What do you think?
Rate this book
The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball
The first major biography of legendary Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver—who has been described as “the Copernicus of baseball” and “the grandfather of the modern game”—The Last Manager is a wild, thrilling, and hilarious ride with baseball’s most underappreciated genius, and one of its greatest characters.
Long before the Moneyball-era, the Earl of Baltimore reigned over baseball. History’s feistiest and most colorful manager, Earl Weaver transformed the sport by collecting and analyzing data in visionary ways, ultimately winning more games than anybody else during his time running the Orioles from 1968–1982.
When Weaver was hired by the Orioles, managers were still seen as coaches and inspirational leaders, more teachers of the game than strategists. Weaver invented new ways of building baseball teams, prioritizing on-base average, elite defense, and strike throwing. Weaver was the first manager to use a modern radar gun, and he pioneered the use of analytical data. By moving 6’4” Cal Ripken, Jr. to shortstop, Weaver paved the way for a generation of plus-sized superstar shortstops, including Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. He foreshadowed almost everything that Bill James, Billy Beane, Theo Epstein, and hundreds of other big brain baseball types would later present as innovation.
Beyond being a great baseball mind, Weaver was a rare baseball character. Major League Baseball is show business, and Weaver understood how much of his job was entertainment. Weaver’s outbursts offered players cathartic relief from their own frustration, signaled his concern for the team, and fired up fans. In his frequent arguments with umpires, he hammed it up for the crowds, faked heart attacks, ripped bases out of the ground, and pretended to toss umpires out of the game. Weaver also fought with his players, especially Jim Palmer, but that creative tension contributed to a stunning success, and a hilarious clubhouse. During his tenure as major league manager, the Orioles won the American League pennant in 1969, 1970, 1971, and 1979, each time winning over 100 games.
The Last Manager uncovers the story of Weaver’s St. Louis childhood with a mobster uncle, his years of minor league heartbreak, and his unlikely road to becoming a big league manager, while tracing the evolution of the game from the old-time baseball of cross-country trains and “desk contracts” to the modern era of free agency, video analysis, and powerful player agents. Weaver’s career is a critical juncture in baseball history. He was the only manager to hold a job during the five years leading up to, and five years after, free agency upended baseball in 1976.
Weaver was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996. In his retirement, he even admitted that “if he had been an umpire, he would have thrown himself out of more games than he actually was.” Belligerent, genius, infamous—The Last Manager tells the story of one man who left his mark on the game for generations.
Long before the Moneyball-era, the Earl of Baltimore reigned over baseball. History’s feistiest and most colorful manager, Earl Weaver transformed the sport by collecting and analyzing data in visionary ways, ultimately winning more games than anybody else during his time running the Orioles from 1968–1982.
When Weaver was hired by the Orioles, managers were still seen as coaches and inspirational leaders, more teachers of the game than strategists. Weaver invented new ways of building baseball teams, prioritizing on-base average, elite defense, and strike throwing. Weaver was the first manager to use a modern radar gun, and he pioneered the use of analytical data. By moving 6’4” Cal Ripken, Jr. to shortstop, Weaver paved the way for a generation of plus-sized superstar shortstops, including Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. He foreshadowed almost everything that Bill James, Billy Beane, Theo Epstein, and hundreds of other big brain baseball types would later present as innovation.
Beyond being a great baseball mind, Weaver was a rare baseball character. Major League Baseball is show business, and Weaver understood how much of his job was entertainment. Weaver’s outbursts offered players cathartic relief from their own frustration, signaled his concern for the team, and fired up fans. In his frequent arguments with umpires, he hammed it up for the crowds, faked heart attacks, ripped bases out of the ground, and pretended to toss umpires out of the game. Weaver also fought with his players, especially Jim Palmer, but that creative tension contributed to a stunning success, and a hilarious clubhouse. During his tenure as major league manager, the Orioles won the American League pennant in 1969, 1970, 1971, and 1979, each time winning over 100 games.
The Last Manager uncovers the story of Weaver’s St. Louis childhood with a mobster uncle, his years of minor league heartbreak, and his unlikely road to becoming a big league manager, while tracing the evolution of the game from the old-time baseball of cross-country trains and “desk contracts” to the modern era of free agency, video analysis, and powerful player agents. Weaver’s career is a critical juncture in baseball history. He was the only manager to hold a job during the five years leading up to, and five years after, free agency upended baseball in 1976.
Weaver was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996. In his retirement, he even admitted that “if he had been an umpire, he would have thrown himself out of more games than he actually was.” Belligerent, genius, infamous—The Last Manager tells the story of one man who left his mark on the game for generations.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published March 4, 2025
311 people are currently reading
1614 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 208 reviews
March 21, 2025
Earl Weaver is considered to be one of the feistiest and colorful managers in the history of Major League Baseball. He was also very successful, leading the Baltimore Orioles to two World Series championships and five American League championships during his tenure from 1968 to 1982 (and a brief but unsuccessful return in 1985). His life and career are captured in this very good book by John W. Miller.
While Weaver was mostly known for his legendary arguments with umpires, he had respect for the arbiters of the game and there is plenty of praise for them sprinkled in the pages. What is also known about Weaver was that he was an early adopter of using data to develop game strategy. While it is heavily in use today by baseball front offices, Weaver did not have people from the office handing him data and suggesting strategy from the data – he did all that himself. It is just one reason that this book is appropriately titled “The Last Manager” since on-field managers had much more autonomy in making game decisions than today’s managers.
While I enjoyed this aspect of the book, the writing by Miller about Weaver’s playing days in the minor league and his experience in 1952 at training camp for the St. Louis Cardinals (Weaver’s favorite team growing up in Missouri) was probably the best writing in the book. As a reader, I really could feel Weaver’s frustration at performing so well and yet not making the major league roster because the player-manager saved that roster spot for himself. It is also clear that Weaver was going to have to make it in baseball in some capacity to succeed in life – and managing turned out to be that capacity.
That managing career, as noted above, was a good choice for Weaver. The bulk of the book is about his time with the Orioles and also makes for good reading. In addition to his use of data for strategy and his famous rants to umpires, Weaver knew how to spot pitching talent – his 1971 staff of four 20-game winners is a testament to that. The relationship Weaver also had with his players is on full display here. He may have rubbed many players the wrong way while playing but in the end they respected Weaver, were appreciative of how he helped them improve and of course, enjoyed the success of the team.
For a very good read on an era of baseball where team managers had much more control over the team and the strategy of the game than they do in the current structure of baseball, pick up this book. You won’t be disappointed.
