| Earl Weaver | |
|---|---|
 Weaver in 1976 | |
| Manager | |
| Born:(1930-08-14)August 14, 1930 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| Died: January 19, 2013(2013-01-19) (aged 82) AboardCelebrity Silhouette,Caribbean Sea | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 7, 1968, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 5, 1986, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Games managed | 2,540 |
| Managerial record | 1,480–1,060 |
| Winning % | .583 |
Managerial record atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Member of the National | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame | |
| Induction | 1996 |
| Election method | Veterans Committee |
Earl Sidney Weaver (August 14, 1930 – January 19, 2013) was an American professionalbaseballmanager, author, and televisioncolor commentator. Weaver played inminor league baseball as asecond baseman from 1948 to 1960. He began his managerial career in 1956, serving as aplayer–manager for five seasons before he stopped playing to concentrate on managing, without ever having played inMajor League Baseball (MLB). He progressed through the minor league system before going on to become a manager in the Major Leagues with theBaltimore Orioles (1968–1982; 1985–86), winning a World Series championship in 1970. Weaver's style of managing was summed up in the quote: "pitching, defense, and the three-run homer." He did not believe in placing emphasis on "small ball" tactics such asstolen bases,hit and run plays, orsacrifice bunts, though these views developed somewhat over time. He was inducted into theBaseball Hall of Fame in1996.
Weaver was born on August 14, 1930, inSt. Louis, Missouri.[1] He was the son of Earl Milton Weaver, a dry cleaner who cleaned the uniforms of theSt. Louis Cardinals andBrowns (who would later become the Baltimore Orioles), and Ethel Genevieve Wakefield. Baseball Hall of Fame pitcherJim Palmer, who pitched under Weaver for 14 seasons in the major leagues, wrote that his manager was "brought up in St. Louis on the bad side of a street where even the good side isn't too good."[2] The Weavers lived in a crowded section of St. Louis, within a mile ofSportsman's Park, home to the Cardinals and Browns. As a child Weaver saw the players on the great St. Louis Cardinals teams up close, when he accompanied his father into the team's clubhouse, or made pickups and deliveries of their uniforms.[1]
Weaver was an avid baseball fan. His baseball hero was Cardinals' shortstopLeo Durocher, who would go on to become a Hall of Fame manager.[3] He was fascinated with managers and studied them carefully, even as an adolescent and teenager. Among the managers he studied, the hometown Cardinals were managed by future Hall of FamerBilly Southworth (1940–45), whose teams won at least 105 games each season from 1942 to 1944.[4][1][5] The next team to win over 100 games three consecutive years was Weaver's Baltimore Orioles (1969–71).[6]
Weaver was also an avid baseball player as a youth. As a young teenager, he played on his father's St. Louis city league team that won three city titles, with a 53–2 record. He starred as an infielder on the baseball team atBeaumont High School in St. Louis, was co-captain of the football team, and was also on its state championship basketball team. His baseball coach, Ray Elliott, was disciplined and detailed in fundamentals in shaping his players; and loved Weaver's fight as a player. Weaver also played four years ofAmerican Legion baseball in St. Louis.[1]
TheSt. Louis Cardinals signed the 17-year-old Weaver in 1948 as asecond baseman.[7] Playing for theClass DWest Frankfurt Cardinals in 1948, he had a .268 batting average, with 92 bases on balls and 96 runs scored and only 24 strikeouts. He was named an All-Star. PlayingClass C ball in 1949, his average improved to .282, with anon-base percentage of .382, 75 bases on balls, 101runs batted in (RBI), 80runs scored and 17stolen bases. In 1950, he hit .276 playingClass B baseball for theWinston-Salem Cardinals of theCarolina League; though he had been hitting around .300 before a thumb injury. In 1951, he hit .279 with theSingle-AOmaha Cardinals, and was again an All-star. He was a flashy fielder and hard base runner, and the fans loved him for competing all out when he played; though he did not hit with power, lacked speed, and had a mediocre throwing arm.[8][9]
Weaver's best, and essentially only, opportunity to make the Cardinals major league roster came in the Cardinals' spring training of 1952 when he was part of the team's 40-man roster. He performed well and many believed he could make the team as a backup second baseman. But his competition for backup second baseman was the Cardinals new manager, 35-year oldEddie Stanky, who had final decision making authority over who made the Cardinals final roster. Stanky ultimately chose himself over Weaver. Weaver became dispirited, falling into drink and depression. He played 1952 and the following eight years in the minor leagues, never reaching above the Double-A level except for a handful of games.[9][8]
