Dauer hoping to hear from Orioles

It doesn't appear that the Orioles will hire a third base coach before convening in Nashville for the Winter Meetings. Rich Dauer is in their Hall of Fame. He's on their list. Now he's just waiting for their phone call. Dauer spent all 10 seasons of his major league career with the Orioles and played on the 1979 and 1983 World Series teams. Recently fired as Rockies third base coach following manager Jim Tracy's resignation, he's hoping to go full circle and land in Baltimore. "I assume they'll be in touch whenever they want to do that," Dauer said. "I don't know if there's anything I could say or do that I haven't done in the past that would further justify the fact that I'm qualified for the job. I've been doing this quite a while and am exactly what they're looking for. I'm an Oriole. I played for the Orioles. But the main thing is I have to be the right guy that's going to go out there and coach third and do work with the infielders that's going to make this team a winner again. That's what it's all about. "I'm just waiting for the opportunity, and it would be a great opportunity for me. I know it's neat that I played for the Orioles and I've always thought about getting back to the Orioles, but it's more than who I played for. It's about what I can do to help the team be the best it can be. Once you start to win, you don't want it to be a one-year thing. You want there to be a continuance. They're on the right track, and it's about who can be the best one to help this team. Coaching third and taking care of the infielders is something I feel that, I'm not going to say I'm better than anybody else, but I'm not going to say anybody else is better than what I can do. It's what I can bring on a daily basis when I walk into the stadium." Asked what it would mean to be back in an Orioles uniform, Dauer replied, "Obviously, it's more than just a job. What I would do out on the field is what I've been doing for 38 years. It's a job I've been practicing for for 38 years. And just being able to go back and give back to the city that gave so much to me to get my career started and meant a lot to what I am today. I can't even imagine the thrill of being able to pull into the parking lot, lock the door and be able to go into the Baltimore Orioles clubhouse as an employee. As happy and as great as that would be for me, I'd also love to see how many people I'd see along the way who would be a lot better off when I'm through talking to them." Dauer is living in Denver and he intended to buy a house in Charlotte with his wife, but his life is on hold while he waits for the phone to ring. "We had one, but we went out there and said, 'Let's put on our brakes and see where everything takes us,'" Dauer said. "I wouldn't mind living in Baltimore, to tell you the truth. I'm just on hold and very thankful that I can be on hold. I'm just waiting, as everybody else is. "When the Orioles decide it's time to move, I'll be waiting for them." Shameless plug alert: I'm joining Tom Davis and Dave Johnson on "Wall to Wall Baseball" from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on MASN. Note the time change.