had been losing for years, we were now winning."

The Orioles used 52 different players on the Major League club, as Showalter and Duquette left no stone unturned in improving the club. Famous for his no-nonsense approach, Showalter -- at his fourth managerial stop -- has softened some in Baltimore, allowing table tennis in the clubhouse and taking part in good-natured ribbing and practical jokes, a balance that struck a chord with players.

"Buck is an organizational guy. You know he has pull, you know he's going to voice his opinion. His opinion is stern and he's respected around this game and in the clubhouse," Orioles outfielder Adam Jones said of Showalter, who led the team to a 24-game improvement in his second season. "But he let us play forourselves. He let us govern ourselves. He told us the first day of Spring Training, he walked in and said, 'You make your own rules,' and walked out.

"The team meeting lasted like five minutes because we said, 'Look, let's police ourselves. He put it in our hands.'"

And the Orioles ran with it, ending a stretch of 14 consecutive losing seasons that resulted in the organization's first playoff game since 1997. The O's lost in the AL Division Series to the Yankees and are 196-185 in regular-season games under Showalter.

"I hadn't really looked at it much but I was listening to some of the stuff [on MLB Network], and Bob Melvin, he did a great job with that club," Showalter said. "Their division was strong this year, too. That