachieving roster and inspire a defeated fan base. Showalter, an old and steady hand at engineering turnarounds, loved the challenge of resurrecting a team in the toughest division in the sport and was itching to return to the dugout after nearly four years away.
"To me, he became the only choice," MacPhail said. "That's just the way it was."
Officially hired to manage the Orioles on Aug. 2, Showalter guided his new club to a 34-23 record, winning more games in two months than his two predecessors — Dave Trembley and Juan Samuel — did in the first four. Showalter's next challenge, which begins Friday night as the Orioles open the 2011 season against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, is to sustain that momentum and make the Orioles competitive again in the American League East.
They have a beefed-up lineup and a revamped bullpen, and a manager who has captured the attention of his players and a city desperate for a baseball team to feel good about.
"I know when the doors are closed, I have a job description, and I want to deliver for the fans, for [owner Peter Angelos], for Andy and for the players," Showalter said. "But I'm really uncomfortable with the focus on me. I think we're going to be a better team, but as we get started, one thing that I really look forward to is the focus being back on the players."
For the Oriole players, who got to know their high-profile manager over the final two months of last season or, for some, just through the past six weeks of spring training, Showalter has largely been a revelation. They had all heard the horror stories of his well-documented obsession with detail. They understood that he could be controlling and demanding. They knew — and not just from his time as an ESPN baseball analyst — that Showalter didn't mince words.
Veteran second baseman Brian Roberts, the longest-tenured Oriole who has played for six managers over parts of 10 big league seasons, heard all of those things and says now: "I can't think of a better players' manager that I've had. Buck battles for you. I think he's very positive."
For MacPhail, Showalter has done exactly what the two discussed on the day the Orioles' top executive flew into Texas and they had the private meeting to discuss the organization's managerial job, then occupied by Samuel on an interim basis. Showalter picked up MacPhail at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, and the two drove to a remote location so they could talk without interruption. The conversation started in the morning and didn't end until long after dark.
"There were two departing flights back from Dallas that day, 4:30 [p.m.], and the other left around 8 or 9 at night," MacPhail said. "I booked the second flight, but all along, I'm thinking, 'I'm getting on that 4:30,' because how long can you talk after all? Making the 9-something flight was touch and go.
"Buck's reputation for preparedness showed itself because he was asking very specific questions about our system and our philosophies. I think he picked us as much as we picked him. I think he very much liked the idea that he had somewhat of a young, moldable roster that wasn't filled with veterans on long-term deals, that he had an opportunity to stamp his impression on this team. I could tell you this: He was not the least bit concerned about the division that we play in and the competition that we face."
To some baseball pundits, the MacPhail-Showalter arrangement was an unusual one because of the strong personalities involved. There was even speculation that MacPhail preferred the less dynamic Eric Wedge, who became the Seattle Mariners' manager this offseason, but Angelos pushed for Showalter. MacPhail, who acknowledged that he was impressed by Wedge, vehemently denied that was the case.
MacPhail couldn't — and wouldn't — dispute that their personalities are significantly different. MacPhail, 57, is buttoned-up, deliberate, cautious and upbeat. His least favorite part of the job is dealing with the media, and he enjoys being the center of attention about as much as watching his team blow a ninth-inning lead.
"Andy never has a down day," Showalter said. "He's got energy, he's got passion, he's got a lot of fire. He has a sense of humor. I've had a few belly laughs with him. He doesn't take himself too seriously, but he's a really competitive guy. He can get in somebody's shorts, too. He's so respectful of the process. He stays out of [the clubhouse] as much as possible. I'd like to have him down here every minute."
A two-time AL Manager of the Year, Showalter, 54, is frenetic, blunt, emotional and, at times, confrontational. His recent magazine comments about New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein didn't represent the first time in his career that Showalter's comments have caused a stir, and Orioles officials know it probably won't be the last.
"I'll wear it. I'll walk the gantlet," Showalter said. "I don't mind it. I get it. There will be some stuff said or done, and people that know me and the players will kind of roll their eyes."
MacPhail knows the bravado is part of the package that Showalter brings. He also knows his manager is tireless in pursuit of building a winner. On days this spring when the Orioles had a night game, Showalter dressed in uniform and headed to the minor league complex to work with players and spend time with coaches. He arrived in his office before 6 a.m. most mornings and didn't leave until about 8 p.m. He told MacPhail that aside from team-related functions, he went out to dinner only twice this spring and one of those times was with his wife, Angela, to celebrate their anniversary.
"He spends an inordinate time at the park," MacPhail said. "The level of preparation he goes through, the amount of time he spends trying to find a way to give one of his players an edge, that is far in excess of whatever I've been exposed to before."
MacPhail has dealt with strong personalities in the manager's office before. He was with Tom Kelly in Minnesota when the Twins won two World Series championships. As first the general manager and then president and CEO of the Chicago Cubs, MacPhail worked with Don Baylor and Dusty Baker, who both have been named Manager of the Year.
But none of them has a reputation like Showalter, who wore out his welcome in his past two managerial stops amid reports that his controlling nature wore on his employers. There have been stories told about Showalter making demands on everything from the landscaping outside the Arizona Diamondbacks' facility to the type of wood to use for the lockers in the Rangers' clubhouse.
"I've been very surprised to the extent where our thinking is aligned on baseball issues," MacPhail said. "Since we've been together in August, we really haven't seen anything of any significance differently.
"If we are just talking about a game or a player or a take on something that's going on in the game, our take on it has usually been the same. That really surprised us."
MacPhail and Showalter have talked on an almost daily basis since last season ended to go over roster options and potential acquisitions. Angelos and Showalter also have met on multiple occasions, which is significant because the Orioles' owner had little or no interaction with the past several managers.
"They all want to win. I don't care what the personalities are. You don't want to be embarrassed," Roberts said. "Mr. Angelos doesn't want to be embarrassed, Andy doesn't want to be embarrassed, Buck doesn't want to be embarrassed. They are all after the same goal. I don't know why it wouldn't work. I'm sure you are going to have difference of opinions from time to time, but that's natural."
MacPhail, who has headed the Orioles' front office since June 2007, is entering the final year of his contract, while Showalter is under contract for three more years. MacPhail said Showalter's contractual status is "not an issue for me one iota."
Angelos told The Sun last month that MacPhail is "not going anywhere" and praised the collaboration between his general manager and manager.
"He's one of the reasons I came here. He's just a solid baseball man who understands how it works," Showalter said of MacPhail. "He's the boss. I go through him with everything, but at the end of the day, I feel like I'm working with him as much as for him. He had choices to make, and now that I know Andy, I know I wouldn't be here if he hadn't stamped it."
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