Earl Weaver, 1981 Fleer #178

By now you've probably heard that the Orioles family has lost its greatest leader. Early this morning, Earl Weaver died after suffering a heart attack on an Orioles fantasy cruise to the Caribbean. He was 82 years old.

I never had the pleasure of watching Earl manage the O's, but his feats as both a tactician and an umpire-baiter are legendary. The 5'6" skipper was ejected from two consecutive games prior to my birth date, both for arguing balls and strikes. So I'm proud to say that on the day I was born, the newspapers carried stories of one of Weaver's 94 career ejections.

Earl's dirt-kicking, hat-spinning, finger-pointing tirades shouldn't overshadow his managing acumen. Number four was at the helm of the Birds for 17 seasons, and he didn't have a sub-.500 club until he was pulled out of retirement and handed an aging, subpar collection of talent in 1986. Overall, Weaver won 1,480 games and lost 1,060 for an excellent .583 win percentage. Though his teams were unlucky in the postseason, he did take Baltimore to four World Series, including three straight from 1969 to 1971, and he got his lone championship in 1970. He got his proper recognition in 1996, when he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

I still need to read "Weaver On Strategy" someday, the ahead-of-its-time book that lays out Earl's strategic philosophies. He's well-known for putting an emphasis on reaching base by any means necessary, as opposed to the traditional mindset that walks were somehow sub-optimal. He just wanted to make sure that there were ducks on the pond whenever one of his hitters was able to get a hold of a pitch: his famous credo was "pitching, fundamentals, and three-run homers". Unlike many of his contemporaries, Earl also harbored a disdain for "small ball", saying that "I've got nothing against the bunt ...in its place. But most of the time, that place is at the bottom of a long forgotten closet."

But the Earl Weaver quote that's probably being bandied about the most today is darkly fitting:

"On my tombstone just write, 'The sorest loser that ever lived.' "

May you rest in peace, Earl. Thanks for the years of excitement and laughter that you brought to my city.

Ken Singleton, 1981 Fleer #188

Whoops, change of plans. Thanks to a bit of oversleeping on my part, combined with the labyrinthine horrors of Ticketmaster, most of the Orioles FanFest autograph session vouchers seem to have been sold out by the time I roused myself at around 10:30 AM. I was still able to get a voucher for a Brian Roberts dealie, but it was the 4:40-5:40 one. So instead of Brady Anderson, Jake Arrieta, and Troy Patton, I'll be getting signatures from Ken Singleton and Zach Britton. That'll do nicely, I think.

Al Bumbry, 1981 Fleer #172

In my Orioles draft retrospective yesterday, I cut things off after the first ten rounds. I doubled back today out of curiosity, and noticed that they've actually had a pretty good track record in the eleventh round.

• The second-ever amateur draft occurred in 1966. The O's selected Terry Crowley with pick number 216. "The Crow" never even had as many as 300 plate appearances in a big league season, but lasted 15 years as a valuable bench bat.

• In 1968, Al Bumbry was the 238th overall pick out of Virginia State University (now Virginia Tech). Despite not becoming a regular until age 26, the Vietnam veteran earned 22.3 bWAR in a career spanning 14 seasons. He batted .281, stole 254 bases, won the 1973 American League Rookie of the Year Award, and was an All-Star in 1980.

• Skip forward to 1982, and Billy Ripken was chosen 286th overall. His competent glovework at second base kept him around the majors for a dozen years, and he even batted .291 (.342 OBP) in 1990 for the Orioles.

• Here's a tidbit that I've mentioned previously: in 1987, the O's used the 273rd pick on Mike Mussina, who had just completed his senior year at Montoursville High School in Pennsylvania. He chose to continue his studies at Stanford, and leapt 253 slots to become Baltimore's first-round choice in 1990. Smart man.

• Jerry Hairston (Jr.) was another two-time draftee for the Orioles. In 1995, the team took a flier on the Illinois high schooler with their 42nd round pick (1,172nd overall!). He did not sign, but the O's gave it another go after his sophomore year at Southern Illinois University. After Round 42, being an 11th-round pick (345th overall) probably looks pretty good. Would you believe that 2012 is Jerry's 15th year in the big leagues? What's more, he's got a World Series ring from the 2009 Yankees and he's also contributed to this year's amazing start by the Dodgers.

