Earl Weaver dies at 82

We lost a member of Orioles royalty this year when Earl Weaver passed away on a Caribbean cruise at the age of 82.

The cruise was baseball-themed, which seemed fitting for the
notoriously feisty Hall of Famer who managed the Orioles for 17 seasons.

Yes, his salty tongue got him ejected from the game 91 times
(including once in both games of a double-header!) but, more
importantly, Weaver was a great manager: He racked up five 100-win
seasons, six AL East titles, took the Orioles to the World Series four
times, and won one championship in 1970.

He entered the Hall of Fame in 1996 and, just last summer, a statue
of him was dedicated in the flag court at Camden Yards, along with other
Orioles legends.

On that hot summer day in June, Weaver peppered his acceptance speech
with humor and graciousness: “To the sculptor, Toby Mendez, thanks for
making me look like Buck [Showalter],” he said. “This, naturally, is a
dream come true.”

“The one thing about Earl Weaver, he did not want to be your
friend. . . . But whether it was Don Buford, Al Bumbry, Brooks Robinson,
or myself, he was loyal by putting your name on the lineup.” —Jim
Palmer