Some sad news to report this Saturday morning, as legendary Baltimore Orioles manager and Baseball Hall of Famer Earl Weaver has passed away at age 82. Weaver reportedly passed away last night while on a cruise. During the summer, the Orioles unveiled a statue of Weaver at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Weaver managed the Orioles from 1968 to 1982, coming back to finish out the 1985 season and manage the team in 1986. Under Weaver, Baltimore won three AL pennants in a row from 1969 to 1971, and also the 1979 AL pennant. Baltimore also won the 1970 World Series with Weaver at the helm of the team, Weaver's .583 winning percentage is the best of any manager in team history, and his 1480 career wins are nearly 1000 more than Jimmy McAleer, who managed the team a century ago when they were the St Louis Browns.
Weaver also has a place in history as one of the best managers the game has ever seen. That .583 winning percentage is ninth all-time, and only Al Lopez has a better winning percentage of any manager in the last 50 years. Weaver was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996, which perhaps ironically, was the last class until 2013 that the BBWAA didn't elect a player.
Weaver was known on the field fo his explosive temper, as you can see in this clip (warning: very vulgar). But he'll go down in history as the best manager in Orioles history, and one of the best in the history of the game. Rest in peace, Earl.
