RIP Earl Weaver

"On my tombstone just write, 'The sorest loser that ever lived.'"

http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4ef9e6Vfz1qzniimo2_500.jpg

I can never hear Earl's name and not chuckle at this. and wonder if Alice Sweet ever got those tomato plants sorted out

http://www.youtube.com/v/QWQbN0jFo_k&fs=1&hl=en

^"Terry Crowley's lucky he's in fuckin' baseball"

Here's something that surprised me a few years ago, when I discovered it: Weaver did not eschew the small-ball strategies, at least not all of them, early in his managerial career....
from 1969 through '71, Earl Weaver was one of the buntingest managers in the whole American League. The Orioles were credited with 223 sacrifice hits in those seasons. That was good for fourth in the league, and just four bunts behind the Angels and the A's in second place.

But Weaver changed in the 1970s. His other best three seasons were 1978 through '80, in which the O's recorded only 125 sacrifice hits, easily the fewest in the league.

http://mlb.sbnation.com/2013/1/22/3904068/earl-weaver-obituary-death-cal-ripken-shortstops

http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2013/01/23/the-banter-gold-standard-the-earl-of-baltimore

Christina Kahrl remembers a day with Earl:

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=19481

still classic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6cmqUTPn08