On what would have been his 85th birthday

[weams]

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[weams]

[TonySoprano]

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[OFFNY]

o

Fittingly, Weaver lived just long enough to see the Orioles return to glory with a 90-plus win season and a postseason birth in October of 2012.

Earl Sidney Weaver (August 14, 1930 - January 19, 2013)

[mdbdotcom]

The First Earl of Baltimore

[theobird]

The First Earl of Baltimore

Earl "the pearl" was before Earl Weaver? Really?

[weams]

Earl "the pearl" was before Earl Weaver? Really?

Earl Weaver was 1968, Monroe was 67. But the Pearl was NEVER the Earl of Baltimore.

[theobird]

I looked it up and it seems that Earl the Pearl was drafted by the Bullets in 1967, and I believe that Earl Weaver took over as the Manager of the Orioles in 1967 as well. However, Earl Weaver had been in the Orioles system as a minor league manager since the late 50's so I still consider Earl Weaver the first "Earl of Baltimore".

Don't get me wrong, I love me some Earl Monroe. I will always love me the "Big E', Wes Unseld and the "Pearl". Those were the days I am tellin' ya!

Chenier, Riorden, etc, etc.

Move the Wiz back to Baltimore right now!!!

[weams]

I looked it up and it seems that Earl the Pearl was drafted by the Bullets in 1967, and I believe that Earl Weaver took over as the Manager of the Orioles in 1967 as well. However, Earl Weaver had been in the Orioles system as a minor league manager since the late 50's so I still consider Earl Weaver the first "Earl of Baltimore".

Don't get me wrong, I love me some Earl Monroe. I will always love me the "Big E', Wes Unseld and the "Pearl". Those were the days I am tellin' ya!

Chenier, Riorden, etc, etc.

Move the Wiz back to Baltimore right now!!!

Also, Monroe only stuck around for a couple years.

[weams]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Happy Birthday to the greatest manager in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Orioles?src=hash">#Orioles</a> History. Hopefully the O's hit a 3-Run HR in his honor! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/4Earl?src=hash">#4Earl</a> <a href="http://t.co/0XEVEisxLX">pic.twitter.com/0XEVEisxLX</a></p>— OBP Apparel (@OBPApparel) <a href="

">August 14, 2015</a></blockquote>

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[El Gordo]

There's only one Earl of Tomato.

[mdbdotcom]

Earl Weaver was 1968, Monroe was 67. But the Pearl was NEVER the Earl of Baltimore.

But he WAS called that. Of course, the real Earl of Baltimore arrived a year later, as first-base coach. It only took one more year for him to supplant Earl the Pearl.

[OFFNY]

Also, Monroe only stuck around for a couple years.

4 years, including a trip to the N.B.A. Finals in 1971.

[MagicBird]

I first met Earl Weaver 43 years ago when I got a job as a clubhouse boy for the Baltimore Orioles. I remember his first words to me. Really.

“Kid, make sure I don’t run out of my cartons of Raleigh’s(cigarettes) and don’t F..things up around here”.

I don’t think we ever ran out of Raleigh’s. Im not sure about the other part.

Earl Weaver always hated the word genius. He hated pomposity and certainly didn’t appear to be a sentimental type(more about that later). He tried not to get close to his players. He was simply, the most profane man I ever met. He had to be the most prolific smoker and drinker I’ve ever known too.

He was ejected for arguing with umpires at least 100 times in his career. He managed nearly 1500 winning ball games, won a World Series, six American league titles, four pennants, and had only one losing team in 17 seasons with the only major league organization he ever managed; the Orioles.

He also hated losing more than he loved winning.

He battled umpires,(he was once ejected from a game in it’s first first five minutes) and I was there next to him in an Orioles dugout,when he was ejected from a spring training game. Really.

Earl was not a lovable man. But when you knew him he was accessible as long as you knew what you were talking about. If you didn’t you would regret ever walking into his office.Earl hated phonies, know -it -alls, and yet he was not unwilling to talk philosophically about things in real life; reflection,inequity, even social matters like civil rights. I remember a very moving conversation(though he wouldn’t call it that)I had with him once about the injustice towards black players in the 40’s and how, if he were black, he would play with a chip on his shoulder.

Earl never played a single game in the major leagues, but he managed like he knew ever nook and cranny of the game, because he did.

He was one of the first to use computers to strategize. He didn’t seem like a numbers guy and yet, he took numbers over hunches every time.

He could battle his players, Jim Palmer, Mike Flanagan, Rick Dempsey and dozens more. But he always stayed away from his favorites, Eddie Murray, Frank Robinson, who was like a son to him, and of course, he never ever challenged Brooks Robinson.

Brooks was the most beloved Oriole of all time, and when Earl had to take him out of the lineup in the final season in his career it was Earl who said”That man meant so much to us and to me, and to tell him that I couldn’t go with him anymore was probably the saddest thing Ive ever had to do in baseball”..then Earl broke down and cried.

In September, the Orioles had one final statue to unveil for all the Oriole hall of famers. It was for Brooks Robinson.

In the pre-ceremony reception in the Oriole offices I sat with Earl and his wife Mariana and reminisced.I couldn’t believe how lucid he was.

