Earl Weaver Dies Of Heart Attack While On Orioles Fantasy Cruise


Earl Weaver has died at 82 after suffering a heart attack while participating on a Baltimore Orioles fantasy cruise.

Weaver, a Hall of Fame manager, was remembered for leading the Orioles to the 1970 World Series title. He also had five 100-win season and four American League pennants.

As much as he will be remembered for his accomplishments on the field, Earl Weaver also is famous for his tenacious style of managing. From the New York Times:

“A bantam in both stature — he was 5 feet 7 inches, maybe — and temperament, Weaver was among the most influential managers in modern baseball history, and among the most combative as well. His imperiousness as a leader made battles with his players as frequent as those with umpires.

“Aware that the outcome of any season might rest on the outcome of any game, and that the outcome of any game on a play, a pitch or an umpire’s call, he marshaled a scholar’s familiarity with the rule book, a statistician’s data, a psychologist’s motivational skills and a heckler’s needle into a relentless advocacy for the Orioles.”

As Earl Weaver dies, his legacy with the Orioles is being remembered as a shrewd roster manager. He assembled a talented group of players in Baltimore, including the Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Eddie Murray and Jim Palmer, but also found the right role players to fill out the roster.

In 1979, he formed a platoon in left field consisting of John Lowenstein and Gary Roenicke, which the New York Times remembers as middling players. Yet they two combined for 36 home runs and 98 RBIs that year. On Saturday, the team remembered him fondly, The Associated Press noted.

“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 owner Peter Angelos said in a statement shortly after news broke that Earl Weaver dies. “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.”

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