After 1953, his rights were sold to theDenver Bears in thePittsburgh Pirates organization. In 1956, he wound up playing for the independent Montgomery Rebels in Single-A baseball, who would become the Knoxville Smokies. By 1957, he was in the Orioles farm system.[10][8]
Two of Weaver's minor league managers influenced his own future as a manager:George Kissell at Winston-Salem andAndy Cohen in Denver. Kissell had worked withBranch Rickey in building the Cardinals farm system and developed the Cardinals way of playing baseball; and Cohen, who taught Weaver about the psychology of handling players, had played under Hall of Fame managerJohn McGraw.[11][12] Weaver considered Kissell and Orioles managerPaul Richards as his greatest managerial influences.[7] In addition to Weaver, Kissell was a teacher to Hall of Fame managersSparky Anderson,Joe Torre, andTony La Russa.[13][14][15][16]
Weaver started hisminor league managerial career in 1956 with the unaffiliatedKnoxville Smokies in the South Atlantic League. He joined the Orioles in 1957 as manager of theirFitzgerald, Georgia, club in theGeorgia–Florida League. The Orioles moved him up to their franchise inDublin, Georgia, in 1958, and to theirAberdeen, South Dakota, club in 1959. In 1960, he managed theFox Cities Foxes in Wisconsin in the Class-B Three-I League. He advanced to the Double-AElmira Pioneers in 1962 and to the Triple-ARochester Red Wings in 1966. As a minor league manager, he compiled a record of 841 wins and 697 defeats (.547)[17] with three championships or first-place finishes in 11½ seasons.[18][19][citation needed]
In 1956, the Orioles established a spring training camp for all of their minor league players inThomasville, Georgia, where they were taught what came to be known as "the Oriole Way". The players would be evaluated by farm team executives, managers and coaches who gathered in a conference room called "the Bird's Nest", and either assigned a player to one of the Orioles minor league teams or cut him from the organization. Weaver became the director of the Thomasville camp in 1961.[20][21]
Weaver was appointed to replaceGene Woodling as the Orioles'first-base coach onOctober 3, 1967,[22] and spent the first half of the1968 season in that capacity before succeedingHank Bauer as manager onJuly 11.[23] His contract was for one year; he would continue to work under one-year contracts throughout his tenure with the team.[24]
During his tenure as major league manager, the Orioles won the American League pennant in 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1979, each time winning100 games.[25] Weaver was the first manager since Billy Southworth (1942–44) to win 100 games in three straight seasons.[6]
In 1969, the Orioles were defeated in the World Series in five games by the New York Mets team known as theMiracle Mets.[26] He was ejected in Game 4 of that series by umpireShag Crawford for arguing balls and strikes.[27] In 1970, the Orioles won the World Series by defeating the Cincinnati Reds (The "Big Red Machine") in five games.[28] In 1971, the Orioles had four twenty-game winners,[29] swept the Oakland Athletics in the playoffs,[30] but lost the World Series in seven games to the Pittsburgh Pirates.[31] Pirates pitcherSteve Blass pitched a complete game and gave up four hits in the deciding seventh game, allowing the Orioles to score only one run in a 2–1 loss.[32] The key to the Pirates World Series victory, however, was the relief pitching performance of rookieBruce Kison in game 4, that Weaver said turned the series around.[33] Ironically, Kison would become a pitching coach, scout, and trusted advisor in the Orioles organization for twenty years, and the team mourned his death.[34]
Before the 1972 season, the Orioles traded 36-year old team leaderFrank Robinson, though they added rising starsDon Baylor andBobby Grich.[35][25] They went from four twenty game winners to only one 20 game winner (Jim Palmer), and missed the playoffs for the first time since Weaver became a full-time manager.[36] The Orioles returned to the playoffs in 1973, losing to the Oakland Athletics in the American League Championship Series, 3–2.[37]
Weaver loved scoring with three-run home runs, "a great plan if you have Boog Powells and Frank Robinsons and Brooks Robinsons," according to Palmer.[38] The 1974 team still had Powell and Brooks Robinson, but they hit only 19 home runs between them that year; and the team hit only 116 total home runs, with no player reaching even 20 home runs.[39] The Orioles weakest home runs years were 1972–74, during Weaver's initial reign.[40] Yet Weaver insisted on continuing to use the strategy. With the team eight games behind the Red Sox in late August, the Orioles held a secret player's-only meeting at gold glove center fielderPaul Blair's house.[41][42]
Their new strategy, according to Palmer, was "Squeeze every hit and every base and every run you can out of every play."[38] To accomplish this goal, the players came up with secret signs they would use in games.[38] The new strategy worked, as Baltimore overcame the deficit to clinch the division at the end of the year.[43] According to Brooks Robinson, "It took Earl about three or four games to finally figure out what the heck we were doing in that situation, and I think he ended up saying, 'Well, you'd better be right.'...It worked out well. And Earl loved us all, anyway."[41]
