Earl Weaver, 2015 Leaf Heroes of Baseball #18

Boy, you'd never know that Leaf (or parent company Panini) had to scrub the Oriole Bird off of Earl Weaver's cap and the Orioles script off of his jersey, would you? What lack of MLB licensing? In all seriousness, I am quite fond of this card for a handful of reasons:

1. C'mon. It's the Earl of Baltimore, and he has an all-time great smirk.

2. The palm trees. The spring training aesthetic is charming, especially from the late 1960s/early 1970s. (Also, we're expecting MORE SNOW here in Maryland over the next couple of days. I better at least get some time off for it.)

3. Paul Blair is just straight-up photobombing over Earl's left shoulder. Also, his stirrups are on point.

4. Leaf just plain didn't bother editing out the logo on Blair's cap. I guess they figured that the image was small and blurry enough that nobody would care.

Earl Weaver, 2003 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites #32

I would say that Earl Weaver was having his worst hair day when this photo was taken, but...I've seen footage of him rocking a perm in the ABC broadcast booth during the 1983 World Series. Whew.

Earl Weaver, 2004 Maryland Lottery #40

With Toronto's 10-inning loss to the Rays this afternoon, the magic number is an Earl Weaver-esque four. The Orioles have battled to a stalemate with the Yankees through six innings, so we could still get into Harold Baines (or Curt Blefary, or Bobby Grich, pick your preference) territory before the Jays come to town tomorrow. No matter how you slice it, the O's can clinch at Camden Yards if they take care of business this week. I have tickets to Tuesday and Wednesday's games, and I am more excited than I can say.

In unrelated news, today I celebrated one year of marriage. So far, so good!

Vintage Fridays: Earl Weaver, 1974 Topps #306

This is a momentous day in Orioles history, though really, aren't they all? With 60 years of history to choose from, there's always something to celebrate or lament. On August 15, 1975, Earl Weaver managed to get ejected from both ends of a doubleheader for the first time. He'd repeat the feat twice more in his Hall of Fame career.

It was a Friday twinbill at Memorial Stadium. Things didn't go well for the Birds in the opener, as Mike Torrez was chased in the third inning. Wayne Garland allowed a few inherited runners to score, putting the home team in a 5-0 hole. The visiting Rangers scored a sixth run in the fourth inning on an odd play. First base umpire Ron Luciano, a longtime Weaver nemesis, initially called Jim Spencer out at first to complete a would-be double play. Then Luciano quickly reversed himself, ruling that first baseman Tony Muser failed to touch the bag. Cesar Tovar scored from third base, and Earl had a conniption and earned an early shower. The O's rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh, but it was all for naught. Garland and Dyar Miller combined to allow four runs in the very next inning, giving Texas a 10-6 lead. That would be the final score.

Baltimore's skipper was still fuming when he brought out the lineup card before the second game, and he let Luciano know about it. Weaver insisted that the ump, who ejected him from a total of four minor league games and eight more in the majors, had a vendetta against him. Ron gave Earl more fuel for his fire, as he delivered a second heave-ho before the first pitch could be thrown in the nightcap! Fortunately, the Orioles salvaged a split by battering Texas 13-1. They pounded 18 hits off of Clyde Wright and Tommy Moore. Doug DeCinces homered, tripled, and drove in five runs. Lee May and Tommy Davis had three hits each. Mike Cuellar was the beneficiary, cruising to a complete-game, five-hit victory. It's a shame the manager wasn't around to see it.

Vintage Fridays: Earl Weaver, 1970 Topps #148

What's better than a classic "Earl Weaver being a confrontational crank" story? How about a classic "Earl Weaver being a confrontational crank" story that features the great manager butting heads with former O's GM Lee MacPhail?