I wish to thank Avid Reader Press for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
While Weaver was mostly known for his legendary arguments with umpires, he had respect for the arbiters of the game and there is plenty of praise for them sprinkled in the pages. What is also known about Weaver was that he was an early adopter of using data to develop game strategy. While it is heavily in use today by baseball front offices, Weaver did not have people from the office handing him data and suggesting strategy from the data – he did all that himself. It is just one reason that this book is appropriately titled “The Last Manager” since on-field managers had much more autonomy in making game decisions than today’s managers.
While I enjoyed this aspect of the book, the writing by Miller about Weaver’s playing days in the minor league and his experience in 1952 at training camp for the St. Louis Cardinals (Weaver’s favorite team growing up in Missouri) was probably the best writing in the book. As a reader, I really could feel Weaver’s frustration at performing so well and yet not making the major league roster because the player-manager saved that roster spot for himself. It is also clear that Weaver was going to have to make it in baseball in some capacity to succeed in life – and managing turned out to be that capacity.
That managing career, as noted above, was a good choice for Weaver. The bulk of the book is about his time with the Orioles and also makes for good reading. In addition to his use of data for strategy and his famous rants to umpires, Weaver knew how to spot pitching talent – his 1971 staff of four 20-game winners is a testament to that. The relationship Weaver also had with his players is on full display here. He may have rubbed many players the wrong way while playing but in the end they respected Weaver, were appreciative of how he helped them improve and of course, enjoyed the success of the team.
For a very good read on an era of baseball where team managers had much more control over the team and the strategy of the game than they do in the current structure of baseball, pick up this book. You won’t be disappointed.
I wish to thank Avid Reader Press for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
June 30, 2025
My employer kindly offered all employees tickets to see the Harrisburg Senators play at FNB Field. Only one of my friends was interested in attending the event. She said to me, "Vanessa, why don't you want to go?" When I responded that I didn't really know about baseball, she suggested that we in the book club need to read a baseball book for July's selection. Enter The Last Manager and Earl Weaver.
Earl Weaver was both a tour de force and a potty mouth.
Weaver's life was all about the game. Born in St Louis, Missouri, he spent some time in the minor league before becoming a manager for the Baltimore Orioles. During the years of 1968-1982, the team had the most recorded wins. Weaver was one of the first coaches to use analytical data to make strategy decisions for game play.
The part of Weaver's career that I found most interesting was that he was a consultant for the development of baseball-themed computer games back in the late 1980s. Electronic Arts' Earl Weaver Baseball was a precursor to popular games of today such as MLB The Show and Madden NFL.
I listened to this book while driving and it was quite the experience. Narrator Johnny Heller had to quote Weaver on several occasions. Weaver was the pottyist potty-mouthed person I've ever heard! That language that he used was rough. During my listening of the last two discs, I was without air conditioning in the vehicle and I prayed no little ears heard the narration through the open windows.
One time at a pub Weaver asked where the toilet was.
"The toilet is in your mouth," responded one bystander.
Earl Weaver was both a tour de force and a potty mouth.
Weaver's life was all about the game. Born in St Louis, Missouri, he spent some time in the minor league before becoming a manager for the Baltimore Orioles. During the years of 1968-1982, the team had the most recorded wins. Weaver was one of the first coaches to use analytical data to make strategy decisions for game play.
The part of Weaver's career that I found most interesting was that he was a consultant for the development of baseball-themed computer games back in the late 1980s. Electronic Arts' Earl Weaver Baseball was a precursor to popular games of today such as MLB The Show and Madden NFL.
I listened to this book while driving and it was quite the experience. Narrator Johnny Heller had to quote Weaver on several occasions. Weaver was the pottyist potty-mouthed person I've ever heard! That language that he used was rough. During my listening of the last two discs, I was without air conditioning in the vehicle and I prayed no little ears heard the narration through the open windows.
One time at a pub Weaver asked where the toilet was.
"The toilet is in your mouth," responded one bystander.
October 22, 2024
This book is a five tool 80.
August 19, 2025
I read this book over the summer of 2025, starting when Orioles baseball hopes were high and wrapping up after a devastating trade deadline sale and yet still a resurgence of young talent from a stacked farm system. It’s an emotional time to be an Orioles fan!
This book was a lot. I grew up in Earl Weaver’s shadow, never going to a game he managed and yet always hearing about him as the gold standard for what a manger should be. Those exciting 90s in Baltimore were managed by Davy Johnson, who was himself managed by the Earl of Baltimore.
Reading this book gave me great perspective on how baseball has changed. On how managers and players used to interact and how free agency and modernity has changed that relationship. I can’t say that it’s a bad change. Honestly, who really wants to go back to a time when a manger can threaten you with bodily or career harm in order to motivate?? And yet there are some incredible holdover moments.
What does it mean to be a student of the game? What does it mean to be a leader? This was Weaver’s (flawed) approach and as the methods have soured, the vision remains. A manager leads. He inspires. He gets more out of the players than they realize they have. Now it shouldn’t be a screaming match after every game. What good does that do? Now it’s more nuanced, and maybe harder. Now it’s still the Earl Weaver’s way, but adapted for a modern era.
I was shocked to learn than EASports’ first video game was Earl Weaver Baseball. And an updated Negro Leagues Edition. Pioneers. Revolutionaries. Wow. Not Madden. Earl Weaver Baseball.
I need realized Earl’s statue is facing his players in the Camden Yards Memorial Park. Brilliant.
Before Moneyball there was Earl. Before Big Data Baseball there was Earl. And baseball will never be the same without him and will keep moving on without him. That’s baseball. And Earl would approve.
There was so much to love about this book from its bright orange cover to its honest assessment of a baseball legend, but I struggled with the repetition in chapters, where the same scenario would be described multiple times.
This book was a lot. I grew up in Earl Weaver’s shadow, never going to a game he managed and yet always hearing about him as the gold standard for what a manger should be. Those exciting 90s in Baltimore were managed by Davy Johnson, who was himself managed by the Earl of Baltimore.
Reading this book gave me great perspective on how baseball has changed. On how managers and players used to interact and how free agency and modernity has changed that relationship. I can’t say that it’s a bad change. Honestly, who really wants to go back to a time when a manger can threaten you with bodily or career harm in order to motivate?? And yet there are some incredible holdover moments.
