Now that the Orioles ended their 14-season losing streak by not only having a winning season but by returning to the playoffs, can they do it again? Were the 2012 Orioles a one-hit wonder?
There seem to be times in sports where a losing team turns into a winner but can't sustain it because it doesn't have the hunger and intensity it did the first time around.
In an interview this week on the 105.7 FM The Fan morning show in Baltimore, manager Buck Showalter indicated he feels strongly that that will not be a problem for the 2013 Orioles. He said they won't be satisfied with just one season of winning. He said he talked to the players about that after the club's Game 5 loss to the Yankees.
"I wanted them to remember the feeling they had right there," Showalter said on "The Norris and Davis Morning Show." "That feeling of frustration, of being so close after they'd accomplished so much. There was no satisfaction. They really raised the bar and if anybody thinks this group of guys is satisfied with this past season, they haven't been around them enough."
Showalter said the "want to" from the front office will still be there this winter.
"Dan (Duquette) and I talk every day and we're always going to try and get better," Showalter said. "I want our fans to continue to hold us to a high standard. I think the biggest fear - not fear, but the thing that would disappoint me the most - is if we took any step back. That is why I have so much respect for organizations that are continually competitive.
"I'll put it this way: We are not going to leave any stone unturned or it's not going to be from a lack of want to or getting after it. The baseball world flies this time of year and you better stay on top of it and I know our guys are.
"There is no reason we shouldn't be able to if we pitch well. I'll say it again: We continue to get deep in games with our starting pitching we'll have some fun again next year."
As usual, it's all about or mostly about the pitching. And the Orioles' pitching really came together after the All-Star break.
So what are your thoughts? Can the Orioles begin a run of success now to build on this season? What will it take to do that?
Click here to listen to the Showalter interview.
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