When you consider that only six of their eleventh-round draft picks have signed and made it to the big leagues (the others are outfielder Bobby Brown and pitcher Kevin Hart, both of whom were dealt before debuting), it's pretty incredible that they found four quality major leaguers.

Benny Ayala, 1981 Topps #101

Suddenly, Benny Ayala had the sneaking suspicion that he was being watched.

Terry Crowley, 1981 Fleer #190

Tonight I was going to start a dialogue about Terry Crowley's inexplicably long tenure as Orioles hitting coach, but I've spent all day moving into my new house and I'm quite pleased that I'm finally here and mostly settled. So I'm going to let it ride. You win again, Crow.

Tim Stoddard, 1981 Fleer #176

Well, it seems that I've stirred up some interest with my All-Kevin team! Several of my readers and fellow bloggers have taken it upon themselves to compile their own All-Namesake teams, with some fascinating results.

-In the comments on the original post, reader Commish (a.k.a. Bob) typed up his All-Bob team. If I were him, I totally would have stuck Grich at second base; most of his Topps cards referred to him as "Bob".

-Reds fan Nachos Grande has put together his All-Chris team, featuring Hoiles and Ray for us O's fans. Again, if I'm calling the shots, I would put Chris Young in the rotation. I'm a fan.

-Dodgers fan Night Owl goes for broke with the All-Greg team. He's got ZAUN, Olson, and both Greg Harrises! Oh, I guess that Maddux guy is a decent #1 starter, too.

-Billy Suter of West Virginia Cards isn't fooling around with the All-Bill(y) team. His lineup includes three Hall of Famers.

Finally, I got an email from Tim, who often comments as Rounding Thirty3rd. He took the time to draw up an all-Tim team, and after all that he's contributed to this blog (both sending cards and making comments), it's only right that he supply the first-ever guest post. So I've copied and pasted the All-Timothy Team below. Enjoy!

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I don't know how this will match up with your team. I have good starting pitching (hopefully giving me plenty of innings), weak middle relief, but a decent closer. My bats are not overly powerful, but solid with a bit of speed.

I have 7 All-Stars (denoted with *) on the team and one Hall of Famer.



All-Time All-Timothy Team

*Smiling Tim Keefe - Starter - Hall of Famer - 554 complete games - enough said!

Tim Lincecum - Starter - Young star with lots of potential, ironically his middle name is same as my grandfather's first name, down to the same capitalization (LeRoy).

*James Timothy (Mudcat) Grant - Starter - 21-7 in 1965, 145 career wins, his middle name was Timothy, but with a nickname like Mudcat, I had to include him on my list.

Tim Wakefield - Starter - 2-time World Champion but never an All-Star?!?

Tim Belcher - Starter - First overall pick in 1984 draft. Never fully fulfilled his potential.


*Tim Burke - Mid Relief - 2.72 career ERA

Tim Worrell - Mid Relief - former Oriole, brother Todd was better, but Tim had longer career

Tim Crabtree - Mid Relief - good name, need someone to mop up in the bullpen

Tim Crews - Mid Relief - just need another arm in the pen

Tim Stoddard - closer - Orioles second coming of Don Stanhouse, plus had an appearance in "Rookie of the Year"!



*Tim McCarver - catcher - 1967 MVP runner-up and can also fill-in the broadcast booth on off-days

Tim Jordan - 1B - had to go old school to find me a first sacker

Tim Teufel - 2B - needed another infielder - solid but unremarkable.

Tim Foli - SS - almost banned from team for hitting career high .291 for 1979 Bucs

*Tim Wallach - 3B - 5-time AS, 3 Gold Gloves, and 2 Silver Sluggers

Tim Salmon - OF - ROY and 5 30+ homer seasons

*Tim "Rock" Raines - OF - former Oriole, ROY runner-up, 808 stolen bases, potential Hall of Famer??

Tim Hendryx - OF - I was really struggling for a third Outfielder



*Tim Laudner - catcher - 1988 All-Star - I am sure he called a good game.