What does it mean to be a student of the game? What does it mean to be a leader? This was Weaver’s (flawed) approach and as the methods have soured, the vision remains. A manager leads. He inspires. He gets more out of the players than they realize they have. Now it shouldn’t be a screaming match after every game. What good does that do? Now it’s more nuanced, and maybe harder. Now it’s still the Earl Weaver’s way, but adapted for a modern era.
I was shocked to learn than EASports’ first video game was Earl Weaver Baseball. And an updated Negro Leagues Edition. Pioneers. Revolutionaries. Wow. Not Madden. Earl Weaver Baseball.
I need realized Earl’s statue is facing his players in the Camden Yards Memorial Park. Brilliant.
Before Moneyball there was Earl. Before Big Data Baseball there was Earl. And baseball will never be the same without him and will keep moving on without him. That’s baseball. And Earl would approve.
There was so much to love about this book from its bright orange cover to its honest assessment of a baseball legend, but I struggled with the repetition in chapters, where the same scenario would be described multiple times.
March 9, 2025
Fabulous. Such a well done book. I couldn’t put it down. Earl Weaver is Orioles baseball. No one will ever be like him. I am now ready for a new season with the boys.
June 18, 2025
I grew up as a baseball fan in the late 60’s and on through the 70’s. Naturally I was a Detroit Tigers fan because of my birth state (and because my paternal grandfather was an especial Tigers fan until his death). The first World Series I remember was not 1968 when the Tigers won it all but the 1970 Series when the Baltimore Orioles beat the Cincinnati Reds and the early Big Red Machine. Weaver was the Baltimore manager. I was not a sophisticated enough fan then to understand all the idiosyncrasies of Weaver. I was only knowledgeable enough to know that Weaver led the club that continuously kept my Tigers out of the post season in the American League East. It sucked because there were the Orioles, the Yankees and the Red Sox.
It was only later and especially of recent where I came to respect Weaver who with so little, with a small market team was able to do much.
It was only later and especially of recent where I came to respect Weaver who with so little, with a small market team was able to do much.
April 20, 2025
John Miller is a journalist and baseball fan; in his 2025 debut book The Last Manager, he writes a compelling biography of the Hall of Fame Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver (1930-2013). After failing to make the Major Leagues himself, Weaver pivoted to managing minor league baseball in the Orioles farm system from 1957-1967, before being promoted to manage the Orioles in 1968 at the very young age of 38. He had remarkable longevity in the managerial role (both by standards at that time and today), staying at the helm from 1968-1982 before retiring for a few years, then coming back briefly from 1985-1986. He was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1996 by the Veterans Committee.
My peak MLB fan years were from around 1995-2005, and my allegiance was not with the Orioles, so I wasn't very familiar with Weaver before picking up this book. Miller does a nice job of fleshing out his interesting character, from on-the-field antics, an unconventional coaching style, and an early adoption of data analytics before it became mainstream. Since Weaver passed away over a decade ago, Miller's primary sources were many players and coaches who overlapped with Weaver, so there are a lot what appear to be "baseball tall tales" in the book.
My statistics:
Book 124 for 2025
Book 2050 cumulatively
My peak MLB fan years were from around 1995-2005, and my allegiance was not with the Orioles, so I wasn't very familiar with Weaver before picking up this book. Miller does a nice job of fleshing out his interesting character, from on-the-field antics, an unconventional coaching style, and an early adoption of data analytics before it became mainstream. Since Weaver passed away over a decade ago, Miller's primary sources were many players and coaches who overlapped with Weaver, so there are a lot what appear to be "baseball tall tales" in the book.
My statistics:
Book 124 for 2025
Book 2050 cumulatively
August 1, 2025
My parents will appreciate this book more than I ever could, but wow, those must've been some fun times for them. Having grown up going to Camden Yards, but under the aura of Memorial Stadium, I always had the sense (especially seeing some really bad teams play!) that I just missed out on some great baseball history. Thankful their core memories of the teams and players in this book are so strong. Baseball sure changed a lot over the decades from when Earl started watching and playing to his last years as a manager.
May 3, 2025
Excellent and succinct biography of a manager that I didn’t give much credit to growing up. Way ahead of his time as far as some analytics go. His shenanigans took me away from that, I guess. It’s also nice that you get some good background on the Orioles and how they transformed into a top tier organization. Any baseball fan from the 70s and 80s would enjoy this.
April 11, 2025
Received a free copy of this from the publisher to do a review of it in my professional life.
It's good! Although I think someone who is a fan of the Baltimore Orioles, like me, will probably get the most out of this since it's about a legendary manager of the franchise, I do think this book would be of interest to any baseball fan.
It's a biography of a Hall of Fame manager, but it's also a neat little history of what baseball was like in this country from roughly the 1930s to the 1980s, told in a very concise way yet evocative in its writing: The two-team city of St. Louis during the Depression, the world of spring training and minor league camps in old World War II army facilities in the late 40s and early 50s, minor league baseball in small town America when there was really nothing much else going on in those places. That's not to say it's merely some nostalgic "back in the good old days" book because it pauses to note here and there the challenges with racial equality and justice. Places were segregated. In Baltimore as the manager, Weaver had a Black star player (also a Hall of Famer now, Frank Robinson) who dealt with landlords who would not rent him a house.
For me it was very interesting as an Orioles fan who was not alive for the heyday of Weaver, because I've grown up hearing all of the stories. Miller definitely hits the big things that are familiar to any Orioles fan. What made this so interesting for me is that the biography gave very good context for how it is that Weaver ended up this way, and in its mostly linear presentation it showed how Weaver was able to adapt to changing times by developing a now-rudimentary but then-cutting edge understanding of how to make statistics work in his favor, including by being a pioneer in getting the radar gun (also now ubiquitous in baseball) used within the game. Weaver's legend was fully formed when I was born, so it was cool to see how it grew over time and all the ways that it was not actually inevitable. Part of what made Weaver so good is how he was able to make it work even when the baseball landscape completely changed with the dawn of free agency in the mid-1970s.
There's even a chapter about the development of the Earl Weaver Baseball computer game - a game I remember playing way back on freaking MS-DOS - and how Weaver was both a fish out of water in the world of computers but the way that the programmers still remembered the serious way he tried to break down baseball for them and help them build out what was at that time the most ambitious sports game ever made and one that, I think, still influences most of the ones that come along today.
It's good! Although I think someone who is a fan of the Baltimore Orioles, like me, will probably get the most out of this since it's about a legendary manager of the franchise, I do think this book would be of interest to any baseball fan.
