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Earl Weaver (Sports Illustrated Article from 2009)


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I was born in 83 (September, so just in time to be around for the WS), and such I never got to see him manage, at least not in a way that I could remember. Regardless, I've always had great pride knowing that he was one of the true greats of the game.. and he was one of our's.

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I was born in 83 (September, so just in time to be around for the WS), and such I never got to see him manage, at least not in a way that I could remember. Regardless, I've always had great pride knowing that he was one of the true greats of the game.. and he was one of our's.

Yes he sure was. It was fun watching him.

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As some of you many know, I knew Earl for a long time..at least 35 years. He didn't regret much but there were two things he told me he DID regret.He said he regretted trading Frank Robinson the year before the DH. Earl told me Frank was STILL a dangerous hitter and he couldn't play in the field but would've been a very effective DH and it probably would've prolonged his career.His biggest regret, he said, was coming out of retirement to manage the Orioles again after EBW talked him into it.'I was a bad manager and had some very bad teams, and the game had passed me by". 1985 and 1986 were the only two losing seasons Earl ever had as a manager. He's sorry he came back.

1985 was not a losing season for Weaver, or for the Orioles.

As a team, the Orioles went 83-78 with one rainout. As the manager, Weaver went 53-52 after taking over for Joe Altobelli (29-26), and Cal Ripken, Sr. (1-0.)

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As some of you many know, I knew Earl for a long time..at least 35 years. He didn't regret much but there were two things he told me he DID regret.He said he regretted trading Frank Robinson the year before the DH. Earl told me Frank was STILL a dangerous hitter and he couldn't play in the field but would've been a very effective DH and it probably would've prolonged his career.His biggest regret, he said, was coming out of retirement to manage the Orioles again after EBW talked him into it.'I was a bad manager and had some very bad teams, and the game had passed me by". 1985 and 1986 were the only two losing seasons Earl ever had as a manager. He's sorry he came back.

1985 was not a losing season for Weaver, or for the Orioles.

As a team, the Orioles went 83-78 with one rainout. As the manager, Weaver went 53-52 after taking over for Joe Altobelli (29-26), and Cal Ripken, Sr. (1-0.)

But yes, I understand what Weaver was saying.

Both 1985 and 1986 were disappointing seasons by his standards, and he felt that (in hindsight) it was a bad decision to return to managing.

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I was born in 83 (September, so just in time to be around for the WS), and such I never got to see him manage, at least not in a way that I could remember. Regardless, I've always had great pride knowing that he was one of the true greats of the game.. and he was one of our's.

My fondest memory of Earl is at a ballgame and watching him with that angry stiff legged walk toward the umpire as fast as he could go with balled fists. You knew somebody was in deep do do.

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Team speed, fer cry-sakes. :)

While Weaver was known for emphasizing pitching, defense, and power, and for making statements eschewing and downplaying the need for team speed, the reality of the matter was quite different.

RZNJ pointed this out in a thread from August of 2012:

How many times do we hear broadcasters, former Orioles, and even Weaver himself talk about how he waited for the 3 run homer, hated bunting, and didn't like to steal bases. As a lifelong Oriole fan, I remember the 1973-74 Orioles who both made the playoffs. Niether team had a lot of power. They had Bumbry, Blair, Grich, Baylor, Coggins, Retenmund, Belanger, and so forth. This was before Grich and Baylor blossomed into power hitters too. These teams didn't beat you with power. They beat your with pitching, defense, and SPEED. So here I am, not for the first time, to beat Weaver's drum, even if he won't do it himself, to say that Weaver managed according to his talent and was much more a manager than people give him credit for.

The 1973 Orioles LED the AL in stolen bases with 146 in 1973, 18 ahead of the 2nd place team. They were FOURTH in sac bunts, 9 behind the league leader and 8th in home runs.

In 1974 the Orioles were 3rd in stolen bases, 19 behind the league leader

They were THIRD in sacrifice bunts and 6th in home runs.

In 1975 the O's were 5th in stolen bases and tied for 4th in sac bunts and 7th in home runs.

In 1976 the O's were 4th in stolen bases and dropped to 9th in sac bunt and 3rd in home runs.

In 1977 the O's were 8th in stolen bases, 10th in sac bunts, and 5th in homers.

The O's sacrifice bunt totals by year.

1973 - 58 (4 of 12)

1974 - 72 (3 of 12)

1975 - 73 (4 of 12)

1976 - 57 (9 of 12)

1977 - 48 (10 of 14)

1978 - 41 (13 of 14)

1979 - 42 (tied for last)

1980 - 42 (12 of 14)

1981 - 26 (14 of 14) (strike season 105 games played)

1982 - 57 (4 of 14)

Take that for what it's worth. The most interesting thing I found was the 57 sac bunts in his last year before retiring. A team that went down to the last game of the season before losing to the Brewers. In 4 of the 10 years listed, Earl Weaver was in the top 4 in the league in team sacrifice bunts. His team went to the playoffs in two of those years (73-74) and just missed in 1982. Weaver may have hated the bunt but it doesn't mean he didn't use it. He most certainly did. I just want to set the record straight. Weaver may have loved the 3 run homer. He may have waited for the 3 run homer. BUT he didn't always wait for the 3 run homer. He employed the hit and run (don't know how to look that up), the stolen base, and the SACRIFICE BUNT!!!!!!!!!!

http://forum.orioleshangout.com/forums/showthread.php/124973-Dispelling-the-Weaver-Myth?highlight=Earl+weaver+Stolen+Bases

Also, Reggie Jackson, one of the greatest power hitters of all-time, set a career-high for stolen bases in 1976 with 28 ...... even though he missed the first month of the season due to a holdout.

I believe that the notion that Weaver eschewed stolen bases was indeed exaggerated ...... even by Weaver himself.

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