Voiceless Tim O'Rourke - Utility Infield - great nickname, and swiped 81 bases without a CS (look it up in B-R).

Tim Hullett - Utility Infield - makes team as a former Oriole

Tim Naehring - DH - better bat than my other utility players

Tim Raines, Jr. - batboy, 4th outfielder - former Oriole

Dave Ford, 1981 Fleer #192

Some days you've just gotta cut your losses, post a card with a picture of Dave Ford looking as tired as you feel, and wander off to bed secure in the knowledge that your mattress and pillow are more comfortable than Dave's immediate confines in Fenway Park. Good night.

Rick Dempsey, 1981 Fleer #177

Who better to ring in April Fools' Day than the Orioles' own Clown Prince? Friday night I caught a replay of the final game played in Memorial Stadium on MASN's Orioles Classics. I'd only seen clips and pieces of the postgame ceremony before, so it was a transfixing experience to witness the whole scene unfold.

The Orioles did a fantastic job of keeping their plans close to the vest. After home plate was dug up to be transported to Camden Yards, the field was cleared and some dramatic, "Field of Dreams"-type music began to emanate from the PA system. A familiar face appeared at the foot of the home dugout in a full vintage Orioles uniform with #5 on the back. As Brooks Robinson jogged out to rousing applause, he was already welling up with tears. He took his rightful place at third base, exhibiting all of the same mannerisms he had for twenty-three years. He was followed by #20, as Frank Robinson loped out to right field one more time. Next came Jim Palmer, the handsome righthander who had won 268 games in orange and black. As he stood on the mound, he too was crying. This really affected me; for some reason, I didn't expect that much emotion out of the polished and suave Palmer.

One by one, and sometimes two at a time, the players kept coming. No introductions were given; none were necessary. It seemed like they'd gotten every player in Oriole history to return and suit up; there was Boog Powell, soaking in one more "BOOOOOOG!" chant. Doug DeCinces strolled out to third base and shook the hand of the man who had moved aside for him, Brooksie. Davey Johnson, Jim Gentile, Bobby Grich. Mike Cuellar, Milt Pappas, even Dennis Martinez, who was still an active player in Montreal. Some of the very first Orioles, guys like Bob Boyd, Joe Ginsberg, and George Zuverink.

It was sobering and almost surreal to recognize several old heroes that have passed away in the seventeen years since that October day in 1991: Mark Belanger, Pat Dobson, Dave McNally, Steve Barber, Elrod Hendricks, Cal Ripken, Sr., and certainly others. It truly was like seeing the old White Sox players emerge from the cornfield as Kevin Costner looked on in amazement.

The final man out of the dugout was Earl Weaver; as the dozens of Baltimore's household names moved away from their old positions and formed a circle around the infield for a 360-degree photograph, the legendary O's manager wandered over to the empty hole where home plate had just been uprooted and kicked at the dirt for old times' sake. As the ceremony came to an end, the players milled about; old friends and teammates reminiscing and current, younger players like Mike Mussina and Arthur Rhodes introducing themselves to their predecessors. Scott Garceau and Keith Mills sat in the TV booth and observed that none of these men seemed like they wanted to leave.

It was abundantly clear that Rick Dempsey didn't want to go. The "Dipper", who had spent 12 seasons as a defensive specialist behind the plate in Baltimore and had been embraced by the city and its fans for his infectious enthusiasm and offbeat antics, wandered over to the third base side of the field and led one more crowd cheer, contorting his body to spell "O! R! I! O! L! E! S!". He reappeared a few moments later, his jersey stuffed with padding, and brought his famous rain delay pantomime out of mothballs. He stood in the batters' box, mimicked a mighty swing of a bat, and took off around the bases, imitating Babe Ruth's iconic home run trot. As he came down the third base line, a mob of former Birds dissipated just enough for him to belly flop dramatically home. The crowd, which had been on its feet and in full throat through it all, roared their approval.

There may be a time and a place to play the fool. But on a day when many were struggling to say goodbye to their home away from home, a building and an atmosphere rich with nearly forty years of baseball history, Rick Dempsey left them laughing.