Ever the pragmatist, Orioles manager Buck Showalter claimed to be unfamiliar with the idea that a team could be properly evaluated on Memorial Day, noting that this year it happened to fall on the occasion of Game 54 — one-third of the way through the season.
Forget that executive vice president Dan Duquette set this benchmark a month ago. Showalter's sidestepping the subject makes clear that there's at least some focus now on the field, even as the off-field speculation about the Orioles far outweighs the interest in what they're doing on a daily basis.