Former Orioles manager Earl Weaver passes away at 82
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R.I.P. to the best gardener in MLB....
Oh yes, Earl and his tomato garden at the old Memorial Stadium.
And to this day whenever I hear John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", I think of Earl and Memorial Stadium.
RIP. But I must say Earl looked like a heart attack waiting to happen each and every time he argued with an ump! He was an outstanding manager and certainly one of the best when it came to arguing for his team.
Weaver's relationship with Palmer had its friction, but plenty of respect
Palmer chokes up remembering his former manager, who died late Friday night
January 19, 2013|Peter Schmuck
For all the years that they did battle in the clubhouse or the sports pages or on the dais of some charity roast, Jim Palmer knew how Earl Weaver really felt about him. That's why he had to hold back tears Saturday when he related his favorite memory of the Earl of Baltimore — a memory made more poignant because it also involved his late teammate Mike Flanagan.
It was way back, on one of those balmy spring training days in Miami, when the Orioles were always one of the best teams in baseball and Palmer was their pitching ace. Flanagan, still figuring things out in his early 20s, was sitting on the bench next to Weaver. Palmer had just finished pitching five innings and was doing his sprints in the outfield....
"You see that guy out there,'' Weaver said.
"You mean Palmer,'' Flanagan replied.
"Just do what he does and you'll be fine."
Sage advice, but that's only half the story. Palmer ran into Weaver at one of the Hall of Fame induction weekends in Cooperstown, N.Y. a few years ago and recounted that anecdote, which Flanagan had shared with him during their many seasons together.
"I told Earl the story,'' Palmer said. "I told him, 'One of the biggest compliments you ever paid me was what you told Mike Flanagan.' He said, 'I didn't just tell Mike Flanagan. I told everybody.'"
Palmer's voice cracked at that point, and he brought his impromptu FanFest media session to an end, but not before it was clear how deep the emotions flowed beneath the fractious public relationship between the greatest pitcher in Orioles history and the franchise's greatest manager, who died late Friday night at 82.
The friction certainly was real. Weaver was a hard-nosed guy who was never afraid to say what he was thinking. Palmer was just as stubborn, and he seemed to enjoy getting under his manager's skin, needling about his height (he was 5-foot-7) and his unsuccessful playing career.
"The only thing Weaver knows about a curveball,'' Palmer once famously said, "is that he couldn't hit one."...
"Earl was a black and white manager,'' Palmer said. "He kind of told you what your job description was…he'd tell you 'This is what you needed to do.' If you couldn't do it, he'd get somebody else. I know that's kind of tough love, but I don't think anybody would describe Earl — other than his wife Marianne — as a warm and fuzzy guy....
If there is a bright side to the loss of such a beloved character, it is that Weaver got to spend a lot of time during the Orioles' surprising 2012 season soaking up the love of his former players and the Orioles faithful during the legends celebration series. He was there to see Brooks and Frank and Cal and Jim and Eddie — all of whom played under him — immortalized in bronze, and they were there to see their crusty Hall of Fame manager almost break down at the thought of being permanently honored on the center field plaza at Camden Yards...
Palmer, Weaver burn roast
Ex-pitcher's remarks irk old manager, who boils over at banquet
By Joe Strauss
Sun Staff
November 4, 2000
Usually described as a family feud, the long-standing give-and-take between Hall of Famers Earl Weaver and Jim Palmer became very public and very ugly Thursday night when the former Orioles manager said he was "embarrassed and humiliated" by Palmer's jabs during a charity roast of Weaver in Baltimore...
Participants said Weaver became increasingly tired and irritable as the event wore on and even interrupted other speakers from his seat when he thought their "tributes" dragged.
Weaver's patience finally broke after Palmer, the night's final speaker, administered his verbal daggers...
Garceau's introduction of Weaver brought the crowd to its feet but, according to witnesses, Weaver couldn't contain himself.
Weaver referred to Palmer as "some idiot" who "got up and insulted me beyond insultation." The crowd initially laughed, thinking it part of the program. However, laughter ceased when Weaver went on to call Palmer "an egotist" who often had little stomach for pitching with discomfort.
"He let us down many a time and now he's making fun of me. I don't appreciate it," said Weaver.
Weaver thanked those in the audience then added, "I don't appreciate some idiot who comes up to make fun of somebody because of his size or because of his physical abilities. I don't think I'll ever forgive the man for saying what he said here tonight. I really don't like it. As far as I'm concerned, as nice as this evening has been and as much as I've enjoyed it, he's ruined it for me. Thank you."...
Reached at his daughter's Baltimore home yesterday, Weaver told WBAL, "As far as I'm concerned, I told you it's over. When I said I would never forgive him, I will forgive him. That was said at the time. Again, I felt I had to say something to defend myself."
Weaver and Palmer have played these roles for years but never so publicly and with such toxicity. The two occasional golf partners even engaged in a humorous sparring match at the 1999 FanFest.
During Thursday's roast, however, Palmer referred to Weaver's alcohol-related driving infractions. "A lot of the state troopers ... in Maryland have been happy since Earl moved to Florida," he said.
Sitting next to Weaver, Flanagan and Garceau noticed a slow burn. "Jim's made Earl that mad before," said Flanagan. "This time, Earl didn't run with it."
