FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Baltimore manager Dave Trembley is entering his second full season in the American League East, and he's presiding over a rebuilding ballclub that is slowly assembling the pieces it needs to be successful. Trembley, who managed for two decades in the Minor Leagues, recently sat down with MLB.com to discuss the upcoming season and the methods he uses to motivate his troops at the big league level.

MLB.com: Who has impacted your leadership skills over the years?

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Trembley: I've tried to learn from and take from the guys that are the best in the game. I was Felipe Alou's third-base coach for two winters in Venezuela. When I was in the Minor Leagues, Jim Leyland was probably at the top of the list for me. And since I've been able to do this, guys have been very gracious with me. Tony La Russa has been great to me. And I try to pattern myself after guys who are great teachers -- not only of the game but things that matter. I had Lou Holtz come talk to the team, and he's a guy I talk to a lot about managing people.

MLB.com: Are you more at home with a young team that has things to learn every day?

Trembley: I'd say it's a good fit, because we're all starting from a foundation of building a program, establishing a routine and laying the groundwork for not only this year, but years to come. It's fun to mold. It's neat to see guys get better, and it's extremely rewarding to me to see people buying into what we're doing. It's very, very reassuring to me when people do things for the team and appreciate the opportunities that they have. And I love to talk about the game with the players. I like to sit on the end of the bench, and I like people who are receptive.

MLB.com: As you approach your second full season in the AL East, do you think the challenge is even more daunting than you expected? And if so, how?

Trembley: I think it's very difficult, and probably more so mentally than physically. It will beat you down, because you have to be prepared every game against the teams in our division. They're so well-balanced, and they can beat you in such a variety of ways. You have to have bullets in the gun. You have to have a full deck. There's not a whole lot of margin for error. On the other hand, I think it's good, because it encourages our guys to grow up a little faster and allows us to see where we are because we compete against the best.

It's the Major Leagues, and I think the experience is hard to explain if you've never sat in that dugout. You've got to do your homework, and you've got to get your guys ready. After that, most of it depends on ability.

MLB.com: We know you have your eyes on a distant prize, but how do you keep any one game from weighing too heavily on your conscience? How are you able to forget about a tough loss?

Trembley: I probably have to get better at that, because I take it personally. When the team doesn't do well, the responsibility lies on me. That's the bottom line. When the team does well, the players will get all the credit in the world. And that's the way it should be. You have to have a tremendous amount of patience, and you have to have a lot of fortitude. You have to be realistic. You're not going to play flawless baseball for 162 games. It's just not going to happen. Even the best teams, they still lose by blowout. Guys make errors and guys make mistakes. You don't like it and you don't necessarily accept it, but you have to understand it's part of the game.

Having said that, you don't try to show anybody -- especially your team -- that side of you. You don't want that from them. You want them to be upbeat and to be able to put things aside when things don't go well. The next day is a new day and a lot of leadership is by example. It's not what you say, it's what you do. And what you do has to be consistent, because these guys will figure it out real quick if you're not. That's when you get in trouble.

MLB.com: What would you say is the most satisfying part of your job?

Trembley: It's probably filling out this lineup card every day and taking it out to home plate. For me, personally, I know what's gone into allowing that to happen. But really, it's watching these guys day in and day out, seeing what makes them tick and understanding what goes into the success they have. It does not come easy. These guys work at it. They're highly competitive. And they may give the impression sometimes that they're cold and businesslike, but nobody wants to fail. The most gratifying thing is that guys want you to be honest with them and they want you to help them. The want you to tell them the truth. They don't want you to sugarcoat it, but they want you to be compassionate when they lose and reassuring when they win. That's managing in 2009. It may not have been like that in 1950, but players today are different. And personalities are different.

MLB.com: So you basically see yourself as half tactician and half psychologist?

Trembley: I think you have to be everyone's dad and everyone's friend. You also have to let people know they should never mistake kindness for weakness. There are limits. There are expectations. And we will not sacrifice or compromise certain principles at any time for anybody. You have to be able to get that point across without making it sound like a threat, because you don't want to threaten these guys. You want them to feel comfortable with going out there every day, and you don't want them thinking that things are going to explode when they don't do well. You lay the groundwork, you stay the course and you remain committed, because the bottom line is the team. You have to be very careful how you treat everybody. You cannot deviate from your principles whatsoever.

MLB.com: Finally, what will make this season a success?

Trembley: We need to see improvement. We need to see our pitching and defense get better. We need to see us play with energy and enthusiasm. We need to see our young players develop and get a taste of what it's like in the big leagues, and see a certain style of baseball that's representative of what we're all about. We're the Baltimore Orioles. And that means pride, tradition, history, sacrifice, commitment and respect -- all the things that some people try to sweep under the rug. That's our cornerstone. (President of baseball operations) Andy MacPhail has been very, very clear. There's a blueprint in place here for the direction of where this team is going. It's my job to make sure that blueprint becomes reality and doesn't just become a pipe dream. Those days here have come and gone and are long over.