It's a biography of a Hall of Fame manager, but it's also a neat little history of what baseball was like in this country from roughly the 1930s to the 1980s, told in a very concise way yet evocative in its writing: The two-team city of St. Louis during the Depression, the world of spring training and minor league camps in old World War II army facilities in the late 40s and early 50s, minor league baseball in small town America when there was really nothing much else going on in those places. That's not to say it's merely some nostalgic "back in the good old days" book because it pauses to note here and there the challenges with racial equality and justice. Places were segregated. In Baltimore as the manager, Weaver had a Black star player (also a Hall of Famer now, Frank Robinson) who dealt with landlords who would not rent him a house.
For me it was very interesting as an Orioles fan who was not alive for the heyday of Weaver, because I've grown up hearing all of the stories. Miller definitely hits the big things that are familiar to any Orioles fan. What made this so interesting for me is that the biography gave very good context for how it is that Weaver ended up this way, and in its mostly linear presentation it showed how Weaver was able to adapt to changing times by developing a now-rudimentary but then-cutting edge understanding of how to make statistics work in his favor, including by being a pioneer in getting the radar gun (also now ubiquitous in baseball) used within the game. Weaver's legend was fully formed when I was born, so it was cool to see how it grew over time and all the ways that it was not actually inevitable. Part of what made Weaver so good is how he was able to make it work even when the baseball landscape completely changed with the dawn of free agency in the mid-1970s.
There's even a chapter about the development of the Earl Weaver Baseball computer game - a game I remember playing way back on freaking MS-DOS - and how Weaver was both a fish out of water in the world of computers but the way that the programmers still remembered the serious way he tried to break down baseball for them and help them build out what was at that time the most ambitious sports game ever made and one that, I think, still influences most of the ones that come along today.
March 24, 2025
Loved it, fun look at what baseball was back in the day. Got me ready to have my heart broken by the Braves for the 24th time in 25 years of life starting Thursday.
July 14, 2025
Outstanding. Required reading for any Orioles fan, but any baseball fan with a sense of history will love it.
May 18, 2025
Earl Weaver drank too much, smoked too much, cursed too much, argued and yelled too much. It’s hard to think of anything he did that he didn’t do too much. He also won, though, and it’s hard to do too much of that.
Weaver was a Hall of Fame manager. He took over the Orioles during the 1968 season, then took them to the World Series three straight years. All together, over 17 years as a manager, he won over 58% of his games. He also got tossed out of 96 games by umpires.
Miller’s bio tries to convey the blend that made up Weaver — the high drama personality and the shrewd “narrow intelligence” that made him a great strategist, motivator, and entertainer.
He knew he was on stage. He put on a show, kicking dirt over home plate, poking his finger into (much taller) umpires’ chests, punctuating every argument with wild gestures and top-of-the-lungs cursing.
But he was also a great strategist. Miller emphasizes how far ahead of its time Weaver’s analytical decision-making was. Weaver wanted players with high on-base-percentage even if they hit for a low average and little power (e.g., Glenn Gulliver), he wanted starting pitchers who threw strikes instead of picking at corners (e.g., Dave McNally), and he preached defensive excellence (e.g., Mark Belanger). “Pitching, defense, and three run homers” was the legacy of Weaver strategy.
He played matchups. He platooned. Just ask John Lowenstein. Weaver made a 300 hitter out of Lownestein by picking his spots and platooning him as a left-handed batter with right-handed Gary Roenicke. He could take what most people regarded as average players and combine them into an all star aggregate player at their position.
Miller attributes much of Weaver’s analytical approach to his relationship with his Uncle Bud. Uncle Bud was a mobster. A bookie. He played the percentages, the odds. Weaver grew up going to Cardinals games in St. Louis with Uncle Bud, letting his odds-and-percentages view of the game rub off on him. It stuck.
Miller calls Weaver baseball’s “last manager,” as the last of the generations of managers who really controlled their teams, whose strategy came out of their direct experience and thinking, and who imprinted the game with their personalities.
Weaver was not a great player, himself. He never made it to the Major Leagues, although he came closer than I thought. He appeared to have made the St. Louis Cardinals roster out of spring training in 1952, as a backup second baseman to Red Schoendienst. But Eddie Stankey was hired as the Cardinals’ manager and wanted to extend his playing career as a player-manager. Stankey was a second baseman. There went Weaver’s roster spot.
But he made it another way, not with the Cardinals, but with the other St. Louis team when the Browns had moved to Baltimore. He came up through their system as a manager (first as a player-manager himself) and made it to the top at a still-young 37.
Reading Miller’s book was nostalgic. I remember those years. I’ve been an Orioles fan for about 60 years, and I remember Weaver being made first base coach in 1968, hovering next to then-manager Hank Bauer, who had taken the team to a championship just a couple of years earlier. Bauer knew the hand-writing on the wall when he saw it. Weaver was already a phenom.
Weaver was a Hall of Fame manager. He took over the Orioles during the 1968 season, then took them to the World Series three straight years. All together, over 17 years as a manager, he won over 58% of his games. He also got tossed out of 96 games by umpires.
Miller’s bio tries to convey the blend that made up Weaver — the high drama personality and the shrewd “narrow intelligence” that made him a great strategist, motivator, and entertainer.
He knew he was on stage. He put on a show, kicking dirt over home plate, poking his finger into (much taller) umpires’ chests, punctuating every argument with wild gestures and top-of-the-lungs cursing.
But he was also a great strategist. Miller emphasizes how far ahead of its time Weaver’s analytical decision-making was. Weaver wanted players with high on-base-percentage even if they hit for a low average and little power (e.g., Glenn Gulliver), he wanted starting pitchers who threw strikes instead of picking at corners (e.g., Dave McNally), and he preached defensive excellence (e.g., Mark Belanger). “Pitching, defense, and three run homers” was the legacy of Weaver strategy.
He played matchups. He platooned. Just ask John Lowenstein. Weaver made a 300 hitter out of Lownestein by picking his spots and platooning him as a left-handed batter with right-handed Gary Roenicke. He could take what most people regarded as average players and combine them into an all star aggregate player at their position.
Miller attributes much of Weaver’s analytical approach to his relationship with his Uncle Bud. Uncle Bud was a mobster. A bookie. He played the percentages, the odds. Weaver grew up going to Cardinals games in St. Louis with Uncle Bud, letting his odds-and-percentages view of the game rub off on him. It stuck.
Miller calls Weaver baseball’s “last manager,” as the last of the generations of managers who really controlled their teams, whose strategy came out of their direct experience and thinking, and who imprinted the game with their personalities.
