Duquette on Orioles' All-Stars: "They all earned the opportunity to be there"

During the most recent airing of "Wall to Wall Baseball" on MASN, the panel was asked to choose the most probable Oriole to win Most Valuable Player honors in tonight's All-Star Game.

The two relievers, Zach Britton and Darren O'Day, were unanimously eliminated for the obvious reason. It's hard to win MVP after pitching one inning or less. They could strike out the side and they're still not bringing home the hardware. Or the truck. Whatever the prize.

So we're down to Adam Jones and Manny Machado. Jones is starting and could get more at-bats, which translates to more opportunities. Machado could deliver a game-changing hit late in the game.

I'm going with Machado for that reason. Perhaps he mixes in a web gem, too.

I recently asked executive vice president Dan Duquette how he felt about the Orioles having four representatives in the All-Star Game.

"The Orioles are going to have some good representation at the game," he said. "This is Jones' fifth and he's one of the better players in the American League. Manny's had a terrific year. His more disciplined approach at the plate has yielded him some home runs. He's showing excellent home run power to the opposite field and he's playing great defense. He's also been a very good baserunner. He's just a complete player.

"I don't know how the American League could overlook his ability to help their club, and they didn't, so he's on there."

Too bad none of his home runs last night in the Derby came with runners in scoring position, but I digress ...

"Zach Britton worked really hard to become one of the top closers in the league," Duquette said. "He's been recognized. And Darren O'Day has been doing a workmanlike job his whole career and he put together a really good first half of the season. So good for them. They all earned the opportunity to be there."

O'Day deserved the honor last year, as well, but it's much harder for a non-closer to be chosen.

"It's unique for setup relievers to make the club," Duquette said. "Darren has been one of the better relievers in the league for a couple of years. It's nice for him to be recognized by manager Ned Yost. And Zach has worked especially hard to make himself into a consistent closer. It's a tough job and Zach has excelled. He earned this distinction. They all did.

"Zach made the transition from starting pitcher to reliever and he has really come into his own."

Meanwhile, manager Buck Showalter will be featured in a new episode of "MLB Network Presents" on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Showalter sat down with Bob Costas - and he was still taller - as the network looked back at his career and also conducted interviews with wife Angela, Jones and former Yankees executive Gene Michael.

MLB Network provided clips and quotes to the media. Stop here if you don't want a preview.

On what other profession he would have pursued outside baseball:
"Probably teach or coach in some form. My dad was a principal. Try going to high school when your dad's the principal. I probably would've been a teacher. Groundskeeper. I love groundskeeping - golf course, baseball field. I'd have been happy, too. I'd have been happy."

On his favorite baseball movie:
"The Sandlot. That was me, growing up. We had six or seven of us. That's how I learned to hit the ball the other way. You learn how to argue. The guys said, 'You're not playing,' (and I said), 'Why?' and they said, 'Play better.' That was it. It was nothing handed to you. You didn't get a trophy for participating. I wouldn't change my upbringing for anything."

On his transition from minor league player to coach:
"I've always been a good self-evaluator. When I saw (Don) Mattingly and Steve Balboni, I knew I wasn't going to be the first baseman or left fielder for the Yankees. I didn't hit enough balls where the grass doesn't grow. (The Yankees) offered me a chance to play Triple-A for them again or I could start coaching. There's such a thing as stability and I took the opportunity and ran with it with no aspirations as to where it would take me."

On his relationship with former Yankees manager Billy Martin:
"Everybody looked at him as some cartoon character that got in fights, but he was brilliant. He would use numbers to verify his gut. He wasn't some swashbuckling guy that just flew off the handle all the time. That part people missed about Billy. He would go, 'Let's see what you think. Don't give us some stock answer.'"

On his relationship with late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner:
"We had our moments, but Mr. Steinbrenner afforded me the chance to support my family and stay in the great game that I love for 19 years, and it was pretty special. It still is."

On managing Derek Jeter during the 1995 ALDS:
"We brought him up in the playoffs and had him travel with us. It was funny. I told him and somebody else who was up with him, 'Listen, this is not the time to take a vacation. If I hear about you running the streets at 21 years old, we'll get you down to the Instructional League right away.' Derek told me later that they didn't leave the hotel the whole time, they were afraid somebody was going to think they were out running around."

On leaving the Yankees after the 1995 season:
"Basically I was asked to fire four coaches. It was as simple as that, and I didn't do it and I knew what was going to happen."

On Joe Torre succeeding him as Yankees manager:
"I think it was great for Joe, and he was the perfect guy to come in there. Everybody got to see how good Joe was because he was with some clubs (that) physically weren't very talented, and so it worked out for everybody. Life's too short. I'm glad that it got to the end game that it should've gotten to. It was perfect, and it's funny, the kinship, the relationship that Joe and I have developed over the years, especially the last two or three years. It was pretty competitive before because we were in other dugouts, but I think there's a real healthy respect. I know there is with me for him."

On whether he contemplated walking Derek Jeter during his last at-bat at Yankee Stadium:
"I'd never tell. It ended well for everybody. How's that?"

On success in the postseason:
"I think winning when you're expected to win is the most challenging thing to do as a team in sports because the mentality is so hard to maintain. That's what we're trying to do, that mentality you have to have to keep that edge. I remember like it was yesterday in the Kingdome after Game 5 in the playoffs. I remember last year after the last out in Kansas City. I mean, it's what drives you. I see why a lot of people when they win they said, 'That's it boys, see you later. I'm going down the Dixie Highway here.' I asked Jimmy Leyland last year, I said, 'Jimmy, how'd you know? How'd you know it was time?' He goes, 'The losses hurt more, and the wins didn't give me enough acceleration to offset the losses.'"

On his future in baseball:
"This is my last rodeo. I'm 58, going to be 59 here. I ain't getting out of this alive. I get the shelf life of us. I got it. It's shortened up. You know, they'll give me about a 10-minute notice, I'll clean my stuff up, say 'Thanks for the opportunity,' kiss a couple of heads on the way out and say, 'Gosh, I can't believe I fooled 'em that long.' But, you know, you do take it personal, but you don't take it as personal as you did at one point in your life. You realize that you're not the only one that's got an idea. There's people as good if not better than you. At some point your voice gets old. Each day passes, I realize how lucky I am."

On the Orioles' legacy:
"We've got some statues out there, some monuments. You might want to take a trip out there, there's some pretty good players. It's like I told Adam Jones, I said, 'Adam, you know, you could have one of those out there one day.' I said, 'But you know what the difference with all those guys is? Every one of 'em was on a championship team.' That's how you get statues in Baltimore."