I woke up this morning to a bright sunny day with\u00a0anticipation\u00a0of watching two baseball games today. \u00a0I also knew going into tonight that it would the celebration of Earl Weaver game. \u00a0While searching over the internet, I came across the following article<\/a> from our friends at Eutaw Street Report.<\/p>\n

The basic summation of the article can be boiled down at its conclusion:<\/p>\n

Based off of his career numbers\u2026I think Earl was an above average manager but I don\u2019t think his numbers represent greatness.\u00a0 Not when you win one title in 17 years.\u00a0 With that said, his utilization of his rosters was great.\u00a0 His passion for winning was great.\u00a0 His mark on the game and his importance to a small market baseball team was great.\u00a0 But was he as great as most Oriole fans believe?\u00a0 He sure kept us all entertained.\u00a0 But was he a prize marlin or was he more like a 9-inch white perch that became bigger and bigger with the passing of time?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I sat there muddling over this for a few seconds. \u00a0My initial reaction was “Who in the hell could be that idiotic?”. \u00a0My mind then turned to, “Well maybe he’s right. \u00a0Baltimore does have a tendency to glorify the old days such as the Colts and Johnny U”. \u00a0I let it sit for a while longer and came back to it in preparation for today’s game.<\/p>\n

The article makes the assumption that championships define greatness. \u00a0However, I would argue that it couldn’t be farther from the truth. \u00a0Let’s take the example of another Oriole in Cal Ripken. \u00a0He played for the Orioles for 21 seasons (81-01), but still only managed one world series and three playoff appearances during this time. \u00a0Does that mean we shouldn’t consider him one of the greatest players to ever play? \u00a0The\u00a0argument\u00a0could be made though that Ripken was a player and not a manager. \u00a0However, let’s move outside the organization and consider Bobby Cox<\/a>. \u00a0Bobby Cox when he retired in 2010 was considered one of the greatest managers of all time. \u00a0He along with Weaver shared a fiery passion with 158 ejections, but also failures to deliver championships. \u00a0Five pennants, but only one world series to show for all of them. \u00a0He also had a lower winning percentage (.556) compared to Weaver (.583).<\/p>\n

Weaver will always be loved in this town for his passion of the game. \u00a0His ability to say exactly what everyone was thinking and not give manager speak is what we as fans can truly respect. \u00a0Baltimore isn’t known for sugar coating it. \u00a0We go to work, take care of our business, and say what needs to be said. \u00a0We may not always win the title, but we’ll scrape and fight trying to get there. \u00a0And when we lose, we come back the next day wanting to win even more.<\/p>\n

We love you Earl. \u00a0You’ll always be a great manager in our hearts.<\/p>\n

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