Orioles manager Buck Showalter still roots for the Texas Rangers, a sentiment he will put on hold when Baltimore hosts the AL West leaders for a four-game series beginning Thursday.
Showalter managed Texas from 2003-06. He lives in Dallas and wants the Rangers to win, but now that he's with the Orioles, his allegiance has shifted.
"It's the first time I won't be pulling for them, the next four days," Showalter said Wednesday. "That's pretty much the way I look at it. There's a lot of people I respect over there."
Showalter had only one winning season with Texas, but believes the team evolved into a winner through shrewd trades and a solid farm system. He also approves of Rangers manager Ron Washington.
"It's come together. I'm happy for Ron. He's the perfect guy in that situation, what was needed," Showalter said. "I'm happy for him. He worked long and hard to get that opportunity."
Coming into Wednesday night's game against Seattle, the Orioles were 10-5 since Showalter made his debut on Aug. 3. But competing against the Rangers won't be easy for last-place Baltimore, and Showalter knows it.
"The next four days, we're going to try to figure out a way to hang with them," he said.
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Before joining the Orioles, Showalter was a baseball analyst for ESPN. He touted the Rangers as contenders early in the season, an assertion that ultimately came true.
"I said it at ESPN early on and nobody listened to me. Then in May it was, 'Tell me about these Rangers.' They started pushing them up in the highlights a little bit," Showalter said. "I had a good feeling what was coming this year for them."
