Has the Duquette-to-Toronto story reached the finish line?

This whole situation involving Dan Duquette has to be a bit deflating to some Orioles fans.

Oh, wait. Wrong sport. My bad.

At this point, I can't tell if fans are tired of this story, which has pretty much turned into a mini-series, or whether they can't talk about it enough?

The latest report Sunday indicated Toronto brass was ending any negotiations about a trade for Duquette. Is this really over now?

We can talk about it daily, although the people directly involved are not saying anything. No doubt, at least from the standpoint of the fans, it has hijacked recent conversation.

I do question those that say Duquette doesn't want to be here. I think the opportunity to get one of the few president/CEO positions in the sport would be interesting to most general managers. Being flattered and interested in such a job doesn't mean you were seeking to leave your current post. Or that you're unhappy with it.

The Orioles have been pretty good to Duquette and he has worked hard to repay that. The team has had its best run of success in a long time. The O's hired Duquette when he had been out of the game for 10 years and then extended his contract after one season on the job.

Now fans wonder whether, if he does stay, can he continue to be as effective and will any of this have a lingering impact that could hurt the club in any way?

At this point, we probably need to hear from the man himself. Duquette may have to convince some people both inside and outside of the warehouse that he can move past this and lead the Orioles to more playoff appearances and American League East titles. Winning cures most every issue.

I have no doubt Duquette could do exactly that, but clearly some fans have concerns about his ability to continue on with the Orioles. I also have no doubt that if he left, the Orioles, led by manager Buck Showalter and a strong front office, could keep the ship moving in the right direction.

If it turns out that Toronto did tamper here and then decided to move on to another candidate, I would think that would ruffle the feathers of the Birds. Thanks for the major distraction, Toronto.

It was a nice way to start the Winter Meetings, don't you think?

While we are at it, some Toronto reporters have mentioned how much they respect current Blue Jays president and CEO Paul Beeston. Wonder what the last few weeks have been like for Beeston, a longtime Toronto employee who apparently doesn't have a contract for 2015 while the rumors continued that he may be replaced. Fun times there, huh?

Has this saga reached its end? Can the Orioles go on like nothing happened? Will they continue to win?

In the meantime: Keep in mind actual baseball talk is always welcome here. In recent days I've written about Christian Walker, David Lough and lineups in the AL East, to name just a few topics.

Readers here are always welcome to bring up any topic any time with a comment and/or question. So keep them coming.