The Orioles turned the season around, finishing first in the American League east; but losing to the A's again in the ALCS.[39][44]
With the advent of free agency,[45] and the dismantling and decline of the Oakland Athletics in the face of free agency,[46][47] the New York Yankees began to dominate the American League, winning the eastern division five times between 1976 and 1981, with four American League pennants and two World Series wins over that period.[48] From 1975 to 1981, the Orioles finished second in the division five times, fourth once, and won the division in 1979.[39][48]
In 1976, among others, the Orioles traded Baylor and pitcherMike Torrez for A's superstarReggie Jackson and pitcherKen Holtzman, but Jackson moved on to the Yankees in free agency in 1977.[49] In 1977, however, the Orioles added rookie of the year and future Hall of Fame first basemanEddie Murray.[50]
Weaver's 1,000th MLB career victory as manager was a 5–3Opening Day result over theChicago White Sox atMemorial Stadium on April 6, 1979.[51] That year, Weaver used 140 different lineups during the regular season,[52] but the Orioles still reached theWorld Series again, this time losing in seven games to thePittsburgh Pirates.[53] He expressed plans to retire following the1982 season prior to Game 6 of that World Series on October 16. He had originally targeted the expiration of his contract upon the conclusion of the1980 campaign to step away from the sport.[54]
In 1981, future Hall of FamerCal Ripken Jr. joined the Orioles from the Orioles minor league system. Ripken's father,Cal Sr., had been a long time player, coach and manager in the Orioles farm system, and Weaver had known Ripken Jr. his entire life. Weaver had seen Ripken play shortstop as early as high school, knew Ripken was an excellent fielder as a shortstop, and saw shortstop as Ripken's best position on the Orioles. However, general managerHank Peters insisted the 6 ft 4 in 210 pound Ripken play third base, as Ripken did not fit the prototypical lithe light-hitting, or at least non-power hitting, shortstop model of the time (such as Oriolesgold gloverMark Belanger). In 1982, even after Peters had traded awayDoug DeCinces to make room for Ripken at third base, Weaver eventually moved Ripken to shortstop, where he went on to be named Rookie of the Year, and redefined the position to open the way for future power hitting shortstops.[55][56]
In 1982, Weaver announced he would retire at the end of the season. After Palmer posted a 6.84 ERA in five starts, GMHank Peters announced that "Palmer is never, ever, ever going to start another game in an Orioles uniform. I've had it."[57][58] Weaver moved Palmer to the bullpen, but with the team needing another starter, he put Palmer back in the rotation in June. Shortly thereafter, Palmer went on an 11-game winning streak.[59]
The Orioles played poorly for the first half of the year before climbing in the standings to just three games behind going into a season-ending four-game series against the division-leading Brewers at Memorial Stadium. The Orioles beat them handily in the first three games to pull into a first-place tie. The final game of the series, and the season, on October 3, would decide the AL East title. Televised nationally on ABC, the Orioles suffered a crushing 10–2 loss. After the game, the crowd called for Weaver to come out. This tribute to the retiring Weaver provided intense emotion against the backdrop of the season-ending defeat, as Weaver, in tears, stood on the field and applauded back to the fans, and shared words and an embrace with Brewers managerHarvey Kuenn. On TV, broadcasterHoward Cosell captured the moment: "Thee Er-uhl of Bal-tee-more. They love...troo-lee love...this man, Er-uhl Weeev-ver! A manof the people. The Weeeve! Oneof a kind. A baseball gar-rate!"[60]Joe Altobelli was appointed his successor one month later on November 12, 1982.[61]
Weaver finished his first stint as manager of the Orioles with a .596 winning percentage, never having a losing season.[62][63] The year following Weaver's retirement, Baltimore won the World Series, under Altobelli.[64] Palmer wrote, "We won with a team Earl put together."[65]
OwnerEdward Bennett Williams coaxed Weaver out of retirement midway through the 1985 season,[62] but he retired for good after the 1986 season, the only full losing season of his major league career (73–89).[63] Weaver's total major league managerial record is 1,480–1,060 (.583), including 100+ win seasons in 1969 (109), 1970 (108), 1971 (101), 1979 (102), and 1980 (100).[63] Weaver had a record average 94.3 wins per season, an all-time record at the time of his death.[66]
In 1989, Weaver managed theGold Coast Suns in the newSenior Professional Baseball Association.[67] Less than a week into the season, Weaver was ejected from his first game. He later commented, "These umpires are high school rejects. The league went for the cheapest umpiring association. There should be no league if this continues."[68] The Suns failed to make the playoffs in the 1989–90 season and folded after one season.