Weaver was not a great player, himself. He never made it to the Major Leagues, although he came closer than I thought. He appeared to have made the St. Louis Cardinals roster out of spring training in 1952, as a backup second baseman to Red Schoendienst. But Eddie Stankey was hired as the Cardinals’ manager and wanted to extend his playing career as a player-manager. Stankey was a second baseman. There went Weaver’s roster spot.
But he made it another way, not with the Cardinals, but with the other St. Louis team when the Browns had moved to Baltimore. He came up through their system as a manager (first as a player-manager himself) and made it to the top at a still-young 37.
Reading Miller’s book was nostalgic. I remember those years. I’ve been an Orioles fan for about 60 years, and I remember Weaver being made first base coach in 1968, hovering next to then-manager Hank Bauer, who had taken the team to a championship just a couple of years earlier. Bauer knew the hand-writing on the wall when he saw it. Weaver was already a phenom.
August 3, 2025
A great book for anyone who loved the 1970s and 1980s Baltimore Orioles and their entertaining, curmudgeonly manager, Earl Weaver.
October 6, 2025
This book brought back wonderful memories from a different era. The book featured some classic Weaver stories that ranged from amusing to hysterical. However, the book is not presented as hero worship. It tells the story in an engaging manner. Highly recommended for most baseball fans.
July 20, 2025
Enjoyable bio of one of baseball 's great managers and entertainers. The author does seem to have a bit of a bias against a certain team that plays in the Bronx that skews the reporting in at least two instances in the book
1. He refers to Earl helping instill a "way'to the Baltimore organization similar to the "great ways" of two other teams in the 1950s, the Dodgers and the Cardinals. Hmm.
2. He refers to Earl being "a failed ballplayer" like a few other noteworthy managers including Billy Martin. Earl never made it out of spring training with a big league club, Martin played over a thousand games in the majors and won a World Series MVP.
All that can be chalked up to orange-tinted glasses and does not take away from the fun, colorful stories that make up the rest of the book.
1. He refers to Earl helping instill a "way'to the Baltimore organization similar to the "great ways" of two other teams in the 1950s, the Dodgers and the Cardinals. Hmm.
2. He refers to Earl being "a failed ballplayer" like a few other noteworthy managers including Billy Martin. Earl never made it out of spring training with a big league club, Martin played over a thousand games in the majors and won a World Series MVP.
All that can be chalked up to orange-tinted glasses and does not take away from the fun, colorful stories that make up the rest of the book.
June 16, 2025
Earl Weaver was a man of his time. He was a character and showman, all things that modern baseball managers are not. Earl’s teams also won a lot of games. As Miller points out in this evocative biography, Earl was ahead of his time. Weaver was known for his station to station, wait for the three run homer style of baseball. He came to shun the sacrifice bunt and preached getting on base, all things that would become commonplace with the analytical explosion in baseball in future decades. The Last Manager is a must read for both old and new school fans of baseball.
Find this book at the Villa Park Public Library!
Find this book at the Villa Park Public Library!
June 14, 2025
The book does not provide intricate details of any games or seasons Weaver managed, which is something I like to read about. But what it lacks in that department it makes up for in profiling what made Weaver a great manager, particularly his ability to evolve in order to maintain success. Miller definitively shows that Weaver's managerial style foreshadowed the analytics revolution of baseball.
Best of all, the book is filled with great money quotes. Many had me legitimately laughing out loud, and a few I found profoundly insightful. Behind the madness was a method.
I wouldn't go as far as George Will to say baseball books don't get better than this one, but baseball fans should seek this out.
Best of all, the book is filled with great money quotes. Many had me legitimately laughing out loud, and a few I found profoundly insightful. Behind the madness was a method.
I wouldn't go as far as George Will to say baseball books don't get better than this one, but baseball fans should seek this out.
July 18, 2025
An amazing baseball bookand wonderful biography, "The Last Manager" is full of laughs, insights and brouhahas. As the author notes, Weaver “represented Charm City as well as Mencken, blue crabs, and red-brick rowhouses. A tough little man with a chip on his shoulder standing up to the blue-blooded bullies from New York and Boston.”
This book is such lively fun. Perfect for summer reading.
Quotes:
Earl Weaver: “You can’t sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line. You’ve got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That’s why baseball is the greatest game of them all.”
Orioles General Manager Frank Cashen: "Earl had everything. He drank his brains out, but he was a fucking genius."
Weaver on coaching high school ball after retiring from MLB: "I hate kids, and I hate fucking kid baseball."
Washington Post Columnist Thomas Boswell: "As much as any one person in a generation, Weaver encapsulates the fire, the humor, the brains, the childishness, the wisdom, and the goofy fun of baseball."
Good Times
This book is such lively fun. Perfect for summer reading.
Quotes:
Earl Weaver: “You can’t sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line. You’ve got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That’s why baseball is the greatest game of them all.”
Orioles General Manager Frank Cashen: "Earl had everything. He drank his brains out, but he was a fucking genius."
Weaver on coaching high school ball after retiring from MLB: "I hate kids, and I hate fucking kid baseball."
Washington Post Columnist Thomas Boswell: "As much as any one person in a generation, Weaver encapsulates the fire, the humor, the brains, the childishness, the wisdom, and the goofy fun of baseball."
Good Times
August 30, 2025
Six stars. Miller starts at the very beginning, with Earl Weaver's playing career, and takes us through his evolution into one of the best managers in baseball history. (Earl Weaver used to be a smallball guy. Beat that with a stick.) What comes through his Weaver's need for baseball, and the eventual affection his players had for him -- even though he was a tough guy to play for. Essential read for all baseball fans.
April 5, 2025
A decent read for fans of Weaver. At times it does feel a little formulaic and just regurgitated from other writings about Earl but there are quite a few original nuggets included. Those who lived through Weaver times in Baltimore may find the information familiar feeling. Overall a good gift idea for baseball fans.
June 2, 2025
Really good baseball book. If you are an Orioles fan it’s a must read. If you are a baseball historian it is a must read. Really good insight into how Weaver was ahead of the game during his time in Baltimore.
August 2, 2025
An excellent biography and a must for baseball fans. The reader get the complex essence of Earl Weaver. Well written and a pleasant read that doesnt bog the reader with an overwhelming amount of detal.
April 1, 2025
A great baseball book.
Read
May 30, 2025A 5’7” man with hate in his heart is talking. Listen and learn!
September 6, 2025
As a lifelong Orioles fan born in 1990, I didn’t know anything about Earl Weaver. This was a great book to learn not only the history of the Orioles organization, but also the early history of MLb.
