Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
July 11, 2008
It Was Forty Years Ago Today...

David Atkinson notes in an E-Mail the anniversary of Earl Weaver taking over the Baltimore Orioles:

Before I head off into Never-Never Land for a couple weeks, I'd like to wish congratulations and happy anniversary (on this board, at least) to legendary manager Earl Weaver, who directed his first game as Orioles skipper on July 11, 1968. There are lots of strange and interesting things about Earl's career, he is quite a character. I hope some of you have read his autobiography.

One particularly odd thing that I have noticed in recent years is that despite Earl's type-AA personality and the fact that he's smoked enough Raleigh cigarettes in his life to fill the Grand Canyon (I don't think they even make that brand anymore, do they?), he somehow has managed to outlive a surprising number of his former players. Just off the top of my head, without looking anything up, I can name Pat Dobson, Dave McNally, Elrod Hendricks, Curt Blefary, Mark Belanger, Don Buford, and Pat Kelly. Who else have I missed? And that's only counting players who had a significant role, not journeymen who passed through briefly or guys who just had a cup of coffee in the bigs.

There were lots of amusing incidents in Earl's career. One funny one was the time the Orioles were playing the Twins, and Earl ordered an intentional walk to Dan Ford (because he mistakenly thought that Larry Hisle was up), only to have Hisle, the next batter, bang out the game-winning hit.

Anyone else have fond Weaver memories?

Toward the end of Earl's career, the Red Sox called up a Harvard grad named Mike Stenhouse. The guy could not hit, but he was a walk machine. For his career, he hit .190 with a .308 OBA. In his brief stay with Boston in 1986, he was 2 for 21 with 12 walks, an .095 BA but a .424 OBA. At the time, OBA wasn't as universally recognized as it is today. Earl understood it, however, and when there was talk of letting Stenhouse go, Weaver said that Mike could lead off for the Orioles. Stenhouse went on to have a career as a broadcaster for Pawtucket.


Posted by David Pinto at 10:12 AM | Management | TrackBack (0)
Comments

My favorite Earl quote was reported in the Baltimore Sun. Pat Kelly became a born again Christian and told Earl that it was great to walk with the Lord. Earl allegedly responded: "Pat, I'd rather have you walk with the bases loaded." Which he in fact did, on at least one occasion later that season.

Posted by: Michael at July 11, 2008 12:26 PM

I was a vendor at the old Memorial Stadium as a college student in the mid-70s. A rule of thumb for vendors was that at the end of the game, if you knew who won you weren't working hard enough. I followed that maxim and made a ton of under-the-table money selling 60-cent bottles of beers when the likes of Jim Palmer and Paul Blair and Dave McNally were playing, but would take time out from selling when Earl caused a rumpus on the field, kicking dirt at umpires. Lou Piniella has nothing on Earl.

Posted by: Russ Smith at July 11, 2008 12:27 PM

I was going to bring up Michael's quote. I believe that the context was that Earl had just launched into a profanity laced tirade.

Earl was also known for his tomato growing contests with Memorial Stadium's groundskeeper, Pat Santarone.

Posted by: soccer dad at July 11, 2008 01:26 PM

Earl commented on a pitcher just released by O's: "Why I gave that guy more chances than I gave my first wife!".
Earl had numerous run-in with ump Ron Luciano who once tosed Earl from both games of a double header. When Luciano passed away, Earl was asked for a comment. He tersely said: "He was a lousy umpire".

Posted by: Bob S at July 13, 2008 02:12 PM
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