He remembered his regrets(trading Frank Robinson a year too early). He remembered his joys(managing the 1970 champs), and yes, he remembered those cartons of Raleighs when I brought it up.

‘When I had my first heart attack, I smoked all the way to the hospital in the ambulance”, he said,” if I was gonna die, I was gonna die with my cigarettes”.

Earl Weaver finally did die at the age of 82, not ironically to me, on an Oriole cruise in his cabin on the Caribbean. He had quit smoking decades ago.

I have one more story to tell you about Earl.

When Brooks Robinson was getting his statue unveiled at the Orioles Park last September, I sat virtually across from Earl. As Brooks was introduced to speak, I looked over at Earl. There, the little fiery general, the man who had little use for sentiment and intimate relationships with his players was Earl.... weeping.

They say theres no crying in baseball.Surely Earl would have no use for tears in remembering him. Some will shed tears. I’ll just remember that moment at the ceremony and remember how much he cared and how I’ll never ever know anyone quite like him again.

I’ll miss you Earl.

Thanks Roy, that was a great read.

[SteveO]

I first met Earl Weaver 43 years ago when I got a job as a clubhouse boy for the Baltimore Orioles. I remember his first words to me. Really.

?Kid, make sure I don?t run out of my cartons of Raleigh?s(cigarettes) and don?t F..things up around here?.

I don?t think we ever ran out of Raleigh?s. Im not sure about the other part.

Earl Weaver always hated the word genius. He hated pomposity and certainly didn?t appear to be a sentimental type(more about that later). He tried not to get close to his players. He was simply, the most profane man I ever met. He had to be the most prolific smoker and drinker I?ve ever known too.

He was ejected for arguing with umpires at least 100 times in his career. He managed nearly 1500 winning ball games, won a World Series, six American league titles, four pennants, and had only one losing team in 17 seasons with the only major league organization he ever managed; the Orioles.

He also hated losing more than he loved winning.

He battled umpires,(he was once ejected from a game in it?s first first five minutes) and I was there next to him in an Orioles dugout,when he was ejected from a spring training game. Really.

Earl was not a lovable man. But when you knew him he was accessible as long as you knew what you were talking about. If you didn?t you would regret ever walking into his office.Earl hated phonies, know -it -alls, and yet he was not unwilling to talk philosophically about things in real life; reflection,inequity, even social matters like civil rights. I remember a very moving conversation(though he wouldn?t call it that)I had with him once about the injustice towards black players in the 40?s and how, if he were black, he would play with a chip on his shoulder.

Earl never played a single game in the major leagues, but he managed like he knew ever nook and cranny of the game, because he did.

He was one of the first to use computers to strategize. He didn?t seem like a numbers guy and yet, he took numbers over hunches every time.

He could battle his players, Jim Palmer, Mike Flanagan, Rick Dempsey and dozens more. But he always stayed away from his favorites, Eddie Murray, Frank Robinson, who was like a son to him, and of course, he never ever challenged Brooks Robinson.

Brooks was the most beloved Oriole of all time, and when Earl had to take him out of the lineup in the final season in his career it was Earl who said?That man meant so much to us and to me, and to tell him that I couldn?t go with him anymore was probably the saddest thing Ive ever had to do in baseball?..then Earl broke down and cried.

In September, the Orioles had one final statue to unveil for all the Oriole hall of famers. It was for Brooks Robinson.

In the pre-ceremony reception in the Oriole offices I sat with Earl and his wife Mariana and reminisced.I couldn?t believe how lucid he was.

He remembered his regrets(trading Frank Robinson a year too early). He remembered his joys(managing the 1970 champs), and yes, he remembered those cartons of Raleighs when I brought it up.

?When I had my first heart attack, I smoked all the way to the hospital in the ambulance?, he said,? if I was gonna die, I was gonna die with my cigarettes?.

Earl Weaver finally did die at the age of 82, not ironically to me, on an Oriole cruise in his cabin on the Caribbean. He had quit smoking decades ago.

I have one more story to tell you about Earl.

When Brooks Robinson was getting his statue unveiled at the Orioles Park last September, I sat virtually across from Earl. As Brooks was introduced to speak, I looked over at Earl. There, the little fiery general, the man who had little use for sentiment and intimate relationships with his players was Earl.... weeping.

They say theres no crying in baseball.Surely Earl would have no use for tears in remembering him. Some will shed tears. I?ll just remember that moment at the ceremony and remember how much he cared and how I?ll never ever know anyone quite like him again.

I?ll miss you Earl.

Thank you so much for sharing these memories.

I grew up in Chicago and moved to Baltimore when I was 16 years old. Of course I had heard of Earl Weaver and knew of his fiery personality, his love for profanity and a few of his meltdowns with umps etc.

It was not till I moved here and fell in love with the city and the Orioles that I really got to know why the words Earl Weaver have such a revered meaning to Orioles fans. Not only was he a great manager but he was one of the most truly fascinating and riveting personalities the sport has ever seen. What made it so amazing to me is that he became this iconic figure, this giant among men and yet it seemed to me and to those who talked about him, that he never really changed, never got caught up in pomp and circumstance (in fact he hated those things), never really cared about the acclaim or kudos. Earl was just Earl, what you saw is what you got and that is something that you do not see often in people who achieve the type of success that Earl did in his chosen field