"It was very unfortunate because these two men have such great respect for each other," Hendricks said. "They may say some negative things about each other, but they ultimately say each one is a class guy. ... When somebody said something negative about Palmer, Earl jumped them. And Palmer would always defend Earl no matter what happened the day before."
Palmer chokes up remembering his former manager, who died late Friday night
January 19, 2013|Peter Schmuck
For all the years that they did battle in the clubhouse or the sports pages or on the dais of some charity roast, Jim Palmer knew how Earl Weaver really felt about him. That's why he had to hold back tears Saturday when he related his favorite memory of the Earl of Baltimore — a memory made more poignant because it also involved his late teammate Mike Flanagan.
It was way back, on one of those balmy spring training days in Miami, when the Orioles were always one of the best teams in baseball and Palmer was their pitching ace. Flanagan, still figuring things out in his early 20s, was sitting on the bench next to Weaver. Palmer had just finished pitching five innings and was doing his sprints in the outfield....
"You see that guy out there,'' Weaver said.
"You mean Palmer,'' Flanagan replied.
"Just do what he does and you'll be fine."
Sage advice, but that's only half the story. Palmer ran into Weaver at one of the Hall of Fame induction weekends in Cooperstown, N.Y. a few years ago and recounted that anecdote, which Flanagan had shared with him during their many seasons together.
"I told Earl the story,'' Palmer said. "I told him, 'One of the biggest compliments you ever paid me was what you told Mike Flanagan.' He said, 'I didn't just tell Mike Flanagan. I told everybody.'"
Palmer's voice cracked at that point, and he brought his impromptu FanFest media session to an end, but not before it was clear how deep the emotions flowed beneath the fractious public relationship between the greatest pitcher in Orioles history and the franchise's greatest manager, who died late Friday night at 82.
The friction certainly was real. Weaver was a hard-nosed guy who was never afraid to say what he was thinking. Palmer was just as stubborn, and he seemed to enjoy getting under his manager's skin, needling about his height (he was 5-foot-7) and his unsuccessful playing career.
"The only thing Weaver knows about a curveball,'' Palmer once famously said, "is that he couldn't hit one."...
"Earl was a black and white manager,'' Palmer said. "He kind of told you what your job description was…he'd tell you 'This is what you needed to do.' If you couldn't do it, he'd get somebody else. I know that's kind of tough love, but I don't think anybody would describe Earl — other than his wife Marianne — as a warm and fuzzy guy....
If there is a bright side to the loss of such a beloved character, it is that Weaver got to spend a lot of time during the Orioles' surprising 2012 season soaking up the love of his former players and the Orioles faithful during the legends celebration series. He was there to see Brooks and Frank and Cal and Jim and Eddie — all of whom played under him — immortalized in bronze, and they were there to see their crusty Hall of Fame manager almost break down at the thought of being permanently honored on the center field plaza at Camden Yards...
Palmer, Weaver burn roast
Ex-pitcher's remarks irk old manager, who boils over at banquet
By Joe Strauss
Sun Staff
November 4, 2000
Usually described as a family feud, the long-standing give-and-take between Hall of Famers Earl Weaver and Jim Palmer became very public and very ugly Thursday night when the former Orioles manager said he was "embarrassed and humiliated" by Palmer's jabs during a charity roast of Weaver in Baltimore...
Participants said Weaver became increasingly tired and irritable as the event wore on and even interrupted other speakers from his seat when he thought their "tributes" dragged.
Weaver's patience finally broke after Palmer, the night's final speaker, administered his verbal daggers...
Garceau's introduction of Weaver brought the crowd to its feet but, according to witnesses, Weaver couldn't contain himself.
Weaver referred to Palmer as "some idiot" who "got up and insulted me beyond insultation." The crowd initially laughed, thinking it part of the program. However, laughter ceased when Weaver went on to call Palmer "an egotist" who often had little stomach for pitching with discomfort.
"He let us down many a time and now he's making fun of me. I don't appreciate it," said Weaver.
Weaver thanked those in the audience then added, "I don't appreciate some idiot who comes up to make fun of somebody because of his size or because of his physical abilities. I don't think I'll ever forgive the man for saying what he said here tonight. I really don't like it. As far as I'm concerned, as nice as this evening has been and as much as I've enjoyed it, he's ruined it for me. Thank you."...
Reached at his daughter's Baltimore home yesterday, Weaver told WBAL, "As far as I'm concerned, I told you it's over. When I said I would never forgive him, I will forgive him. That was said at the time. Again, I felt I had to say something to defend myself."
Weaver and Palmer have played these roles for years but never so publicly and with such toxicity. The two occasional golf partners even engaged in a humorous sparring match at the 1999 FanFest.
During Thursday's roast, however, Palmer referred to Weaver's alcohol-related driving infractions. "A lot of the state troopers ... in Maryland have been happy since Earl moved to Florida," he said.
Sitting next to Weaver, Flanagan and Garceau noticed a slow burn. "Jim's made Earl that mad before," said Flanagan. "This time, Earl didn't run with it."
"It was very unfortunate because these two men have such great respect for each other," Hendricks said. "They may say some negative things about each other, but they ultimately say each one is a class guy. ... When somebody said something negative about Palmer, Earl jumped them. And Palmer would always defend Earl no matter what happened the day before."