I owe a debt of gratitude to Camden Chat's j.q. higgins (if that IS his real name...) for unearthing this gem, which unfolded on this date back in 1981. The O's had been scheduled to play an exhibition game against the Royals a few days prior, and Earl had gone and gotten himself into an argument with the umpires over the lineup card. As he was wont to do, the Orioles skipper got so incensed that he pulled his team off of the field and forfeited the game. In stepped MacPhail, the American League President at the time, to levy a three-game suspension from Grapefruit League contests.

Yes, Earl even managed to get himself into hot water when the games didn't count.

There's a Sarasota Herald-Tribune article posted on the Google News Archive. I would recommend reading it just for the quotes. MacPhail is as even-handed as you would expect a league authority to be, but Weaver can't resist needling a higher authority. He threatens to treat his suspension as a "sit-out", a peaceful means of protesting the shabby work done by the A. L. prez and his staff. The money quote from Earl:

"[My sit-out] is in support more or less of President Reagan's program. He wants more productivity and wants us to eliminate stupidity, waste, bureaucratic uselessness, and red tape."

We miss you already, Earl.

Vintage Fridays: Earl Weaver, 1972 Topps #323

In looking for an Earl Weaver card to post last Saturday, I noticed that I haven't featured any of his vintage cards since 2009. That's far too long to go between classic Earl cards, so here's a great one from the trusty ol' Psychedelic Tombstone set (TM Night Owl). I don't know who's standing to Earl's left, nor what that person might be doing, but they've inspired an expression on the future Hall of Fame skipper's face that seems to say, "Ugh...THIS f***ing guy". As the palm trees and the blurry signs on the outfield fence tell us, it's Spring Training. Though Weaver is wearing his road grays, it's still possible that the team is working out at their Grapefruit League home in Miami.

If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that Jim Palmer is recipient of his manager's withering gaze. The righty probably just told Earl that his elbow is barking, and he thinks he'll have to spend the morning getting treatment in the training room. It's enough to make a guy reach into his custom inner jersey pocket for a cigarette.

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.

Earl Weaver, 1985 Topps Traded #129T

Yesterday the Orioles extended the contracts of manager Buck Showalter and GM (excuse me - that's executive vice president) Dan Duquette through the 2018 season. Keeping in mind the significant caveat that one or even both of them could still be fired before those deals expire, this is encouraging news, particularly as it concerns the man in the dugout. As Roch Kubatko astutely noted, Buck would have an eight-plus year tenure if he does indeed stick around through 2018. I was a bit surprised to learn that this would give him the second-longest reign as O's manager, behind only Earl Weaver. Of course, once you get past Paul Richards, the original architect of the Birds, there isn't a whole lot of competition. In my lifetime, only Mike Hargrove has lasted as many as four seasons at the helm, and his clubs averaged 93 losses per year. I suppose it's to Peter Angelos' credit that he never deluded himself into giving overmatched skippers like Dave Trembley and Sam Perlozzo multi-year contracts, but that's just a good sign that they shouldn't really have been hired in the first place. But as the Orioles sunk to the bottom following Davey Johnson's acromonious departure in late 1997, it became increasingly difficult to find qualified candidates who were actually willing to take the job. Now, not only has Buck Showalter restored professionalism and respectability to the Baltimore organization, he's actually agreed to stay throughout the decade. Long live Buck!

Earl Weaver, 1987 Topps #568

I've spent some time in thrift stores in my day, and I've even found some secondhand articles of clothing that I came to treasure, like an old paper-thin "Maryland Is for Crabs" ringer tee. But never have I found a genuine game-worn Earl Weaver jersey. Some lucky bastige named Ben Aguirre not only spotted one of Earl's 1977 home whites in a Bay Area thrift store (complete with the telltale breast pocket for his pack of smokes), but took it home for $3. As if that weren't enough, Ben also got his mitts on Mike Torrez' 1975 home jersey at the same price! The Orioles' legendary manager was back in Baltimore this past weekend for the National Sports Collectors Convention, so our charmed bargain hunter was able to meet Weaver and get him to sign the uniform top. Follow the link up above to read more about this incredible story, including a great quote from Earl. If you need me, I'll be at the thrift store.

