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Earl Weaver passed away last night. (With Roy Firestone Remembrance)

Greg

By Greg
in Orioles Talk

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DrungoHazewood Hangout Grand Counsel

DrungoHazewood

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One of the first PC games I used to play with my Dad and pretty much all I knew about Earl Weaver as a kid. Its amazing how good of a sim that was. Its still hard to find such a great collection of historical players. Homerun Baker was amazing.

Remember the weird circle you had to use as a cipher to run the game? Still better then a MS activation key.

The wheel! We made copies of it so we could play on multiple computers at different houses. I think I still have one somewhere.

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Winter All-Star

Winter

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I woke up to a sportscenter notification on my phone at 8am pacific time that Earl Weaver had passed away, I am 23 didn't really experience his time but I know what he did and what he was, I let some tears out. R.I.P. I am glad the Orioles had a great year last year. Lets hope for a even better 1 this time around *4 Earl*.

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brianod All-Star

brianod

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My family moved to Columbia in 1970 when I was 9 years old. I was fortunate enough to watch Weaver's teams for many years. It is always comforting rooting for a well managed team. Those of us from that era were very fortunate because we had great leadership at the top of our organization. Earl's antics sometimes get highlighted at the expense of his genius. So be it. I don't think Earl really wanted to be known for his genius. Truth be told, I think he was more comfortable in his role as hard bitten, fanatical competitor who gave his players, his opponents and the umpires hell. But, make no mistake, there was genius behind Earl.

I watched his teams as a boy, as a teenager and a young man. Frankly, I'm surprised he lasted this long, given the fact that he lived live to the fullest and didn't always follow his doctors advice. God love him. Hearing the way he went, I can't help but think that it's a perfect ending to a wonderful life. RIP Earl.

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caesarod Major Leaguer Cup of Coffee

caesarod

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A fellow poster on, of all places, a Chiefs message board that I frequent, is a friend of Earl's grandson. Here's the post, including what his friend wrote. It's really enlightening about Earl.

My buddy's Facebook post regarding his grandfather:

Having Earl Weaver as a grandfather was the most amazing thing ever. He made the impossible seem possible. He made any dream seem obtainable. Here is a man who spent 21 years traveling the country in the minor leagues, only to go on to become a baseball Hall of Famer, and undisputedly one of the greatest mangers to ever play the game. When I was in the first few years of grade school he was still managing the Orioles. I distinctly remember getting his 1986 Topps baseball card on the very top of a pack I opened in the parking lot of Venture. It was a huge source of pride and confidence in my younger years, and continues to be today.

But more than that, he was the most charismatic man I've ever met. There was nothing like being in a room with him. He was, for a lack of better vocabulary, the coolest. I'm happy I got to see him as often as I did growing up. His frequent visits to Saint Louis were always something to look forward to. He had a family that adored him, and a wonderful wife, my Grandma Marianna, that has always been right by his side.

As I grew into a teenager, he thought I was weird, and he let me know it! I remember after playing and singing "American Pie" on my guitar at a family get together, he told me to cut my hair and learn something other than that "damn Apple Pie song". The first time I brought Tammy out to meet him, we were about 17. After a couple drinks he looks at me and says "You think you're James Dean, but you're not.". Then he pauses and looks at Tammy. He looks back at me and says "or, maybe you are.". Everything out of his mouth was snarky and funny, although I don't think he was trying to be either of those things. He just told it like it was, and you had no choice but to smile at his outlook on things.

When I grew up, he loved the 7 Shot Screamers and Clownvis. He always kept up with how I was doing, where I was going, and how much money I was getting paid for these gigs. He wasn't too happy with Clownvis on America's Got Talent, one of his favorite shows. But when I talked to him about it, I explained that when I was up there arguing with those judges, I was evoking HIM! I could tell he got it, although I also realized old people don't necessarily understand a punk rock attitude. He ended that conversation by saying, "Well if your happy with it, I trust ya.".

My family and I will all miss him so much. He was truly amazing. It is nice to see all the great things being said about him in the media today. I am him biggest fan, and feel truly blessed to call him Grandpa Earl.

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showpost.php?p=9333537&postcount=32

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isestrex Hangout Grand Counsel

isestrex

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I bought Weaver on Strategy earlier this fall and was saving it for a nice beach vacation to pour over it next summer. Somehow, I think it will have special meaning reading it now.

On a side note, I'm a little pissed that Earl barely got a headline on ESPN's page but now that Stan Musial died, he's dominating the front page and has nearly buried Earl's "in memorandum". At least MLB.com has them both 1-2 and had Earl alone for a bit earlier today.

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