Weaver never got along well with umpires. Palmer described their relationship: "Earl Weaver hated umpires with every fiber of his win-or-die being. He yelled at them. He screamed in their faces. He kicked dirt on them. He tore up rule books. He taunted and tortured them."[69] Weaver was ejected from games at least 91 times during the regular season (98, according to one source)[70] and several more times during post-season play. One list has him fourth all time, with 96, immediately behind childhood hero Durocher.[71] He was ejected from both games in adoubleheader three times. He was twice ejected from games before they even started, both times byRon Luciano.[72] Luciano alone ejected him from all four games of a minor-league series and eight games in the majors.[73] Sometimes, even after Weaver had been thrown out of a game, he would phone the Oriole dugout to tell the coaches what moves to make.[74]
He also received four multiple-game suspensions. He was well known for the humor that often accompanied his ejections. During one particular tirade with an umpire, Weaver headed to the dugout screaming, "I'm going to check the rule-book on that" to which the umpire replied, "Here, use mine." Weaver shot back, "That's no good—I can't read Braille."[75] He once told an umpire that he could appear onWhat's My Line? wearing his mask, chest protector, holding his ball/strike indicator and still nobody would guess he was an umpire.[70]
Weaver had a penchant for kicking dirt on umpires, and for turning his cap backwards whenever he sparred with umpires in order to get as close to them as possible without actually touching them.[76] His rivalry with Luciano was legendary, to the point where the AL rearranged umpiring schedules for an entire year so that Luciano would not work Orioles games. A year later on August 26, 1979, in the third inning of the opener of an Orioles-White Sox doubleheader at Comiskey Park, he ejected Weaver who then publicly questioned Luciano's "integrity" and received a three-game suspension.[72] Weaver once derisively called Luciano "one of the few umpires that people have paid their way into the park to see."[77]
Marty Springstead was one of Weaver's least favorite umpires. On September 15, 1977, in Toronto, Weaver asked Springstead to have a tarpaulin covering theToronto Blue Jays bullpen area removed; the tarp was weighted down by bricks and Earl argued his left fielder could be injured if he ran into the bricks while chasing a foul ball. When the umpire refused to order the Blue Jays to move the tarp, Weaver pulled the Orioles off the field. The umpire declared a forfeit, the only forfeit in Orioles history. On another infamous occasion, in Cleveland, Weaver stormed to the dugout and returned to the field with a rulebook in his pocket. "Don't take that book out or you're outta here," Springstead warned. Weaver pulled it out anyway and was ejected.[78][79] After that game, Weaver said of Springstead, "He's a terrific guy...He's just not a very good umpire."[78]
One of Weaver's most infamous tirades came on September 17, 1980, in a game against theDetroit Tigers. First base umpireBill Haller, who was wearing a microphone for a documentary on the daily life of an MLB umpire, called abalk on Oriole pitcherMike Flanagan. Weaver charged out of the dugout and began screaming at Haller, who was already angry at Weaver for publicly questioning his integrity by suggesting he be prohibited from working Tigers games in 1972 because his brother was the Tigers' backup catcher at the time.[73] After Weaver was ejected, he launched into a profanity-filled argument in which he accused Haller of blatantly calling the game out of the Orioles' favor. He also accused Haller of poking him in the chest, and after Haller denied doing so they called each other liars.[80] Weaver's contempt for umpires was often mutual. One night in 1973 Weaver threw his cap to the ground and began a vehement argument with Luciano. Luciano's crew-mateDon Denkinger walked over to Weaver's cap, stepped on it with the sharp cleats of both shoes, and slowly twisted back and forth.[73]