Earl Weaver, 2003 Topps Gallery Hall of Fame #48

I usually pride myself on my persistence when attending Orioles games. I rarely leave early, be it extra innings, rain delays, or just a run-of-the-mill ugly blowout. But when you combine a sloppy, lousy game with miserable 95-plus degree temperatures, I'm going to ask for a mulligan. I was happy to receive my Earl Weaver replica statue, and to hear the legendary manager's pregame remarks following the unveiling of the life-sized sculpture in the picnic area, but the Birds couldn't do old #4 justice today (save for Chris Davis' monster three-run homer onto Eutaw Street. My sister and I suffered through four drawn-out innings, and the O's were down 7-4 when we finally checked out of the ballpark. Now it's 10-5 and Earl is probably instinctively reaching for the pack of cigarettes he used to keep tucked in his hidden uniform pocket. Oh well...at least I can gush about new Oriole Jim Thome for tomorrow's blog entry!

Earl Weaver, 2004 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites #64

It's All-Star night, and here's a reminder that once upon a time, you could manage the Orioles AND the American League All-Stars. In fact, Earl got to hold the reins of the A.L. squad four times in his illustrious career. One such occasion was the 1971 Midsummer Classic in Detroit, which was notable for the presence of 22 future Hall of Famers. Six of these legends hit home runs: Johnny Bench, Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson (whose blast may have left Tiger Stadium if it hadn't struck a light tower on the roof), Frank Robinson, Harmon Killebrew, and Roberto Clemente. For the only time in a 20-year span, the American League bested the National League by a 6-4 score. Aside from Frank Robby's homer, other Orioles contributing to the effort included Brooks Robinson, who singled once in three at-bats and caught a Johnny Bench pop-up for the final out; Jim Palmer, who turned in two scoreless innings; and Mike Cuellar, who earned a hold with two shutout innings of his own. For more details on the 1971 All-Star Game, check out the Fleer Sticker Project, where there are several great full-color screencaps from the original TV broadcast.

Earl Weaver, 2002 Topps Super Teams #102

Today the Marlins announced that Jack McKeon, who previously led the Fish to their second World Series title in 2003, has been appointed as the club's interim manager for the duration of the 2011 season. This is noteworthy because McKeon is 80 years old, and first managed in the big leagues with the Royals in 1973.  He is plenty old, as countless baseball bloggers have hastened to point out today. He managed George Brett and Rickey Henderson during their rookie seasons, and gas cost 50 cents a gallon when he first took the helm of a big league team (recently having spiked from 25 cents due to shortages). The only other octogenarian skipper in MLB history was the legendary Connie Mack, who managed the Philadelphia Athletics until he was 88. But there's an asterisk there: Mack was also the owner of the A's, so he had some unprecedented job security. He also delegated most of the managerial duties to his son and to coach Al Simmons in his later years.

I'm more than willing to add my voice to the chorus: how old is Jack McKeon? He is three months and nine days younger than Earl Weaver, who retired as Orioles manager for the second and final time 25 years ago. I know that there are plenty of disenchanted O's fans who have spent much of the last quarter-century yearning to see Earl back in the Baltimore dugout, although he seems to want no part of it. If McKeon has any success down in Miami, a lot more people might start pestering the argumentative Hall of Famer.

Earl Weaver, 1981 Donruss #356

I wrote a novel last night, but I'll be spending this evening in Oriole Park at Camden Yards, enjoying a few draughts of Heavy Seas (buy local!), collecting my free Vlad Guerrero t-shirt, and hopefully watching Zach Britton complete a three-game sweep of the Mariners. So I'll just pass along a link to Mike Klingaman's story about Earl Weaver auctioning off a number of mementoes from his Hall of Fame managing career. I was just relieved to learn that he wasn't selling his keepsakes because of a financial emergency. Instead, he's saving himself and his family some difficult decisions about how to divvy up his memorabilia after he shuffles off to the tomato garden in the sky. It might seem morbid, but as usual Earl is thinking ahead. Most of us probably wouldn't mind seeing our loved ones enjoy their inheritance while we're still around.