May 30, 2025
Thanks to my niece Shannon for recommending this book about Earl Weaver, the Orioles infamous Hall of Fame Manager. I was there for so many of the games he managed. I saw him get tossed for screaming like a banty rooster at umpires and kicking dirt all over home plate. Jim Palmer still invokes Earl Weaver during Oriole broadcasts on MASN. Palmer and Weaver had a love/hate relationship. Most of his former players felt the same about Weaver but they all agree he was ahead of his time as a strategist and that he made them better players. Based on this book, I can safely say he would not be my personal cup of tea, but he will always be my favorite Orioles manager.
There are so many games and game stories that I remember. I was there with my brother Billy when the Orioles played the 2nd divisional playoff game ever at Memorial Stadium against the Minnesota Twins. It was the day after my 21st birthday. The game was tied after 9 innings. Never having much patience for extra innings, we left well before the game ended in the 11th inning. Dave McNally pitched 11 scoreless innings and we were on the bus riding home as the Orioles won. We could have been there for the win. Our brother Kevin berated us Earl Weaver style for leaving early. “How could you $#%# leave?!!!!”
I was also there for Thanks Brooks Night and Frank Robinson Appreciation Night. My fondest memory (besides the 1966 World Series game my sister Marie treated me to ($12 for a World Series ticket)) was the final game at Memorial Stadium. It was October 6, 1991. The last chapter in the book describes how at the end of the game, they played James Earl Jones’s quote from Field of Dreams and then one by one, starting with Brooks and then Frank, the former stars trotted out to their positions. Last to come out was Earl Weaver. I could barely see him. I was sobbing, not merely sniffling, but full out bawling my eyes out. I looked such a sad spectacle that a WBAL reporter put me on camera and asked me how I felt watching the last game at Memorial Stadium. I had no words.
I was crying when I read that last chapter. God, I love baseball and the O’s and grudgingly, Earl. This is a great book for O’s fans. 🧡🖤 Thanks for the memories.
There are so many games and game stories that I remember. I was there with my brother Billy when the Orioles played the 2nd divisional playoff game ever at Memorial Stadium against the Minnesota Twins. It was the day after my 21st birthday. The game was tied after 9 innings. Never having much patience for extra innings, we left well before the game ended in the 11th inning. Dave McNally pitched 11 scoreless innings and we were on the bus riding home as the Orioles won. We could have been there for the win. Our brother Kevin berated us Earl Weaver style for leaving early. “How could you $#%# leave?!!!!”
I was also there for Thanks Brooks Night and Frank Robinson Appreciation Night. My fondest memory (besides the 1966 World Series game my sister Marie treated me to ($12 for a World Series ticket)) was the final game at Memorial Stadium. It was October 6, 1991. The last chapter in the book describes how at the end of the game, they played James Earl Jones’s quote from Field of Dreams and then one by one, starting with Brooks and then Frank, the former stars trotted out to their positions. Last to come out was Earl Weaver. I could barely see him. I was sobbing, not merely sniffling, but full out bawling my eyes out. I looked such a sad spectacle that a WBAL reporter put me on camera and asked me how I felt watching the last game at Memorial Stadium. I had no words.
I was crying when I read that last chapter. God, I love baseball and the O’s and grudgingly, Earl. This is a great book for O’s fans. 🧡🖤 Thanks for the memories.
June 6, 2025
As a St. louisan I enjoyed the colorful local history and stories in the first part of the book, and as a baseball fan, I appreciated the minor leagues to Baltimore Orioles game trajectory. The only criticism is that there is next to nothing about Weaver's post-baseball life.
May 29, 2025
Despite all the attempts to quantify the game of baseball, one area that remains unquantifiable is the impact of the manager. Does that position really make much of a difference--especially in an age of analytics and GM-level plan-building? While author Jon W. Miller muses on those topics a bit here, he mostly uses The Last Manager to convey how Earl Weaver may have been the last true baseball manager by the conventional description of that position.
Miller takes a fairly straightforward, chronological approach to Weaver's life and career. It was extremely interesting to read about how Earl's many, many years in the minor leagues as a player and a manager shaped his ability to relate to players later on. He had been through the grind too. Once Weaver is named manager of the Baltimore Orioles, Miller goes pretty much year-by-year (combining a few here and there) in looking at that long O's tenure--all the way to Earl's retirement, comeback, and Hall of Fame induction.
The hallmark of The Last Manager is how Miller clearly shows that Weaver was analytics-forward before it "was cool" or required computers. He was constantly tinkering with new strategies and using his own common sense (rather than standard baseball dogma) to try and create runs/wins. Earl largely eschewed the bunt (in favor of big innings & homers) and was a heavy utilizer of platoon matchups. While commonplace now, they were cutting-edge when Weaver deployed them.
It was also fascinating to see the dichotomy between Weaver's outward persona and his behind-the-scenes self. On the field, Weaver routinely disrespected umpires in fiery tirades and feuded with many of his own players, mostly famously Jim Palmer. Yet, even those who couldn't stand him as skipper credited his faith in and handling of them towards successful, winning careers. Not everything "squares" about his persona, but that is of course the fun of life!
There are times in this book where I wished Miller would have broken into the narrative to compare Weaver with modern managers. Instead, such analysis is saved for a sparse section at book's end. As such, this is more of a straight-ahead biography, albeit a well-enough written one to not have that be a huge issue.
Overall, I'd give The Last Manager 4.5/5 stars but can easily round up to a perfect score here. It is engaging all the way through because of Miller's ability to capture the essence of Weaver--a man & manager that baseball will never quite experience in the same way again.
Miller takes a fairly straightforward, chronological approach to Weaver's life and career. It was extremely interesting to read about how Earl's many, many years in the minor leagues as a player and a manager shaped his ability to relate to players later on. He had been through the grind too. Once Weaver is named manager of the Baltimore Orioles, Miller goes pretty much year-by-year (combining a few here and there) in looking at that long O's tenure--all the way to Earl's retirement, comeback, and Hall of Fame induction.
The hallmark of The Last Manager is how Miller clearly shows that Weaver was analytics-forward before it "was cool" or required computers. He was constantly tinkering with new strategies and using his own common sense (rather than standard baseball dogma) to try and create runs/wins. Earl largely eschewed the bunt (in favor of big innings & homers) and was a heavy utilizer of platoon matchups. While commonplace now, they were cutting-edge when Weaver deployed them.
