Earl Weaver gone at 82

[TheMule]

Sad day for Oriole fans and baseball fans in general. When he came out of the dugout hitching up his pants you knew there was going to be a "discussion." When he turned his cap around backwards the Kraaken was about to be unleashed. (the reason he turned his cap backwards was that an umpire accused Weaver of pecking him in the face with the bill of his cap. Earl denied it but I can believe it happened.)

While we tend to remember the run ins with the umps, Earl was also a great tactician and used statistics extensively. Gonna miss the ole boy. He's the type person you never think will one day be gone. RIP Earl...glad you were an Oriole.

Hall of fame manager Earl Weaver passed away early Saturday morning after suffering an apparent heart attack while traveling on an Orioles fantasy cruise. He was 82.
Weaver, who spent his entire 17-year managerial career with the Orioles, led Baltimore to six division titles, four American League pennants and one World Series championship during two stints as the club's skipper from 1968-82 and '85-86.
Baltimore finished in first or second in the AL East in all but three seasons during his initial 15-year reign, helping Weaver post a .583 (1,480-1,060) career winning percentage. That mark is good for seventh all-time among managers, and first for all post-1960 skippers.
"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," Orioles chairman of the board and CEO Peter G. Angelos said in a statement released by the team.
"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."
Known as the Duke of Earl, Weaver's unique managing philosophy famously consisted of "pitching, defense and the three-run homer." The outspoken skipper often elected to pass on trying to push just one run across through the use of small ball, instead going for the big inning. Weaver was also one of the first managers to rely heavily on statistics for creating positive hitting and pitching matchups for his club. Weaver had notebooks full of hitting and pitching splits as well as head-to-head matchups, which he often referred to in setting his lineups, using his bullpen and selecting pinch-hitters.

http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/new...s_bal&c_id=bal

[sc455]

Funny little man.

[TKE226]

legend here in Baltimore...

If you never saw him in person on the ball field, you need to youtube some of this tirades...they are not suitable to watch with young children