Earl Weaver, 2003 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Classic #26

Earl Weaver spent the weekend hanging out in Orioles camp down in Sarasota. He also spent time talking with the coaching staff, which just goes to show you that there's no such thing as a free lunch. Yesterday he spoke with Buck Showalter and Co. for half an hour, covering such topics as player development and umpires. In true Earl fashion, he let a flew words slip that the delicate souls at the Baltimore Sun couldn't repeat. He also joked around with the coaches he knew, including batting instructor and former Weaver pinch hitter deluxe Terry Crowley and current O's bench coach and ex-Yankee second baseman Willie Randolph. He praised Buck and the impact that he's already had on the team, and insisted that he checks the newspaper every morning during the season to see if the Birds won.   Earl even gave out a few autographs to Oriole pitchers Brad Bergesen and Jason Berken, who were excited to meet the 80-year-old Hall of Famer. For my part, I'm glad to know that not only does Earl still keep Baltimore and its team close to his heart, but that there are at least a few players who know their history.

Earl Weaver, 1982 Donruss #27

Most of us will never have to let the media know that we are indeed still alive. But Earl Weaver had that unique honor yesterday.

It seems that Saturday, in none other than the New York Times, political columnist Ross Ramsey used a tortured metaphor to compare Democrats in the state of Texas to the Baltimore Orioles and suggested that in the afterlife, former Texas governor Ann Richards must be commiserating with Weaver on the current sorry state of their respective teams. Way to do your homework, Ross.

Not only is Earl still here with us on Earth (Florida, to be more precise), at 80 years old he hasn't lost his spark. Baltimore Sun reporter Mike Klingaman reached the Hall of Fame manager by phone yesterday to clear the air. His first reaction to the news that he'd been presumed dead: "I'll be damned." He also mentioned that he is no longer able to golf due to bad knees, and put a punctuation mark on his comments:

"I’ve always said that there were two places that I wouldn’t mind dying. One was Memorial Stadium; the other, the golf course...Now I’ve got to wait forever [to go], because both of those places are gone.”

Take your time, Earl. We'll be glad to put up with you for a while longer.

Earl Weaver, 1989 Pacific Legends #179

Sometimes, Monday rolls around after a long and fulfilling holiday weekend and you wonder how you'll ever get back into the grind. It's dark, it's rainy, you're drawing a blank on Christmas gift ideas, and you know that you should squeeze in a workout but you just don't feel like it.

That's when you go back to basics and scan a simple, classy card with a photo of an uncomfortable-looking Earl Weaver kneeling in foul territory down the third base line in Memorial Stadium. It seems cruel to have Earl kneel - as if he isn't short enough already? Speaking of little things (sorry, Earl), if you click on the image to enlarge it, you might be able to make out "WEAVER" written on the flap of his cleat. I dig it. I also wonder if the skipper is reaching for a pack of smokes in that right hip pocket, but that's neither here nor there.

Vintage Fridays: Earl Weaver, 1971 Topps #477

This week provided an interesting juxtaposition of past and present in regards to Orioles managers. Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated wrote an excellent profile of Hall of Fame skipper Earl Weaver, everyone's favorite irascible, chain-smoking imp. I can't recommend it to you strongly enough; it's always great to hear Earl praised as an ahead-of-his-time strategist. He studied statistical matchups, championed on-base percentage, and disdained the bunt decades before Moneyball was written by Michael Lewis. It's also good to know that #4 still hasn't lost his edge. Reading the transcript of his anguished reactions to an Adam Eaton start in Spring Training, I felt like someone was eavesdropping on my own heat-of-the-moment exclamations.