It was also fascinating to see the dichotomy between Weaver's outward persona and his behind-the-scenes self. On the field, Weaver routinely disrespected umpires in fiery tirades and feuded with many of his own players, mostly famously Jim Palmer. Yet, even those who couldn't stand him as skipper credited his faith in and handling of them towards successful, winning careers. Not everything "squares" about his persona, but that is of course the fun of life!
There are times in this book where I wished Miller would have broken into the narrative to compare Weaver with modern managers. Instead, such analysis is saved for a sparse section at book's end. As such, this is more of a straight-ahead biography, albeit a well-enough written one to not have that be a huge issue.
Overall, I'd give The Last Manager 4.5/5 stars but can easily round up to a perfect score here. It is engaging all the way through because of Miller's ability to capture the essence of Weaver--a man & manager that baseball will never quite experience in the same way again.
August 26, 2025
Earl Weaver was one of the most successful managers in baseball history. Helming the Baltimore Orioles from 1968-1982, (plus a brief comeback in 1985-86) Weaver led the Orioles to 6 playoff appearances and 4 World Series, including a World Championship in 1970.
Weaver was a feisty, combative field general, and he delighted in baiting umpires. He was also ahead of his time in embracing data to inform his in-game decision making. John W. Miller’s 2025 biography of Weaver, titled The Last Manager, is an entertaining look at Weaver’s life and career. I’d recommend it to all baseball fans.
Miller adeptly traces Weaver’s path through baseball, as he grew up in St. Louis, and signed with his hometown Cardinals out of high school. Weaver never made the major leagues as a player, topping out at double A ball. Weaver was a second baseman, and he played well during spring training in 1952, but player/manager Eddie Stanky chose himself to be the backup infielder over Weaver. But there was more going on than just Stanky’s selfishness. Weaver’s path to the majors was blocked by the Cardinals’ All-Star second baseman, Red Schoendienst. Weaver’s only hope was to be a backup infielder. Weaver became a player/manager himself, and worked his way up the Baltimore Orioles’ chain, finally getting to the major leagues as a first-base coach in 1968. When manager Hank Bauer was fired on July 11th, Weaver found himself at the helm of a major league squad for the first time.
Weaver had the immense good fortune to take over a team that was just two seasons removed from winning the World Series. Under Weaver’s first three full seasons as manager, the Orioles won over 100 games each season and went to three World Series. Simply put, the 1969-71 Baltimore Orioles were one of the great baseball dynasties. Those teams featured a terrific infield of third baseman Brooks Robinson, shortstop Mark Belanger, second baseman Davey Johnson, and Boog Powell at first base. The offense was led by slugger Frank Robinson, and the pitching staff was anchored by stars Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, and Mike Cuellar. The Orioles won the 1970 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds but lost in 1969 to the “Miracle Mets” and in 1971 to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
One of my only criticisms of the book is that Miller sometimes glosses over details. About the 1969 World Series, he writes: “What happened next has been well chronicled...The Mets won the next four games and took the World Series.” (p.130) I don’t need thirty pages recounting the 1969 World Series, but I’d like a little more detail, please.
Weaver’s view of baseball was summed up by his famous axiom that the three things you need to succeed in baseball are “pitching, defense, and the three-run homer.” That certainly worked well for the Baltimore Orioles during Weaver’s tenure. Baseball Reference ranks Ozzie Smith at the top of their Defensive WAR list. After Smith come three Orioles: Mark Belanger, Brooks Robinson, and Cal Ripken, Jr. The Orioles also had amazing starting pitching as well. It’s no coincidence that the Birds’ best string of baseball, 1966-1983, coincided exactly with the career of Jim Palmer. Palmer captured 3 Cy Young Awards, and won 20 games an incredible 8 times, on his way to a career total of 268 wins. Besides Palmer, the Orioles had a long list of starting pitchers who had great success for the team. To name just a few: Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, Pat Dobson, Mike Torrez, Dennis Martinez, Scott McGregor, Mike Flanagan, Mike Boddicker, Steve Stone, and Storm Davis.
Weaver was generally disdainful of traditional baseball theory, which often stressed sacrifice bunts, stolen bases, and moving the runner over. Of course, the Orioles still did these things, but under Weaver they bunted less and less often. Weaver said, “If you play for one run, that’s all you’re going to get.” Rather than scrap for one run, Weaver was content to wait for a big inning. Weaver was ahead of his time, as sabermetric statistics have been widely embraced, and they largely follow Weaver’s precepts. The emphasis now is getting walks and hitting home runs, not scratching out a run from a single, stolen base, and sacrifice fly.
“The Earl of Baltimore,” as he was called, was also ahead of his time in looking for favorable hitter-pitcher matchups, often making frequent use of platoons and pinch-hitters. That strategy worked well during Weaver’s time, when teams didn’t carry as many relief pitchers as they do now. Weaver’s starting pitchers were also effective enough that they didn’t need to rely on very many relief pitchers. These days, with teams carrying 12 or 13 pitchers, there’s simply no room on the roster for players who are mainly used as pinch-hitters.
As a baseball fan growing up in the 1980’s, I was too young to have memories of Weaver during his glory years. Even though he retired at the end of the 1986 season, Weaver still made two appearances on the 1987 Topps set, one of the most iconic baseball card sets of my youth. Weaver got his own manager card, and he was also pictured on the Orioles team leaders card as well. I also knew Earl Weaver from the computer game Earl Weaver Baseball, which was a favorite of mine growing up. I didn’t play entire seasons, but I loved the feature that allowed you to play with All-Star teams from the past. The Last Manager has a chapter devoted to the development of the computer game, which was very entertaining to read.
Upon finishing The Last Manager, I thought more about Earl Weaver and his legacy. Weaver was a winning manager, but was he actually a good manager? Sure, he got the most talent possible out of his teams. But in some of the fundamental tests of managing people, I’d give Weaver a failing grade. Weaver never became close with his players. I suspect some of this came from his years running the minor league spring training camp for the Orioles. Weaver’s rationale was that you don’t become close to players, because one day you’re going to have to tell a player that he’s being sent down to the minor leagues, or traded. He had to tell many, many players this news during those spring training camps. I understand where that impulse of not getting close to anyone comes from. But part of being a good manager of people anywhere is, you have to get to know the people you are managing. Jim Palmer said of Weaver’s relationship with players “He just never got to know them.” Miller does write that Weaver learned he couldn’t yell at Eddie Murray, because Murray was extremely sensitive to criticism. I’ll give Weaver some points for that. But the volatile Weaver yelled at most of his other players. There are other ways to handle professional athletes. Bud Grant, the famous Minnesota Vikings head coach, was a contemporary of Weaver’s who didn’t yell at his players. Grant said, and I’m paraphrasing here, “These guys have been yelled at since they were kids. They don’t need me yelling at them.”
