Book Club: Earl Weaver—The Last Manager
First Pitch: 6:10 PM CT
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN
Know Thine Enemy: Bless You Boys
For the first time since 2020, we gather on a Sunday night to watch the Minnesota Twins battle the Detroit Tigers.
The Motor City denizens were also on the receiving end of one of the greatest managerial meltdowns of all time—a figure who I recently finished a biography of…
If you are looking for a solid baseball bio, check out Earl Weaver: Baseball’s Last Manager penned by John W. Miller.
I had always heard stories about the antics of the longtime Baltimore Orioles skipper, but they were all before my time as a fan (or mostly even on this Earth). As such, it was interesting to read about Weaver’s wondrous & wacky antics.
Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images
What probably struck me the most in Miller’s text is how Weaver had to work his way up every rung of the Orioles managerial ladder—after flaming out as a once-touted playing prospect—to get to the dugout’s top perch (perhaps why he was so recalcitrant about giving an inch to umpires or the like).
Miller also reveals a dichotomy of how Weaver’s on-field tirades seemingly labeled him a malcontent, yet numerous players cite examples of how his off-the-diamond persona was quite different and far more supportive. I wouldn’t call him “relaxed”, but the between-the-lines stuff was as much a performance to fire up the troops as it was a glimpse into his soul.
Of course, Twins fans saw their share of managerial maelstroms in the Ron Gardenhire Era…
But even that was small potatoes compared to the Earl of Baltimore.
Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images
Will Rocco Baldelli or A.J. Hinch engage in any fisticuffs with the Men in Blue tonight? I’m seeing the new F-1 movie and then walking my sister’s golden retrievers this afternoon, so in case I don’t get to post the lineups before game time you can find them here.