Weaver's oft-quoted managerial philosophy was "pitching, defense, and the three-run homer." Weaver expanded on his philosophy in three books he authored:Winning! (1972);It's What You Learn After You Know It All That Counts (1983); andWeaver on Strategy (1984), which was republished asWeaver on Strategy: The Classic Work on the Art of Managing a Baseball Team (2002, with co-author Terry Pluto). Weaver eschewed the use of so-called "inside baseball" or "small ball" tactics such as thestolen base, thehit and run, or thesacrifice bunt, preferring a patient approach ("waiting for the home run"), saying "If you play for one run, that's all you'll get" and "On offense, your most precious possessions are your 27 outs". Weaver claims to have never had a sign for thehit and run, citing the play makes both the baserunner and the hitter vulnerable, as the baserunner is susceptible to beingcaught stealing and the hitter is required to swing at any pitch thrown no matter how far outside the strike zone it may be or how unhittable the pitch is.[citation needed]
Rather than being fixed, Weaver's practices developed over time, or were more flexible than his simple maxims. He was willing to let capable players steal bases. From 1969 to 1982, Weaver's Orioles were fourth in stolen bases, and third in success rate. And during the first part of his managing career (1969–75) his teams averaged approximately 70 sacrifice bunts/year, and were above the league average five of those seven years. The Orioles were still among teams most commonly using the sacrifice bunt even after pitchers stopped hitting after 1972 with the advent of the designated hitter rule. It was only mid-career that he started reducing use of the sacrifice bunt, and from 1977 to 1981 never had more than 48 sacrifice bunts in a year, and was never above the league average during that time.[81][40]
Weaver strongly believed in finishing as high in the standings as possible, even if a championship was not involved: In 1977, theOrioles entered the final weekend of the season tied for second place in the AL East with theRed Sox, three games behind the division-leading Yankees, to play a scheduled three-game series against the Red Sox in Boston, while theYankees played three at home against Detroit. The Red Sox won the first game of the series, 11–10, on September 30, eliminating the Orioles from division title contention; however, after the game Weaver insisted, in an interview with a reporter, that "we're still trying to finish second." The following day, the Orioles won, 8–7, eliminating the Red Sox (the Yankees having lost on both days) and leaving the teams tied for second place headed into the series' and the season's final game, which was rained out, resulting in the Red Sox and Orioles finishing in a tie for second place. Weaver also insisted his players maintained a professional appearance at all times. He allowed mustaches, but not beards, and, as a rule, players had to wear a suit or jacket and tie on board an airplane for a road trip.[citation needed] Weaver "was fiercely loyal to his players," said Palmer, who recalled that in 1976 the manager took his side when he was negotiating for a raise with the Orioles' owners.[82] "He just never got to know them," Palmer remembered, observing that the first time Weaver ran intoDennis Martínez after retiring, all he had to say to Martínez was, "How's your curveball?"[83] After he became the Orioles' manager, he hated being referred to as "Coach," complaining even when players mistakenly referred to him as that out of respect.[84]
Weaver made extensive use of statistics to create matchups which were more favorable either for his batter or his pitcher. He had various notebooks with all sorts of splits and head-to-head numbers for his batters and against his pitchers and would assemble his lineups according to the matchups he had. For example, despite the factGold Glove AwardshortstopMark Belanger was a weak hitter, in 19plate appearances he hit .625 with a .684 on-base percentage and .625 slugging percentage againstJim Kern and would be slotted high in the lineup when facing him.[85] Similarly,Boog Powell, the 1970 American League MVP, hit a meager .178/.211/.278 againstMickey Lolich over 96 plate appearances and would be substituted, possibly with a hitter likeChico Salmon, who hit a much more acceptable .300/.349/.400 against the same pitcher.[86][87] Palmer said, "Earl scribbled stats, piles and piles of figures and percentages on everybody and everything. All those sheets with all those numbers made him a better manager."[2]
In 1984, Weaver was credited by sportscasterCraig Sager, then ofCNN, with being the first major league manager to have used computerized statistical records as part of his decision-making process.[88]