After finishing the book, I also struggled to come up with nice things that Earl Weaver did for people. There certainly weren’t very many that are chronicled in The Last Manager. While I admire Weaver’s ability to win baseball games, and as entertaining as he was, I certainly wouldn’t want to have played for him.
Weaver was a feisty, combative field general, and he delighted in baiting umpires. He was also ahead of his time in embracing data to inform his in-game decision making. John W. Miller’s 2025 biography of Weaver, titled The Last Manager, is an entertaining look at Weaver’s life and career. I’d recommend it to all baseball fans.
Miller adeptly traces Weaver’s path through baseball, as he grew up in St. Louis, and signed with his hometown Cardinals out of high school. Weaver never made the major leagues as a player, topping out at double A ball. Weaver was a second baseman, and he played well during spring training in 1952, but player/manager Eddie Stanky chose himself to be the backup infielder over Weaver. But there was more going on than just Stanky’s selfishness. Weaver’s path to the majors was blocked by the Cardinals’ All-Star second baseman, Red Schoendienst. Weaver’s only hope was to be a backup infielder. Weaver became a player/manager himself, and worked his way up the Baltimore Orioles’ chain, finally getting to the major leagues as a first-base coach in 1968. When manager Hank Bauer was fired on July 11th, Weaver found himself at the helm of a major league squad for the first time.
Weaver had the immense good fortune to take over a team that was just two seasons removed from winning the World Series. Under Weaver’s first three full seasons as manager, the Orioles won over 100 games each season and went to three World Series. Simply put, the 1969-71 Baltimore Orioles were one of the great baseball dynasties. Those teams featured a terrific infield of third baseman Brooks Robinson, shortstop Mark Belanger, second baseman Davey Johnson, and Boog Powell at first base. The offense was led by slugger Frank Robinson, and the pitching staff was anchored by stars Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, and Mike Cuellar. The Orioles won the 1970 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds but lost in 1969 to the “Miracle Mets” and in 1971 to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
One of my only criticisms of the book is that Miller sometimes glosses over details. About the 1969 World Series, he writes: “What happened next has been well chronicled...The Mets won the next four games and took the World Series.” (p.130) I don’t need thirty pages recounting the 1969 World Series, but I’d like a little more detail, please.
Weaver’s view of baseball was summed up by his famous axiom that the three things you need to succeed in baseball are “pitching, defense, and the three-run homer.” That certainly worked well for the Baltimore Orioles during Weaver’s tenure. Baseball Reference ranks Ozzie Smith at the top of their Defensive WAR list. After Smith come three Orioles: Mark Belanger, Brooks Robinson, and Cal Ripken, Jr. The Orioles also had amazing starting pitching as well. It’s no coincidence that the Birds’ best string of baseball, 1966-1983, coincided exactly with the career of Jim Palmer. Palmer captured 3 Cy Young Awards, and won 20 games an incredible 8 times, on his way to a career total of 268 wins. Besides Palmer, the Orioles had a long list of starting pitchers who had great success for the team. To name just a few: Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, Pat Dobson, Mike Torrez, Dennis Martinez, Scott McGregor, Mike Flanagan, Mike Boddicker, Steve Stone, and Storm Davis.
Weaver was generally disdainful of traditional baseball theory, which often stressed sacrifice bunts, stolen bases, and moving the runner over. Of course, the Orioles still did these things, but under Weaver they bunted less and less often. Weaver said, “If you play for one run, that’s all you’re going to get.” Rather than scrap for one run, Weaver was content to wait for a big inning. Weaver was ahead of his time, as sabermetric statistics have been widely embraced, and they largely follow Weaver’s precepts. The emphasis now is getting walks and hitting home runs, not scratching out a run from a single, stolen base, and sacrifice fly.
“The Earl of Baltimore,” as he was called, was also ahead of his time in looking for favorable hitter-pitcher matchups, often making frequent use of platoons and pinch-hitters. That strategy worked well during Weaver’s time, when teams didn’t carry as many relief pitchers as they do now. Weaver’s starting pitchers were also effective enough that they didn’t need to rely on very many relief pitchers. These days, with teams carrying 12 or 13 pitchers, there’s simply no room on the roster for players who are mainly used as pinch-hitters.
As a baseball fan growing up in the 1980’s, I was too young to have memories of Weaver during his glory years. Even though he retired at the end of the 1986 season, Weaver still made two appearances on the 1987 Topps set, one of the most iconic baseball card sets of my youth. Weaver got his own manager card, and he was also pictured on the Orioles team leaders card as well. I also knew Earl Weaver from the computer game Earl Weaver Baseball, which was a favorite of mine growing up. I didn’t play entire seasons, but I loved the feature that allowed you to play with All-Star teams from the past. The Last Manager has a chapter devoted to the development of the computer game, which was very entertaining to read.
Upon finishing The Last Manager, I thought more about Earl Weaver and his legacy. Weaver was a winning manager, but was he actually a good manager? Sure, he got the most talent possible out of his teams. But in some of the fundamental tests of managing people, I’d give Weaver a failing grade. Weaver never became close with his players. I suspect some of this came from his years running the minor league spring training camp for the Orioles. Weaver’s rationale was that you don’t become close to players, because one day you’re going to have to tell a player that he’s being sent down to the minor leagues, or traded. He had to tell many, many players this news during those spring training camps. I understand where that impulse of not getting close to anyone comes from. But part of being a good manager of people anywhere is, you have to get to know the people you are managing. Jim Palmer said of Weaver’s relationship with players “He just never got to know them.” Miller does write that Weaver learned he couldn’t yell at Eddie Murray, because Murray was extremely sensitive to criticism. I’ll give Weaver some points for that. But the volatile Weaver yelled at most of his other players. There are other ways to handle professional athletes. Bud Grant, the famous Minnesota Vikings head coach, was a contemporary of Weaver’s who didn’t yell at his players. Grant said, and I’m paraphrasing here, “These guys have been yelled at since they were kids. They don’t need me yelling at them.”
After finishing the book, I also struggled to come up with nice things that Earl Weaver did for people. There certainly weren’t very many that are chronicled in The Last Manager. While I admire Weaver’s ability to win baseball games, and as entertaining as he was, I certainly wouldn’t want to have played for him.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 208 reviews