Rick Dempsey thinks he should have gotten the O’s managerial job

Rick Dempsey believes he was stepped over. Which may have been the way Angelos wanted it, but it ain’t the way he wanted it! He’s smaht! Not like everybody says!

“I’m very, very disappointed, to tell you the truth. I don’t begrudge Buck getting the opportunity. He is going to be a hell of a manager. He has been a hell of a manager. But I will always feel I know more about this ballclub than anybody else . . . I think it is probably the biggest mistake made here in a long time, and I’m not talking just today, I mean over the years. Not being given an opportunity to manage this ballclub. Every organization in baseball would like to have someone who has won, who has played in the World Series for the organization, who has learned to manage from A ball up and come back here. I think with the relationship I have had with the fans and this city, I should have been a slam-dunk years ago. Someone dropped the ball a long time ago.”

I think Dempsey has a point that he should have been considered more the past couple of times it was open. The guy paid his dues and had a good deal of success as a minor league manager. But the Orioles just aren’t in a place right now where they can afford to -- yet again -- take a chance on a guy with no big league managerial experience.

It’s not Dempsey’s fault that the O’s went with the Lee Mazzillis, Sam Perlozzos and Dave Trembleys of the world over him before, but I think he simply missed his window. Based on the rest of the linked it article it seems like he’s being pretty stand-up about it, the above quote notwithstanding. He wishes Showalter the best and even flashes a sense of humor about it all (“Well, it’s not the first time I have gone 0-for-4"). But he’s certainly not a happy camper about it.