An outsider's view of Showalter

While I'm waiting to find out whether the Orioles will resume their season or go on hiatus like a low-rated sitcom - I just realized that "Mr. Sunshine" isn't following "Modern Family" tonight on ABC - I wanted to pass along a blog entry from Danny Knobler at cbssports.com. Knobler writes about manager Buck Showalter's attention to detail, and how it often seems to come out of nowhere. Those of us on the beat can relate. We witness this sort of thing just about every day. And I'm sure you've noticed it while watching the post-game media sessions on MASN and MASN2. Showalter can take a question about the offense breaking out and observe how Nick Markakis caught a deflected ball - the one that went off Adam Jones' glove and the fence - because he didn't give up on it and maintained pursuit into right-center field. This led to a follow-up question about the offense breaking out. Ask about a starting pitcher and prepare to hear about the number of times catcher Matt Wieters has caught third-strike foul tips. Three times in one game, twice in another. Showalter's mind can expand a thought as if it's made of rubber. It really comes in handy with injury and rehab updates. An inquiry yesterday about the rotation led to information regarding Brian Matusz (threw off flat ground) and Justin Duchscherer (scheduled to receive another injection in his hip.) A general question about the end of spring training brought a challenge for reporters to find out whether the Orioles were the only team that didn't have an exhibition game rained out. I don't think any of us looked it up. We owe him one.