Every manager that has followed Weaver in Baltimore, from Joe Altobelli to Dave Trembley, has had an impossible act to follow. No matter who is helming the team, it seems like the fans are always complaining that the manager isn't fiery enough. He doesn't challenge the players. He doesn't snipe at reporters. Most of all, he doesn't battle the umpires. Dave Trembley in particular seems to be 180 degrees away from his diminutive predecessor; we're talking about a guy who seems nice enough but conducts press conferences in a low monotone and counts Diet Coke as his greatest vice. Yet on Tuesday evening, Trembley boiled over and unleashed a tirade that may have impressed Earl.

It started in the top of the first inning in Seattle, when Luke Scott drove a liner up the gap with two outs and the bases loaded. Adam Jones and Nick Markakis raced home, and Mariners center fielder Franklin Gutierrez's relay throw struck the pitcher's mound and ricocheted into the camera well. With Nolan Reimold already around second base, the Orioles players and coaches waved him home. But home plate umpire Tom Hallion erroneously ruled that he had eased up going into second and sent him back to third base. That's when Dave erupted, and it was all caught on tape (jump to 2:28). He screamed from the dugout, charged the field, went nose-to-nose with Hallion, screamed some more, accused the ump of lying and failing to know the rules, cursed, and then politely offered Big Blue his cap. He was, of course, ejected.

Today, the bureaucrats at the commissioner's office handed down a two-game suspension to Trembley, reported because he continued to watch the game from the tunnel leading to the clubhouse. That's against the rules, and he ostensibly could have continued calling the shots from there. Whatever. Oh, and there was no acknowledgement of the blown call. Color me shocked.

Anyway, the moral of the story is that sometimes you've just gotta blow off some steam. Diamond Dave did just that, and got a mini-vacation out of it.

Earl Weaver, 2003 Upper Deck Vintage #133

I've talked about Upper Deck Vintage before. I suppose if they were going to have the nerve to rip off their chief competitor's classic designs, they at least had the good sense to rip off the very best of those designs. This card, of course, cribs the 1965 Topps set; I happen to have a mild interest in the originals.

Earl Weaver looks absolutely terrible in this photo. He looks pale, old, tired, and haggard. I'm fairly certain that this photo was taken at some point after his retirement, maybe a fantasy camp or a visit to Spring Traning. I can certainly identify with the Earl of Baltimore, after a hideous week of baseball. Twice in three days O's starting pitchers lasted two-thirds of an inning. Two...thirds. The team won a single game on a six-game west coast road trip against two of the worst, weakest-hitting teams in baseball. There were pointless baserunning mistakes and a complete offensive meltdown involving everyone not named Luke or Nolan; thirteen runs in the last eight games ain't so good. To top it off, Jamie Walker was released, Cesar Izturis had an appendectomy, and Felix Pie fouled a ball off and it hit his Adam's apple on the rebound. This is not fun. I know, it's a long season, etc., etc., but it just drives me nuts. Last weekend, the O's seemed to reach a turning point, as Matt Wieters' debut came in front of 42,000 screaming fans and the club won their seventh game in eight tries. And now, this.

Whose brilliant idea was it to make the baseball season 162 games long?

Earl Weaver, 1983 Topps #426

Earl Weaver may not exactly be a jolly old elf, but he certainly looks like one on this card, and that works for me. As promised, here are a few things I love about Christmas, which truly is my favorite time of year.

1. Time away from work. This year, I was lucky enough to get a two-week break.

2. Holiday specials. Here's a short article I wrote about some of my favorites.

3. Family traditions. I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff. Again, I'm going to be lazy (hey, it's Christmas) and link you elsewhere.

4. Food. Christmas means my mom's delicious sausage stuffing, and my sister's half-dozen different batches of cookies, and much more. I'm a food lover, and there's plenty to choose from right about now.