In the Orioles teams of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Weaver made frequent use ofplatoons, with the most obvious example being the use ofGary Roenicke andJohn Lowenstein in left field, without affordable full-time solutions. Weaver also exploited a loophole in thedesignated hitter rule by listing as the DH one of his starting pitchers who would not be appearing in that day's game, who would then be substituted before their firstat-bat. This gave him another opportunity to exploit pitcher-batter matchups, in the case the opposing starting pitcher left the game early because of injury or ineffectiveness before it was the DH's turn in the batting order. A rule was created to stop the use of this tactic, allegedly (by Weaver) because it was distorting pinch-hitting statistics.[citation needed]
Weaver used radar guns to track the speed of pitched balls during the 1975 spring training season.[89]
Palmer said, "I learned a lot from Earl Weaver. The first thing I learned was that he didn't know a thing about pitching."[90] Palmer once noted: "The only thing that Earl knows about a curve ball is he couldn't hit it."[91]Dave McNally agreed: "The only thing Earl Weaver knows about pitching is that he can't hit it."[92] Weaver was a fan ofsliders for some reason.[93]Mike Flanagan figured out that Weaver got less angry when pitchers gave up hits on sliders than when they gave up hits on other pitches. "Every hit after that, I told him it was off a slider," Flanagan said.[94]
While Palmer was pitching for Rochester for 1967, with the bases loaded against theBuffalo Bisons andJohnny Bench coming up to bat, Weaver came out to the mound and told Palmer, "Throw him a fastball down the middle."[95] Palmer complied, and Bench hit a grand slam.[96] Palmer did, however, credit Weaver's ability to recognize good pitchers. "He could spot them, trade for them, stick with them. He might have driven them crazy, but he knew which ones to drive crazy."[90] "I always said I gaveMike Cuellar more chances than I gave my first wife," Weaver maintained.[97]
Weaver did have a pitching philosophy: throw strikes, change pitch speeds, limit walks, do not try and pitch to the corners, and keep the defense engaged. Weaver demoted pitchers who did not throw strikes. During his initial tenure as manager (1968–82), Oriole pitchers won sixCy Young Awards (Cuellar/1969, Palmer/1973,1975–76, Flanagan/1979 andSteve Stone/1980). His pitchers had 22 different 20-win seasons, the most for any manager in over a century (since 1920). Within this overall philosophy, he placed full trust in his pitching coaches,George Bamberger (1968–77) andRay Miller (1978–82), to guide and teach the pitching staff. No other Oriole manager has had a Cy Young winner before or after Weaver.[1][98][99]
As a minor league manager, Weaver was the only manager who came close to helping legendary pitching enigmaSteve Dalkowski become a major league pitcher. Dalkowski is considered among the top handful of hardest thrower pitchers in baseball history, but suffered an extraordinary lack of control. In 1958, Dalkowski struck out 203 batters in 104 innings, but walked 207. Over his minor league career, he walked over 1,200 in 956 innings. However, in 1962, Weaver managed him with theElmira Pioneers, and worked with Dalkowski to simplify Dalkowski's approach to pitching. For the first time, Dalkowski averaged less than a walk an inning, and his earned run average was over two runs less than any prior year. Dalkowski was on his way to making the Orioles major league roster the following year when an arm injury effectively ended his career.[100][101][102][103][104]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Won | Lost | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| BAL | 1968 | 82 | 48 | 34 | .585 | 2nd in AL | – | – | – | – |
| BAL | 1969 | 162 | 109 | 53 | .673 | 1st in AL East | 4 | 4 | .500 | LostWorld Series (NYM) |
| BAL | 1970 | 162 | 108 | 54 | .667 | 1st in AL East | 7 | 1 | .875 | WonWorld Series (CIN) |
| BAL | 1971 | 158 | 101 | 57 | .639 | 1st in AL East | 6 | 4 | .600 | LostWorld Series (PIT) |
| BAL | 1972 | 154 | 80 | 74 | .519 | 3rd in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| BAL | 1973 | 162 | 97 | 65 | .599 | 1st in AL East | 2 | 3 | .400 | LostALCS (OAK) |
| BAL | 1974 | 162 | 91 | 71 | .562 | 1st in AL East | 1 | 3 | .250 | LostALCS (OAK) |
| BAL | 1975 | 159 | 90 | 69 | .566 | 2nd in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| BAL | 1976 | 162 | 88 | 74 | .543 | 2nd in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| BAL | 1977 | 161 | 97 | 64 | .602 | 2nd in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| BAL | 1978 | 161 | 90 | 71 | .559 | 4th in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| BAL | 1979 | 159 | 102 | 57 | .642 | 1st in AL East | 6 | 5 | .545 | LostWorld Series (PIT) |
