I got this book from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published.
As I occasionally browse the Netgalley selections, I kept coming across this one, and I was intrigued, but kept scrolling past it. I mean, I knew of Earl Weaver, but didn’t want to be a part of a book where it would probably detail every game he played and managed. But, finally, I gave up and requested it and the publisher approved it.
Earl’s dad, Earl Sr., had a dry cleaning business, and two of his clients were the St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Browns. So, Earl got to see baseball up close. In 1948, the Cardinals signed Earl to a contract. Although he never made it as a big league player, he played a few years in the minors, but his success came as a manager in the minors and pros for the Baltimore Orioles franchise. The O’s , under his leadership, won the World Series in 1970. He was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.
Earl revolutionized the use of stats (way before the internet). He was the first to use a radar gun for pitching speeds. When he was younger, he had an Uncle who was a bookie and Earl took in that knowledge for numbers.
He also helped create Earl Weaver Baseball for Electronic Arts which was published in 1987.
I enjoyed the book, and reading all the fun stories of Earl. Especially, all the times he would get ejected from games for arguing with the umpires. There were a lot quotes from players whom he managed, umpires, current managers, his family, and Earl as well.