5. Parties. I'm usually a stick-in-the-mud (especially now that most of my friends are far away), and the holidays give me a good excuse to go be social. I've already been to three parties this year, and one more is in the offing.

6. Giving. I'm always eager to watch friends and family open their presents, to find out if I chose wisely. I've also donated to Penny Arcade's Child's Play Charity for the past five years, and I'm continually blown away by the huge numbers they pull in.

7. Getting. Honestly, who doesn't like receiving gifts?

Merry Christmas folks, and Happy Holidays if you celebrate something else, or even if you don't celebrate anything at all. I'll throw up something quick tomorrow, so you don't waste too much of your day reading my ramblings.

Vintage Fridays: Earl Weaver, 1978 Topps #211

If you enjoy reading my blog (and I hope you do, otherwise why torment yourself?), I certainly hope that you've clicked the links to your left, which will take you to other baseball card blogs that I enjoy for a variety of reasons: good, insightful writing, quick wit, beautiful visuals, and unique subject matter are all at the top of my list. In case you're not the type to just click around blindly, I can give you that extra prod to visit one of the newest links on my blogroll: 78 Topps Cards. It's the newest project from the bright and prolific Andy, who recently finished his first foray into set blogging, 88 Topps.

Both blogs are similar, in that they take a card-by-card, in-depth look into a couple of the more colorful sets produced by the once-venerable Topps (okay, so I'm still a little bitter about the company's recent missteps). Having tweaked his format, Andy is bringing lots of great new ideas to the plate for 78 Topps, which just launched proper last week. There are running counters of all of the Hall-of-Famers, deceased players and managers, first-or-second-genrations guys, All-Stars, and award winners featured in the set, as well as fun facts and an aesthetic appraisal of the cards. You can vote on your favorite cards, and you'll even have a shot to win several giveaways!
So give 78 Topps Cards a look. The set itself is a thing of beauty, full of minimalist card design (all of the hot pink and bright green borders aside), memorable players of yesteryear, and 1970s fashion. In the meantime, I'm going to get a jump on Andy and take a look at one of the cooler concepts of 1978 Topps, the manager cards. This is the only year that I can recall Topps using a "then and now" format for its treatment of the skippers, showing a small black and white inset photo from their playing days. You get Joe Torre as a slightly uglier, powerful catcher with the Braves. Sparky Anderson as a slightly alien-looking, weak-hitting Phillies infielder. And a true rarity, Earl Weaver as a career minor league infielder who idolized Cardinals shortstop Mary Marion and who looks something like a fire hydrant. But flipping the card over will provide the real treat, and I'm kicking myself for not scanning the back. (Maybe I'll add that in later, note to self.)


On the card back, Topps provides Earl's full minor league batting record! He was a 5'7", 180-pound scrapper who played parts of thirteen seasons (1948-1960) in the bus leagues before seeing the writing on the wall and hanging up his glove and bat for good at age 30. He wasn't a bad hitter per se, averaging .267 and topping out at .288 in 1957. But those numbers weren't opening anyone's eyes at the big league level. But if you dig deeper, there are some fascinating numbers in his stat line.


First of all, a nineteen-year-old Weaver hit .282 and drove in 101 runs in 1949 for the St. Joseph, MO Cardinals of the C-level Western Association. But he had just two home runs - I'd say he earned all those RBI! Also, Earl began managing in the minors in 1956, but continued playing in some capacity through 1960 (when he had 30 at-bats in 28 games for the creatively-named Fox Cities Foxes, the B-level club for the Orioles). Finally, in 1965, the 35-year-old manager appeared in one game for his AA Elmira Pioneers: he did not bat and was ostensibly a late defensive substitute.


As you can see, Earl had quite a long and circuitous path to the major leagues. By the time the Orioles added him to Hank Bauer's coaching staff in 1968, he had played in 1427 minor-league games and managed in 1,538 contests - some of those overlapping! It must have made his four American League Championships, one World Series title, and 1996 Hall of Fame induction all the sweeter.