1977 Topps Baseball #546 - Baltimore Orioles / Earl Weaver

• Earl Weaver never played in the major leagues. He was a minor league player in the Browns, Pirates, and Orioles organizations from 1948-1960. Except for part of a season in 1958, Earl never made it past the AA level as a player. Weaver was a player/manager from 1956-1959.
• In 1961 Weaver started his full time minor league managerial career in Class B Fox Cities at the age of 30. The Orioles had been building a strong farm system. Weaver was very successful as a manager as he moved up the Orioles system, although GM Paul Richards had warned Weaver about how his fiery temper and frequent ejections were interfering with his ability to teach.
• In 1968 Earl was brought up to the Orioles as a coach. Manager Hank Bauer was in trouble and most observers thought it was just a matter of time before Earl would become Baltimore's manager. At the All Star break Bauer was fired and Weaver became the manager of the Orioles. At the time the team was struggling at 43-37. After the break the Orioles went 48-34 and moved up to second place in the AL.
• The Orioles won three straight AL East titles from 1969-1971. They won the ALCS in each of those years, but they won only one World Championship (1970).
• The Orioles slumped to a third place finish in the AL East in 1972. They then won the division in 1973 and in 1974. They were beat by the Oakland A's in the ALCS in both of those seasons. Weaver was named the AL Manager of the Year in 1973.
• In each of the next three seasons (1975-1977) the Orioles finished second in the AL East.
• Here is an article from the August 8, 1977 Sports Illustrated about the Orioles and their surprise run at the AL East title.
• On September 15 Weaver pulled his team off of the field and forfieted a game to the Toronto Blue Jays due to a dispute about the  maintenance of the two bullpens.
• Weaver was the overwhelming choice for AL Manager of the Year in 1977.
• In 1978 the Orioles slipped to 4th in the AL East, even though they won 90 games.
• The Orioles won the AL East with 102 victories in 1979. They beat the California Angels in the ALCS and then lost the World Series to the "We Are Family" Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games. Earl won his third Manager of the Year award in 1979. It was the last year that Earl would take the team to the playoffs.
• For the next three seasons (1980-1982) the Orioles finished second in the AL East. Earl was arrested for drunk driving on August 31, 1981. In 1982 the Orioles trailed the Milwaukee Brewers by three games with four to play. Baltimore needed to sweep the four game series with the Brewers to win the division. The Orioles won the first three games to force a winner-take-all final game. Future Hall of Famers Jim Palmer and Don Sutton were matched up in the game. Both starters struggled, but the Brewers prevailed to win the game and the division.
• After the 1982 season Weaver decided to step down as manager of the Orioles. The team would win its last (to date) World Championship the next year (1983).
• Earl was a part-time announcer for ABC from 1983-1985. The Orioles were struggling in June 1985 and the team dangled a $500,000 salary for Weaver to come back. He accepted the offer and managed the Orioles for the rest of the 1985 season and the 1986 season.
• Weaver had the Orioles contending for the AL East as late as early August, but the team collapsed (14-42) the rest of the way and Weaver had his first losing record (and last place finish) as a manager. Earl retired after the season and this time he didn't come back.
• Weaver was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1996
• Weaver died while he was on a team fantasy Caribbean cruise on January 19, 2013 of an apparent heart attack.
• Here is Earl Weaver's SABR biography
• Record: 97-64, .602, 2nd in AL East, 2.5 games behind New York Yankees
• Attendance:  1,195,769 (10th in AL)
• Team Batting: .261 (9th in AL)
• Team HR: 148 (5th in AL)
• Team Stolen Bases: 90 (8th in AL)
• Team ERA: 3.74 (5th in AL)
• Team Fielding: .983 (1st in AL)
• All Stars: Jim Palmer (starting pitcher); Ken Singleton (OF)
• Awards:  Jim Palmer (Gold Glove); Mark Belanger (Gold Glove); Eddie Murray (Rookie of the Year)
• AL Leaders: Jim Palmer (wins-20; innings pitched - 319; starts - 39; complete games - 22)
• Batting Leader: Ken Singleton - .328
• Home Run Leader: Eddie Murray / Lee May - 27
• RBI Leader: Ken Singleton / Lee May - 99
• Stolen Base Leader: Pat Kelly - 25
• Victories Leader: Jim Palmer - 20
• Losses Leader: Rudy May - 14
• Strikeout Leader: Jim Palmer - 193
• Saves Leader: Tippy Martinez - 9
• ERA Leader (starters): Jim Palmer - 2.91
• ERA Leader (relievers): Tippy Martinez - 2.70
• Players who could have had Orioles cards in 1977 (batters with over 100 AB, pitchers with over 40 innings) :
• Billy Smith (2B) - .215 in 109 games
• Dave Skaggs (C) - .287 in 80 games
• Elliott Maddox (OF) - .262 in 49 games