Remembering the Earl of Baltimore

A sad anniversary passed on Thursday with little notice. It was on that date - Jan. 19, 2013 - when the greatest manager in Orioles history, Earl Weaver, died. It happened on the morning of FanFest that year.

If you ask any longtime Orioles fan to name the organization's all-time greats, they won't get very far before mentioning the Earl of Baltimore. He never played a day in the majors for the Orioles or any team, but his impact on the franchise was as significant as anyone ever to wear the orange and black.

From 1969 to 1982, his Orioles teams won six American League East championships, four AL pennants and the 1970 World Series. His teams won 100 or more games five times and he was a three-time manager of the year. The statue of Weaver at Camden Yards was unveiled on June 30, 2012.

He ranks 24th on the game's all-time managerial wins list with 1,480. Right behind, 25th at 1,429 victories, is Buck Showalter. Weaver was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.

He battled often with umpires (more than 90 career ejections), he once ripped up a rule book on the field and even battled with his own players. But his feisty nature fit Baltimore and he was loved - and still is - by the Orioles' fanbase.

Back in the summer of 2012, Weaver addressed a huge crowd at his Camden Yards statue ceremony and looked around on a stage that included Cal Ripken Jr., Frank Robinson, Eddie Murray and Jim Palmer sitting in the front row.

"Just looking at that first row there, how could I lose," Weaver said at the beginning of his speech that afternoon. "It's been 26 years since I last put on a Baltimore uniform. During that time I've made many trips back to Baltimore and each time I'm amazed at how the fans remember the past. It's great to be remembered. Right now, standing here, I'm going to be remembered.

"I had one of the greatest coaching staffs that was ever put together. I don't have time to mention them all, but I do want to mention a few. Billy Hunter. Jim Frey. George Bamberger. Ray Miller. Frank Robinson. Ellie Hendricks. Right-hand man Cal Ripken Sr. Thank God he brought the kid out to the ballpark and had me hit him ground balls out at shortstop," Weaver said to more applause.

"The fans throughout the years have been the greatest. They couldn't have been better. This naturally is a dream come true, but my wish is to come back and watch Buck manage in playoff games and World Series," Weaver said as the crowd erupted yet again.

Two of Weaver's greats, Palmer and Brooks Robinson, spoke about him during a joint appearance in January 2015.

"He was terrific," Robinson said. "I don't think anyone ran the game like Earl did. He got everyone involved and I felt that was one of the best qualities he had. No one sat very long.

"Earl could use reverse psychology. When we were winning, that is when he was hollering at us. A little, not much. When we were losing, he'd say, 'Those guys can't beat you. You're a lot better than they are.'

"But I loved Earl. We did some hooping and hollering, especially Palmer. It was like the odd couple. But I know Jim loved him. They'd be playing golf the next day. We had a lot of fun. Just a lot of happy memories."

Said Palmer: "The reason I got into the Hall of Fame is guys like Brooks. But Earl trusted me enough to give me the ball every fourth day.

"One of my favorite Earl stories involved Mike Flanagan. He said to me once, 'I don't think Earl has faith in me.' We were in Boston and I see Earl and told him he needed to call Flanagan in and talk to him about that. Flanny was 2-9 and he said he would keep putting his name in the lineup.

"The next day Earl told a Boston Globe reporter, 'I don't care what Flanagan's record is. He's going to be a winning pitcher in the big leagues.' Now Mike grew up in Manchester, N.H., and read the Globe. He reads that and he went 13-1 the rest of the year."

I think it was very fitting that during his last baseball season on earth, Weaver saw his statue unveiled and his beloved Orioles became winners again.

From 33rd Street to Camden Yards and throughout Birdland, No. 4 will never be forgotten.

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