| BAL | 1980 | 162 | 100 | 62 | .617 | 2nd in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| BAL | 1981 | 54 | 31 | 23 | .574 | 2nd in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| 51 | 28 | 23 | .549 | 4th in AL East | ||||||
| BAL | 1982 | 162 | 94 | 68 | .580 | 2nd in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| BAL | 1985 | 105 | 53 | 52 | .505 | 4th in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| BAL | 1986 | 162 | 73 | 89 | .451 | 7th in AL East | – | – | – | – |
| Total[105] | 2540 | 1480 | 1060 | .583 | 26 | 20 | .565 | |||
Between his stints as manager, Weaver served as acolor commentator forABC television, calling the1983 World Series (which the Orioles won) along withAl Michaels andHoward Cosell. Weaver was the leadABC color commentator in1983 (replacingDon Drysdale,[106] who moved over to secondary play-by-play for ABC) but was also employed by the Baltimore Orioles as a consultant. At the time, ABC had a policy preventing an announcer who was employed by a team from working games involving that team. So, whenever the Orioles were on the primary ABC game, Weaver worked the backup game. This policy forced Weaver to resign from the Orioles consulting position in October so that he can work the World Series for ABC.[107][108] Weaver later called the1984 National League Championship Series (between theSan Diego Padres andChicago Cubs) for ABC alongside fellow hall of famersReggie Jackson, who played for Weaver in1976, and Don Drysdale.
While managing the Orioles, Weaver hosted a radio show calledManager's Corner with Baltimore Oriole play by play announcerTom Marr in which he would give his views on baseball and answer questions from fans. Weaver and Marr once recorded a prank version of the program, giving hilarious off-color answers to queries ranging fromTerry Crowley, "team speed" and even growing tomatoes (Weaver and groundskeeper Pat Santarone had a friendly rivalry on this topic, and the latter had a fenced off tomato patch in left field foul territory at Memorial Stadium.). The tape, which was not broadcast at the time, has since become legendary in Baltimore sports circles and has even been aired (in heavily edited fashion) on local sports radio.[109]
Weaver wrote three books:Winning! (1972),[110]Weaver on Strategy (1984),[111] andIt's What You Learn After You Know It All That Counts (1983).[112]
In1987, Weaver assisted in the development of theAI for thecomputer gameEarl Weaver Baseball, which was published byElectronic Arts. The game was one of the precursors of theEA Sports line.[113]
Weaver died about 2 a.m. on January 19, 2013, of an apparent heart attack while on an Orioles' fantasy cruise aboard theCelebrity Silhouette in the Caribbean Sea.[114] According to theSilhouette's itinerary, the ship had leftLabadee,Haiti, on January 18 and was expected to dock atFort Lauderdale, Florida on January 20, 2013.[115] Weaver's wife of 49 years, Marianna, was at his side when he died. He was 82 years old.[116][117] By coincidence, another Baseball Hall of Fame member, the St. Louis Cardinals'Stan Musial, died later that day.
His remains were cremated.
Upon Weaver's death,Bud Selig, then-commissioner ofMajor League Baseball, released the following statement: "Earl Weaver was a brilliant baseball man, a true tactician in the dugout and one of the key figures in the rich history of the Baltimore Orioles, the club he led to four American League pennants and the1970 World Series championship ... Having known Earl throughout my entire career in the game, I have many fond memories of the Orioles and theBrewers squaring off asAmerican League East rivals. Earl's managerial style proved visionary, as many people in the game adopted his strategy and techniques years later. Earl was well known for being one of the game's most colorful characters with a memorable wit, but he was also amongst its most loyal. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I send my deepest condolences to his wife, Marianna, their family and all Orioles fans."[118]
Orioles managing partnerPeter Angelos added: "Earl Weaver stands alone as the greatest manager in the history of the Orioles organization and one of the greatest in the history of baseball ... This is a sad day for everyone who knew him and for all Orioles fans. Earl made his passion for the Orioles known both on and off the field. On behalf of the Orioles, I extend my condolences to his wife, Marianna, and to his family."[119]
| Preceded by | Baltimore Orioles First Base Coach 1968 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
